There are many stories that do the rounds when it comes to tracing the history of this festival but the most relevant one dates back to the time when Parvati, Lord Shiva’s wife, created Ganesha.

As the story goes, Parvati used sandalwood paste and created Ganesha so that he could guard while she was bathing. Ganesha performed the task with utmost dedication. It is believed that when Shiva returned home, Ganesha didn’t allow him to pass through. In a fit of rage, Shiva severed the head of the child.

Upon learning this, Parvati broke down and Shiva promised to bring Ganesha back to life. He sent his followers to search for a child’s head facing north, but all they could find was an elephant’s head. And that’s how our Gajanana or Ganesha was re-born with an elephant’s head.