Vinayaka Chaturthi

Vinayaka Chaturthi:

The occasion of birthday of Lord Ganesha, the son of Shiva and Parvati, who is believed to bestow his presence on earth for all his devotees in the duration of this festival. It is observed in the Hindu calendar month of Bhaadrapada (August-September). Starting on the shukla chaturthi (fourth day of the waxing moon period). The date usually falls between 19 August and 15 September. The festival lasts for 10 days, ending on Anant Chaturdashi.

Cultural Beliefs:

• Lord Ganesha is believed to fulfill the wishes and dreams of all those who pray to him sincerely. He has long been associated with commerce and merchants pay homage to him every day. If an Indian business or bank fails, all the images of Ganesha in the offices will be turned upside down, signifying bad luck. In households, it's common for small offerings of money, flowers and food to be placed before the image of Ganesh. These tokens please him and He brings more prosperity, wealth and peace to the family.
• In the rainy season i.e. in the month of sravanam and bhadrapadam, vinakaya chaturdi falls in the rainy season. In shukla paksha the moon will be small and not visible. If people see the moon then there is a belief that people of that place are sinners and rains are not proper.
• Ganesha idols should be made only of clay. There are also references from puranas that ganapathi was created from turmeric.
• There is also an old belief that man came from soil and goes to soil, so some people perform Ganesh chaturdi for 3 days in which they believe that day1 as birth (idol made from soil),day 2 as life(idol will be decorated and prayers are offered) and day 3 as death(immersion of idol). Depending upon people belief it will be celebrated for 3 or 6 or 9 or even 12 days.
• On the vinkaya chavithi day if you look at the moon in the night the read or listen the theft of Syamantak Mani which is described in the Srimad Bhagawatham also recite this mantra to relieve from the effect of Chandra darshan

      Sinha prasenmavadheet sinho jambavataa hatah. 

      Sukumarak ma rodeestav hyesh syamantakah.

Secret behind Vinakaya Birth: 

Goddess parvathi created vinakaya idol of bathing powder and turmeric from her body (Nalugu Pindi). She gave a life made her loyal son and asked to guard outside while taking bath.Lord Shiva entered home and asked the strange boy to give way for him to enter house. Vinakaya strictly told not to enter the house. Lord Shiva became furious and ordered his army to kill him but they all failed. Then Lord Shiva thought of finding fight himself and killed Vinakaya by severing his head. Goddess parvathi came to know and she decides to destroy the creation then Lord Brahma pleased her.

Goddess parvati then gave two conditions that Vinakaya should be worshipped before the other gods and he should be given life. Lord Shiva then ordered his army to get the head of a creature who sleeps facing north. They returned with the head of an elephant. Shiva placed the head on to the body and gave life and declared him as his son and he will be called as Lord Ganesha(leader of all ganas).

  

Interesting Facts:

• Ganeshini :Ganeshini is the feminine form of Lord Ganesha. In Tamil Nadu, Vigneshwari is considered as a Shaktiand called as” Sree Vanja Kalpalatha Maha Ganapathi. The form of this ganesha will be the same of the head of an elephant but the rest of the body will be in the form of a woman.The people troubled by disease, marriage, accidents should pray to this form of Ganapathi. Ganeshini is a mixture of Lord Shiva and the Goddess gives her more power.
• Vidya Ganapathi:Vinayaka is also called as Vidya Ganapathi. Students will worship Lord Ganesha to excel in studies as he is the god for true knowledge. Also the entire life of a man is a continuous process of learning. Also the term vidyarthi (seeker of knowledge) tells he is the one who pursues knowledge.
• Symbolically Indian map resembles ganesha face.
• Steam cooked food is offered as Prasada to ganesha as these preparations are entirely made of steam. Rice flour, sesame seeds and jiggery are prepared as balls and cooked on steam.
• Chandra Darshanam: In the month of Bhadrapada on the vinakaya chaturdi day, the sun and moon are in the angles to each other that the moon light will gall on the earth with negative charges so they will tell not to expose to moon light. So it is advised not to see the moon.

