Letters To Ganesha: At This Lucknow Pandal, A Unique Gesture By Devotees

Postal services across the country may be dying a slow death but one Ganesh Pandal in Lucknow- known as 'Manautiyon Ka Raja - is getting sacks of letters every day. Devotees write letters to the Lord every day, listing their wishes - from a job to good results in examinations, marriage and trips abroad - in a letter and leaving it at the designated counter. It is believed that if one writes a letter to Lord Ganesh and offers it to him, his or her wish is bound to be fulfilled.

“I have been coming here since the past seven years and each year, my wish has been fulfilled. My father was seriously ill and I asked for his recovery and today, he is hale and hearty, I got my job and my life partner because of the blessings from the Lord here. I come here every year to write a letter – even if it is a thanksgiving letter,” says Rajeshwar Sharma, a young software engineer.

Writing letters to Lord Ganesh to seek blessings and favours has become a tradition at the Manautiyon ke Raja pandal at Jhulelal Park. While it is a common sight to see devotees praying to the Lord, writing letters to him is a rare one. The tradition is believed to be inspired by Gujarat's Dhank Temple. The devotees at the pandal are given a pen and a letter pad where they first have to write the mantra, 'Om Gan Ganpataye Namah' 108 times, and then write their wishes or grievances.

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Speaking about the custom of writing letters, member of the managing committee, Bharat Bhushan said that “Om Gan Ganpataye Namah” is the favourite mantra of Lord Ganesha."We generally get about 60,000-65,000 letters from devotees every year. Once the puja is over, we organize bhoo-visarjan (burying the idol in soil). Along with the idol, all the letters are also buried.”