Ganesh Chaturthi marks the celebration of Lord Ganesh’s birth. This year, the festival will start on September 19 and end on September 28. Devotees worship Lord Ganesh, the god of knowledge, prosperity, and good fortune, during this 10-day festival. His birth is believed to have occurred during the Shukla Paksha of the Bhadrapada month, concluding on Anant Chaturdashi, known as Ganesh Visarjan Day.
Throughout the festival, offerings of prayers and a variety of delicacies are presented to the Lord to seek his blessings and appease him. Among these delectable offerings, modak stands out as a traditional favourite, believed to be the Lord Ganesha’s favourite sweet. Let’s explore why Ganesh Puja remains incomplete without Modaks:
Why Is Modak Offered To Lord Ganesha?
According to one of the folktales, Queen Menavati, Lord Ganesha’s maternal grandmother, lovingly prepared ladoos to satisfy his growing appetite. After a point, she realised that as Ganesha grew up and his appetite increased, it was impossible to make laddoos as swiftly as he devoured them. She then switched to making Modaks, a quicker alternative to please Ganesha.
However, one must have observed that during Ganesh Chaturthi, an offering of 21 modaks is made in front of the Ganesha Idol.
Another folktale explains the reason behind this.
Devi Anusuya, the wife of an ancient Rishi, named Atri, invited Lord Shiva, Parvati, and Ganesha for a meal in their forest home. She set a condition that everyone would be served only after Ganesha was fully satisfied. As Ganesha ate heartily, he repeatedly asked for more food. Despite Lord Shiva’s growing impatience, he continued to wait.
Anusuya then served Ganesha just one piece of sweet after recognising that Lord Shiva would have nothing left to eat due to Bal Ganesha’s insatiable hunger. Ganesha let out a big burp as he ate this, signifying that he was finally satisfied.
Interestingly, Lord Shiva burped twenty-one times, as Ganesh did. Goddess Parvati was intrigued by the sweetened food item that immediately filled Ganesha’s stomach.
When she discovered it was a modak, Goddess Parvati conveyed her desire that Lord Ganpati’s worshippers offer 21 modaks to him (one for each burp Lord Shiva gave out), a tradition that has been passed down through generations.
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