Symbolism of Ganesha:

• Big Head: Think greatly
• Large Stomach: represents his great capacity to digest all good and bad in life.
• Short Legs: symbolize tolerance power.
• Large Ears: imply listening devotees.
• Small Eyes: imply having high concentration power.
• Mouse as Vehicle: represents a deity of control over desires.
• Large Forehead: develops great intelligence
• One Tusk: retains good and throws away bad.
• Long Trunk: represents high efficiency and adaptability.
• Prasadam: You can achieve what you want.

Benefits:

This festival has got more importance from the point of science. For Ganesha Puja one should do the pooja with the leaves and flowers of twenty-one different plants, trees and shrubs called as “Ekavimshati Patra Puja”.These 21 leaves are having medicinal values.

Sno	Mantra	Patram(Leaf)	Scientific Name	Use
1	Sumukahaya Namah	Machee,Soochee	Imperata Cylindrica	Purifies the surroundings.
2	Ganaathipaaya namah	Brahati	Carissa Carandas	Boon to women in the post-delivery period.
3	Uma putraaya namah	Vilva	Aegel Marmelos	Removes the impurities and purifies water and all  areas which are congested like Garbhaalaya .Juice of these leaves if applied  to the body just before taking bath removes bad smellon the skin
4	Gajaananaaya Namah	Durvayugmam	Cynodon Dacry	cures many skin diseases and also staple food for cattle.
5	Harasoonave namah	Duttura	Stramonium	removes the poisonous effect of scorpion sting, dog bite, rat bite, centipede bite and gives immediate relief to the suffering person.
6	Lambodaraaya namah	Badari or jujube	Zizyphus jujuba	The leaves are good fodder for cows and make them yield more milk Songsters use these leaves for maintaining a clear melodious voice.
7	Guhaagrajaaya namah	Apaamaargapatram	Achyrantus Aspera	The juices of these leaves cure many poisonous bites and wounds. It is used in the preparation of Zambuk ointment.
8	Gajakarnaaya namah	Tulasi	Ocimum Sanctim	Purifies air,water, surroundings and protects our health.Mainly used in the Shiva puja and Vishnu Puja.People who eats these leaves daily can conquer passion.
9	Ekadantaaya namah	Chootapatram	Azadaracta indica	Used as festoons to decorate the houses at  festival times and auspicious functions. Throat related dieseases are cured.also the cuckoo's tone is  sweet due to the eating of the new-born mango leaves.
10	Vikataaya namah	Karaveera	Thevetia Nerifolium	karaveeradi Thailam from the leaves protects the hair from lice.The nuts  from this are poisonous.
11	Bhinnadantaaya namah	Vishnukraanta	Evolvulus Alsinoides	As per theTaitreya Upanishad this herb juice improves memorizing power.
12	Vatave namah	Daadimi(pomergranate)	Punica Granata	Leaves and nuts are used orally to cure dysentery and to  protects pregnant women from abortion.
13	Sarveswaraaya namah	Devadaaru	Cedrus Deodara	The smell of this will preventsmosquitoes and dangerous insects coming into the house.
14	Phalachndraaaya namah	Maruvaka	Origanum Vulgara	leaves retain the fragrance for many days even after becoming dry and  can cure diseases of the heart.
15	Herambaaya namah	Sindhuvaara	Vitex Nergunda	This is is used in the preparation of many medicines including antipoisonous drugs and the juice cleanses the eyes
16	Shoorpakarnaaya namah	Jaajee	Myristica Fragrams	This is used as a spice and cure indigestion
17	Suraagrajaya namah	Gandalee		used as a  external application in skin diseases.
18	Ibhavaktraaya namah	Shamee	Prosopis Spicigera	The juice of its leaves can  remove the hair.
19	Vinaayakaya namah	Aswatthapatram	Ficus Religioso	Its leaves are good food for goats and elephants. The bark is used in the preparation od many medicines.
20	Surasevitaaya namah	Arjuna	Morinda Tinctoria	Used in the medicines for heart diseases, wounds and septics. Arjunarishta, a fmaous tonic is prepared with these leaves.
21	Kapilaaya namah	Arkapatram	Calotrophis Procera	The leaves of this shrub yield contains a white milky juice which is a  medicine for the poison of scorpion,  rat etc.,Also cures wounds and ulcers on external application

All the above mentioned leaves will be available in Bhadrapaada ( August-September) and the proper time, to gather all these leaves and preserve them for medicines.

