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:

Jan 6, 2026Nuuk, Greenland
Jul 19, 2024A young jaguar on a riverbank, Pantanal, Brazil
Oct 10, 2023Mount Sopris, Colorado
Nov 2, 2023Death Valley National Park, California
May 14, 2024Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico, USA
Natures boost fruit
Sep 8, 2024International Literacy Day
Jul 24, 2025Adalaj Stepwell, Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Blood moon
A glowing square of squares
Have a merry little Christmas
A temple to treasure
The gateway to jungle
Sep 9, 2024Iguazu Falls at the border of Argentina and Brazil
One rare streak
Jan 2, 2024Prayer flags in Phobjikha Valley, Bhutan
Dec 14, 2025Royal Bengal tiger
Jun 27, 2025Splendid leaf frog
Jan 22, 2026Karlovy Vary, Bohemia, Czechia
Oct 20, 2025Hoffmanns two-toed sloth, Ecuador
May 24, 2024Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park, Huesca, Spain
Feb 18, 2024Sperm whale pod surfacing
Dec 4, 2024Navy Day
A warm hug in the icy north
Nov 8, 2024Glacial rivers, Iceland
Jan 4, 2026Kings Mountain, Chugach Mountains, Alaska, United States
Your TEA comes from here!
Apr 11, 2024Eid al-Fitr
Time to make an impression
Nov 10, 2023Badlands National Park, South Dakota, USA