A Ganesh Chaturthi Puja during Pitru Paksha in Nagpur

Pitru Paksha period, which is dedicated to performing Shradh for the dead, begin immediately after 11-day Ganesh Chaturthi Puja. The Wada of Raje Mudhoji Bhonsle in Nagpur installs Ganesha on Anant Chaturdasi day and the festival continues for next 15 days. The festival is also known as Maskarya or Hadpakya Ganpati utsav as it commemorates a battle victory.

Times of India reports
Continuing with a 256-year-old tradition, the Bhonsles celebrate 11-day Ganeshotsav during pitra paksh. n Friday, Mudhoji installed two idols of Ganesh in the courtyard of his home in Mahal, which as per the Hindu calendar was a chaturthi. "Our ancestor Shrimant Raje Khandoji Maharaj Bhonsle had first celebrated this utsav in 1755. This was because when he set out for Bengal for a battle, he had worshipped before the Lord to grant him victory. When he returned victorious, the Ganesh utsav had already passed off. So he once again brought in an idol and worshipped it and had a public celebration for 11 days," Mudhoji explained. 

This festival is titled Maskarya or Hadpakya Ganpati utsav. Mudhoji explains, "Firstly the idol is different. The small one is three and a half feet tall and has twelve arms. We bring it home on an ancestral palki. The bigger one is 7 feet tall and is dressed up like Shivaji Maharaj. The idols are made totally from cloth and clay. Secondly, as the event was organised to celebrate a victory, there is a lot of fun and enjoyment with programmes like mimickry, khadi gammat, lavani etc. That's how this event earned the title of Maskarya Ganpati." 

The visarjan is held on chaturdashi, one day before amavasya. "It is a huge procession taken out and people join on their own. There are horses dancing in front and many bands come to play. The entire procession takes nearly four hours to reach Gandhisagar lake were the idols are immersed," he adds.