  

Scientific Reasons:

• Ganesha idols made out of natural clay are worshiped with 21 herbs and leaves during the Ganesh Chaviti.  Water born diseases are generally spread during this season due to heavy rains and floods.
•  After the Ganesha festival, the worshiped Ganesha idols along with pooja leaves (Pathra) are immersed (Nimajjana) in water (rivers/canals/lakes/sea). It is believed that these leaves when they are thrown in huge quantity into water, helps in purifying the water due to their medicinal properties.
• Ganesha idols made of natural clay, when immersed in water; they get dissolved very easily in water and cleanse the water without causing pollution. This also develops immunity and resistance to fight with bacteria.
• In Ayurvedha the steam cooked food will have natural curative properties. Jaggery is a remedy for various ailments, til seeds to purify the arteries help to improve the vision. So the food offerings to Ganesha have health giving properties and the items cooked in steam are easy to digest. In some of the Super Specialty Hospital, steam cooked idles are offered to heart patients after surgery.
• Ganesha idols should be made only of clay as the pure spiritual particles of Ganesha will get attracted to towards an idol made of mud and can be immersed properly. Mud can be dissolved easily in water, forms a layer below and does not sink into earth for a long time and have a great effect on the health of living beings and environment. This represents the cycle of creation and dissolution in Nature.

Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, Kota Kinabalu

This marine park is beautiful. Clear water, soft sand, tropical wind, and coral blooms nearby the beach make it a wonderful place to enjoy a seashore vacation. The best part, it is just 15 minutes away from Kota Kinabalu. 

A cluster of islands- Gaya, Manukan, Mamutik, Sapi, and Sulug have their own identity. We didn't want to be rushing around. So, we put Manukan and Sapi in our list. Both of us visited Manukan once respectively, long long time ago, maybe 15 - 20 years ago when we were just kids. However, not many things have changed. Our memory refreshed by many old set up. Well done to the preservation of the park!

Let us start with Jesselton Point in Kota Kinabalu. It is the jetty for our island hopping. Located at the northern most of the city, Jesselton Point is around 25 minutes from Centre Point by foot. Of course, we parked our car at the car park right in front of the jetty, and had been changed about RM25 (8 hours). That was the most expensive public parking fee we have ever got so far. So, our advice, in case of driving, you might consider to park your car somewhere else, such as Jesselton Point Car Park with cheaper rate (should be RM1 per hour). Or, why not simply park your car at Suria Sabah Shopping Mall nearby? We are not sure about the parking rate, but we are pretty sure it won't hit RM25 for 8 hours.

All right, back to Jesselton Point. The speed boat service starts at 8:30 am, with a trip every 30 minutes thereafter. The ticket counters open from 8:00 onwards. The island hopping is highly customizable. We can choose the islands (which are opened for visitors) and decide the time to spend of each of the islands. There are many companies offering the transportation service, but the fare is more or less fixed. The latest fare is available at Sabah Tourism Webpage. Another thing, renting snorkeling equipments from the transportation companies at Jesselton Point is cheaper than renting the same equipment from the islands. For us, we rented 2 snorkeling set for whole day trip (mask, snorkel, and vest) with RM20 each.

We reached Pulau Manukan (Manukan Island) before 9 am.  The beach was quiet, with clear sound of waves sweeping the beach softly. Not many visitors were there yet. Well, either mid-August was not the peak season, or we were simply lucky to have the privilege to enjoy the tranquility.

Entrance of Jesselton Point. Located at Haji Saman Road, the northern part of the city, is the main jetty connecting the marine park with the mainland. The jetty can be accessed by foot from most hotels within the city.

From the entrance, Suria Sabah Shopping Mall, one of the shopping malls in Kota Kinabalu, is just 100 meters away (upper left). Upper right shows the scene of the city inside the entrance. Food stalls and cafe at jetty were mostly closed due to Ramadhan month (lower left). 8:15 in the morning, most of the "water taxis" are still lying in the parking lots, awaiting for their customers.

