Here are few simple Ganesha Prayers and Mantras you can chant during Ganesh Chaturthi OM Sri Ganeshaya Namah Prostrations to the Great Lord Ganesha OM Sri Maha Ganapataye Namah Prostrations to the Great Lord Ganapati. Shuklaambaradharam Vishnum Shashivarnam Chaturbhujam Prasannavadanam Dhyaayeth Sarvavighnopashaantaye He who is attired in a white garment Who is all-pervading and has the complexion of the moon Who has four arms and a bright and gracious countenance On him we meditate for the removal of obstacles. Varkratunda Mahakaya Surya Koti Sama Prabha Nirvighnam Kurumedeva Sarva Karyeshu Sarvada O Lord, with a twisted trunk and immense body, Radiant with the effulgence of a million suns: O Lord, may all our endeavors Always be accomplished without obstacles. Ganesha vachanam shruthva pranathaa Bhakthi bhaavathah Paprachchustham punah shaanthaa Gnyaanam broohi Gajaanana Listening to the words of Ganesha With prayer and devotion we ask again- Tea

Historic Temples in Pakistan – A Call to Conscience documents Hindu Temples and pilgrimage sites in Pakistan through 400 photographs. The book is the result of the combined effort of writer Reema Abbasi and photographer Madiha Aijaz. The book chronicles various Hindu scared pilgrimage sites like Hinglaj, Katas Raj, Kalka cave temple, Panchmukhi Hanuman Mandir and Shivala Mandir located in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh in Pakistan . The book is published by Niyogi Books. From the flyer Historic Temples in Pakistan: A Call to Conscience makes a case for keeping ancient emblems of faith alive and for pluralism in a land of irony that has been home to multiple ancient faiths yet stands besieged by unpalatable extremism. It also aspires to enshrine the ideal of liberty.  By framing an all-inclusive piety, this book sets out to ignite a discourse and the collective conscience of a nation numbed into silence, fear or the false conviction of the suprema

Talk about Ganesh Chaturthi and the first thing that comes to mind is the celebrations in Maharashtra . Ever thought why is Ganesha one of the most popular deities in Maharashtra ? Even though Lord Ganesh is one of the most popular gods in Hindu pantheon, in the state of Maharashtra in India Lord Ganesh has an edge over other deities. Adi Shankaracharya in ninth century AD popularized the panchayatana - the worship of five major deities in Hindu homes. Shiva, Vishnu, Surya, Shakti and Ganesha were the five idols that Adi Shankara asked people to worship at home. In tenth century AD, Ganapataya Sampradaya, a religious movement with Lord Ganesha as the supreme deity, gained momentum among Marathi speaking people. The sect equated Ganapati with Brahman and believed that Ganesha is the visual representation of ‘ OM ’ – the very first sound or Vaak. The Bhakti cult that revolved around Ganesha produced several famous saints like the Moraya Gosavi who lived at Morav near P