India celebrates Vinayaka Chaturthi festivities with fervour

It is believed that Lord Ganesha was born on this day making it a special occasion for the devotees. An artist gives finishing touches to a Ganesh idol promoting Covid-19 vaccination in Mysuru. (Photo | Udayshankar S, EPS)

Devotees celebrate Ganesh Utsav by installing an idol of the elephant god at their homes. These idols are decorated with elaborate clothes, other traditional ornaments, flowers, and sweets. For the second consecutive year, the sale of idols has been dim due to the pandemic, making it hard on the lives of idol makers. (Photo | K K Sundar, EPS)

People worship Lord Ganesha in the morning and in the evenings daily and perform puja. The festival is celebrated for 10 days and concludes on Anant Chaturdashi. A big Ganesha idol is being lifted using a crane in Hyderabad. (Photo | Vinay Madapu, EPS)

On the concluding day of the 10-day festivities, the idols are immersed in a river or any other water body. People crowded at the flower market at Broadway, Chennai. (Photo | Ashwin Prasath, EPS)

A traditional sweet, Kozhukattai, being prepared at a hotel on the occassion Ganesh Chaturthi in Chennai. (Photo | P Jawahar, EPS)

Activists protest outside the BBMP head office against the height restrictions on Ganesha idols, in Bengaluru. (Photo | Vinod Kumar T, EPS)

Children make their own clay Ganesh idol for Vinayakar Chaturthi festival in Tirunelveli. (Photo | V Karthikalagu, EPS)

A devotee carries an idol of Lord Ganesh on the eve of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in New Delhi. (Photo | Parveen Negi, EPS)

A kid sells decorative umbrellas in Vijayawada. (Photo | Prasant Madugula, EPS)

A father-daughter duo carries a Ganesha idol in Mylapore, Chennai. (Photo | Ashwin Prasath, EPS)