Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati: 1,100 Modaks Offered on Shri Umangmalj Jayanti

Pune, India:
During the Shri Umangmalj Jayanti celebrations at the Shreemant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati Temple, devotees offered a grand Mahanaivedya of 1,100 modaks (shrifal) to Lord Ganapati on Saturday. In the Ganpati tradition, offering modaks on Kartik Shuddha Chaturthi holds special spiritual significance.

The festival symbolizes the removal of ego and attachment from the heart, allowing devotees to experience the pure, serene, and divine form known as Umangmalj. The temple was beautifully decorated for the occasion, and religious rituals were performed meticulously.

The celebrations began at 3 AM with Brahmanspati Sukt chanting, followed by singing by Shefali Kulkarni-Sakurikar at 4 AM, and concluded with the Ganesh Yag at 8 AM.

Sunil Rasne, President of the Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati Trust, explained, “Devi Parvati created a figure from the impurities of her body and brought it to life. Later, it faced a battle with Lord Shankar. To calm Parvati’s anger, Lord Vishnu placed an elephant head on the child, naming him Shri Gajanan. This incarnation is revered as Umangmalj. When ego and attachment are removed, the pure experience of Moraya is called Umangmalj.”