Every year, sometime in August or September, the city of Mumbai goes crazy and in almost every house people perform their annual worship of Lord Ganesha, celebrating the birthday of the elephant God. Ganesha, the elephant-headed son of Shiva and Parvati, is widely worshiped as the supreme god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune.

This eleven-day festival called Ganesh Chaturthi begins with the installation of beautifully sculpted Ganesha idols in homes and large tents where they are worshiped with family and friends. The festival is celebrated over ten days at the end of which the idol is taken in a big procession around the city’s streets and immersed in the Indian ocean. Tens of thousands of people gather on Chowpati beach in south Mumbai to witness the immersion of the biggest idols.