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Temple Fashions – Dressing for the Gods

You’ve heard of Versace, St. Laurent and Prada – now here comes Temple Fashion! If you can dress for social events, then why not for God? When it’s Ganesh Chathurthi, the nine-day festival dedicated to that most beloved of Gods, Ganesha, people go all out to look their best. They buy special dresses, bring out their jewels and decorate their hair with jasmine flowers. In India it’s easy enough to do that, but here in New York, Ganesha devotees pull out all the stops and go the whole nine yards.

 

The crowds are excited – it’s like one big giant block party at the Hindu Temple Society where the silver idol of the temple deity, Lord Ganesha, bathed and decorated with flowers, incense and jewels, is taken in the chariot for a festive procession around the streets of Flushing. Devotees pull the chariot with ropes and there’s joyous dancing, music and joy. It’s Ganesha’s birthday – and everyone is invited! There are thousands of packaged meals and rose milk for everyone – and the kids look forward to the laddoos, one of Ganesha’s favorites (along with modaks). On the streets thousands of packages of snacks and mango drinks are passed out to the huge crowds that gather to witness the Rath Yatra.

In honor of Ganesha I wore a new embroidered outfit from India and decided to take pictures of all the young devotees who had come dressed in multicolored silk outfits for this special occasion. Every little girl wore gold jewelry and glittering hair ornaments. The boys, especially the littlest ones, looked adorable in their kurtas and dhotis. The women wore rich silk sarees and some of the men, dressed in dhotis and silken shirts quite stole the fashion runway! Talk of fashion statements!

Young students in Bharata Natyam costumes practiced on the streets and performed right on the road as Ganesha’s chariot approached. The drummers drummed, the dancers danced and the devotees crowded around for blessings.

Here is a photo gallery of glimpses of the biggest birthday bash and the happy party-goers, dressed to impress the Gods.

Temple Fashions to Celebrate Ganesha on the Runway of Life

 

Note to readers – First published in 2019

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