The country is celebrating the 10-day Ganesh Chaturthi, the Hindu festival which is dedicated to the Lord of new beginnings, Ganesha. Devotees across the country began the day offering aarti (the lighting of traditional lamp and camphor) in temples across the country. 
On this day, devotees across the country bring idols of Lord Ganesh to their homes and decorate the idols with flowers and garlands. Modaks (dumplings made of rice flour and jaggery) and laddoos, considered as Lord Ganesh's favourite sweets, are offered to please the Hindu God.

This year, the preparations around the country have been downsized due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic which has affected nearly 30 lakh people and killed 56,000 in the country so far.

Most major cities have ordered that effigies of the Lord Ganesha, which can draw thousands of Hindu devotees onto the streets, be shrunk back.

Traditionally, the idols can tower 10 metres (30 feet) high or more and need dozens of people to carry them but this year authorities said they can be no more than 1.1 metres tall in a bid to cut crowds.

The festivities end with the final immersion of an idol of Lord Ganesha, called the Visarjan.