Anant Chaturdashi (Ganesh Visarjan)

The legend of Anant Chaturdashi traces back to the Mahabharata era. According to the story, Maharishi Kaundinya's wife Sushila learned the 'Ananta Vrat' from a group of women in the forest and tied a fourteen-knotted silk thread on her arm, which brought prosperity back to their home. When Kaundinya doubted the thread's power and burned it, all their wealth was destroyed.

Wandering in remorse, Kaundinya was met by Lord Vishnu himself, who appeared to him in various forms and explained the glory of the Ananta Vrat, showing him the way to observe it again with true faith. This same vrat was performed by Yudhishthira during his exile, on Lord Krishna's counsel, after which the Pandavas regained their kingdom.

The fourteen knots of the Ananta Sutra are believed to represent the fourteen worlds (lokas). Men wear it on the right arm and women on the left, keeping it on until the following year's Anant Chaturdashi. On this same tithi, devotees observing the ten-day Ganeshotsav also immerse the idol of Lord Ganesh, symbolizing the cycle of creation and dissolution.

Devotees bathe in the morning and worship Lord Vishnu's Ananta form, depicted reclining on Sheshnag or represented through a kalash, and tie the fourteen-knotted Ananta Sutra while listening to the legend of Kaundinya.

In homes and public pandals observing Ganeshotsav, the final aarti of the Ganesh idol is performed on this day, followed by a grand procession and immersion in a river, pond, or the sea. Amid chants of 'Ganpati Bappa Morya, Pudhchya Varshi Lavkar Ya' (come again soon next year), devotees pray for his return the following year.

In Maharashtra, especially in Mumbai and other cities, the day is observed with particular grandeur, with millions of devotees taking to the streets to bid farewell to Ganpati Bappa. For environmental reasons, immersion in artificial ponds is now encouraged in many places.