Ganesh Chaturthi Sep 7, 2024

Ganesh Chaturthi

Get ready to dance and paint the town red; it"s Ganesh Chaturthi. The festival honours Ganesha, revered as the Hindu deity of fresh starts and the dispeller of challenges, along with being the embodiment of wisdom and intellect. Celebrated across the Indian subcontinent, it brings together people in a joyous observance. The exact origins of the festival are not clear, but it has been a prominent public celebration in Pune since the time of King Shivaji, who ruled from 1630 to 1680. Later freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar popularised it in Maharashtra in 1893. This move aimed to foster a "Hindu nationalist identity" and resist British colonial rule.

© Priti Bhatt/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Back to the future
Sep 7, 2023Camels in the desert, United Arab Emirates
Sep 7, 2025Gdańsk on the banks of the Motława river, Poland

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Stop and smell the sakura
May 24, 2024Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park, Huesca, Spain
A natural spotlight
Aug 27, 2025Ganesh Chaturthi
Is it green with envy?
Oct 4, 2023World Space Week
When landscape met wilderness
What are these ancient animals?
Mar 22, 2026World Water Day
Jul 26, 2024Kargil Vijay Diwas
Apr 17, 2025Andean cocks-of-the-rock, Ecuador
Jun 14, 2024Peggys Cove Lighthouse, Canada
Sep 9, 2023Ayutthaya Historical Park, Thailand
Jun 30, 2025Asteroid Day
Shell-ebrating sea turtles
Dec 1, 2023Ross Sea, Antarctica
One on land, a million in space
Apr 7, 2024North American beaver
A shiver of sharks on the hunt
Which bird wore it best?
Apr 27, 2026The glass dome of Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Milan, Italy
Dec 26, 2025Boxing Day
Oct 29, 2024Great horned owl
Panoramic Penzance
Nov 22, 2023Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Protecting earths biodiversity for everyone
Mar 17, 2025Samuel Beckett Bridge, Dublin, Ireland
Jan 5, 2025Pushkarni, Sri Krishna Temple, Hampi, Karnataka
Feb 27, 2026International Polar Bear Day
A mirror reflecting natures beauty