Ganesha

ironyofdparadox: Dunking devotion

Above is a link to a great Ganapathi festival pic on an interesting blog.

Artistes spend at least three months making these Ganapathis that are eventually blessed and then immersed in water around this time of year. In Mumbai, Ganeshas are immersed int th Arabian Sea. The festival is a big deal in Maharashtra, at least more than in other states. The festival became larger than life in this state around the time of the freedom fighters byt Balgangadhar Tilak as way to evoke the spirit of community in order to fight against colonial rule.

And, of course, for further info there is a WIkipedia entry on Ganesha.