Ganesha Chaturthi, the festival celebrating the birth of elephant-headed Ganesha, will begin on 13th September.
Ahead of the festival, Hindus and Muslims united to bring the elephant God home.
As well as Hindus in the processions in Mumbai, there were also men wearing skull caps, carrying the palanquins carrying the idol of Ganesha and dancing to drum beats on the occasion of taking their beloved 'Bappa' home.
A local resident Hamid Qureshi told news agency Reuters that this is a festival of unity and here everyone gathers and celebrates it irrespective of what religion he or she belongs to.
"This is a festival of unity, and a good festival and here everyone goes together to bring Ganesha home. Many Muslims stay here, and it's not like in Hindu festival it's only Hindus, and in Muslim festivals, it's just Muslims, we all stay together here and celebrate every festival together. We want to give out a message of communal harmony," Mr Qureshi said.
Indian devotees carry an Idol of the elephant-headed Hindu God Ganesha, through busy roads in Mumbai, India, 08 September 2018. Source: AAP
'Ganesha Chaturthi' or 'Vinayaka Chaturthi' is celebrated in honour of Lord Ganesha's birthday, considered the deity of prosperity and remover of obstacles by Hindus. The celebrations continue for the next ten days and are mainly celebrated in western and southern parts of the country.
Right-wing political party Shiv Sena has welcomed the move, it's leader telling Reuters “If people from different religions join in the celebration of a festival, then the joy and happiness of celebrating the festival amplify and it should increase so there should be an environment of brotherhood in the country and for this, we have taken this step from past few years."
An Indian female artist gives a final touch to an idol of the elephant headed Hindu God Ganesha at a workshop in Mira Road, Mumbai. Source: AAP
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