The ticketing counters are located in a hall with plenty of seats (upper row). Many transportation companies offering similar services with similar rates (lower left). After the payment, the receipt needs to be kept for the whole trip for identification purposes.

Kota Kinabalu from the speed boat.

15 minutes from Kota Kinabalu, Manukan Island, paradise of blue and green awaits.

Calm sea makes the marine park a perfect place for water activities. We were advised to move further from the jetty for snorkeling, as the frequent speed boat trips have somehow disturbed the growing corals.

Another scene of Manukan Island from the jetty. Can you see the small white speed boat far from the beach? That's the place we went for snorkeling.

 Gear up for snorkeling. We had Nancy together with us in our trip.

Fish of the marine park. We saw many of them. A bit worry about the presence of sharks in the marine park, although they don't have the habit of biting anything as big as human being.

Any fish in the sea? This picture should be a clear answer to the question.

We saw the remnant of world war on Manukan Island (upper left). Manukan Island Resort is the sole resort on the island (upper right). The information of the hotel is available at the hotel's official site. There is a restaurant (lower left) and a small building with several shops, including a food stall (lower right) on the island.

We took our lunch on the island. There were limited choices, but enough to recharge our energy. The price, not much different from Kota Kinabalu.

We passed by Mamutik Island, on our way to Sapi Island.

Jetty of Sapi Island, a small beautiful island.

Protected by Gaya Island, Sapi owns a wide area for snorkeling. The corals grow near to the beach. As the water was shallow during our visit, we needed to keep our feet up all the time to avoid stepping on the corals. This photo shows our first snorkeling site, north to the island. Northern edge of Sapi Island is on the left. Gaya Island is on the right.

How well is Sapi Island being protected? We took this photo at the southern part of the island. Towards the north, the whole beach line is covered by Gaya Island (far behind the red roof jetty), forming a snorkeling heaven right between two islands.

Feel like want a dip in the water? That's what we did. Towards the east, we can see Manukan Island and Mamutik Island far away on the horizon. This is our second snorkeling site, located on the southern part of the island (in fact, both of the snorkeling sites are nearby).

Let's catch some fish and corals... with our eyes :)

Like other marine parks, we need to follow the rules and beware of the potential threats.

A small wooden building at Sapi Island, houses an office and a grocery shop. The grocery shop has only a few items for sale (upper left). Last trip from Sapi to mainland, visitors are crowding the island's jetty, awaiting for their pickups (upper right). There are many canvas shades and canopies on the island. These artificial sun blockers provide perfect shelter for buffet lunch, at the same time spoilt the natural feel of the beach (lower row).

We really like the islands, and definitely will return for more fun. To be frank, that was our first time experienced the fun of snorkeling. For us, Sapi is a much better snorkeling site for beginners like us. First, the corals are growing closer to the beach, and secondly, the sea is calmer compared to Manukan Island. For both islands, there are places for us to take bath, to change, and to sit for a rest. The toilets are clean and well maintained. There are life guards on duty, and they were very friendly and helpful.

For us, the price of food on the islands are reasonable. The soft drinks are sold with RM2.50 - 3.00 per can, while shandy was sold with RM3.00 at Sapi. Fried rice with 3 dishes (1 meat and 2 vege) was charged at RM10 at Manukan's food stall. That was good. However, at Sapi, we could not find any canteen there except the grocery shop that we had mentioned before.

So, if you want to visit the islands, sun block (highest SPF that you can find), extra clothes, towels, swimming suits, and sandals are essential. You might need to bring enough drinking water as well, unless you want to buy the water on the islands. Bring some snacks might be a good idea. Buffet lunch on island trip might not worth the money paid (our personal opinion). Renting the snorkeling equipments from the transportation company is better than from the islands, if you plan to visit more than one island, as the rental for the equipments on the island is per island basis. A mat can be helpful for a sun bath, or to place our picnic set.

We wrote some of our experience in Kota Kinabalu, as listed below. Please visit All Our Destinations to read more on our travel experiences.

[Kota Kinabalu] [Hotels in Kota Kinabalu] [Food in Kota Kinabalu]

[Shopping in Kota Kinabalu] [Lok Kawi Wildlife Park] [All Our Destinations]