It is in keeping with tradition that Jijamata and Shivaji began their mission of taking back Maharahtra from Adil Shah. The tradition continued with the Peshwas, who prayed to Ganpati.
When Peshwa Bajirao had Shaniwarwada constructed, he set up Ganesh in the fort. There is a Ganesh mandir above one door, which can be seen even today. They built that door first. Even the durbar hall was called Ganesh Rang Mahal, where a gold idol of Ganesh was established.
The seven-day festival would witness performances by musicians and dancers from all over India, representing ghagras from Calcutta to Gwalior. Thousands of visitors flocked for darshan and were served prasad and food. After the rule of the Peshwas ended and the colonial era began, the grand Ganeshotsav that used to be held at Shaniwarwada also stopped. In the palaces of the Gaekwads of Baroda, the Holkars of Indore and the Scindias of Gwalior, however, Ganeshotsav continued with fervour.
In , a group from Pune went to Gwalior and saw the Ganeshotsav there. They thought that the festival, which had started in Pune, should happen in Pune as well. They spoke to Lokmanya Tilak about this. Tilak was busy with the freedom struggle but he noticed that people were too scared of the British to collect in one place. Sensing the need to unite Indians, he thought of giving Ganesh Chaturthi a nationalistic fervour.
He deciphered that nothing can infuse more unity than giving Indians a common idol i. Lord Ganesha. Tilak knew that Lord Ganesha is equally worshipped by upper castes and lower castes and thus, Ganesh Chaturthi bridged the gap between the divided Indian population.
Made of wood and bran, the imagery was far from the usual calm and composed demeanor of Lord Ganesh, as it was symbolic of the victory of good over evil. The Ganesha represented India as a nation fighting for its freedom against the colonialists. This move by Shrimant Bhausaheb Rangari soon gained national traction when freedom fighter Lokmanya Tilak praised his efforts in an article in the iconic newspaper Kesari on 26 September Thanks to Rangari and Tilak, the Ganeshotsav eventually became a nationwide festival where people from all castes and communities came together to celebrate their national identity through intellectual discourses, concerts, folk dance and music, plays, poetry recitals, etc.
The Shrimant Bhausaheb Rangari Ganpati Trust continues to worship the same year-old idol to this day. Tilak's lecture during Ganesh Festival thousands of people had gathered in Keshavji Naik Chawls to attend the same. Naraharshastri Godse delivered the lecture on "Gruhsthashram". Tilak elaborated the importance of the topic covered by Godeshastri. News item published in Marathi Daily Kesari.
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