Ganesh Chathurthi is a special festival that honors the birth of the Hindu elephant-headed god, Lord Ganesha (Ganapathy, Vinayagar). He is said to remove obstacles and bring good fortune.

Ananta Chaturdashi is the 10th and penultimate day of the great Ganesha Utsav or festival that begins with  Vinayaka Chathurthi. At the end of this day, Lord Ganesh is given a grand farewell and the idols that were installed for the festival are carried to the nearby river, lake or sea front and immersed with a lot of devotion and fanfare.

I first did this ceremony last year (in 2015) by the river Thames, in Richmond, London, UK.  There were about 5 of us.   And a photojournalist friend.   And to our pleasant surprise, we found that nearby (about 10 metres away)..a local Hindu community was also doing a much bigger scaled version ..immersing their Ganapathy statue in the Thames.

We waited till they had done their ceremony, then went to the water and immersed our Ganapathy.

So come join us this year (tomorrow).

• Date: Thursday 15th September 2016
• Time: 7pm to about 9pm
• Place: Terrace Garden area, Richmond, London

Here is a map of the area where we will be.

Best wishes

-Mani Navasothy

meetup link for this event.