Ganesh Chaturthi is a festival that celebrates the birthday of Lord Ganesha, the Hindu god of wisdom and success. It is also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi and lasts up to 10 days during the Hindu month of Bhadra. This year the celebration started on Saturday, September 7. The 10-day celebration will end with Ganesh Visarjan on Tuesday, September 17, where devotees immerse Ganesha idols in water. On this occasion, devotees offer Modak, fruits, sweets, and other favourite dishes of Lord Ganesh. But do you know there is a community that offers non-vegetarian food items and dishes to Lord Ganesha during this occasion?
According to reports, this ritual is a hundred years old. The next day of Ganesha Chaturthi, popularly known as Iliwara, non-vegetarian dishes are offered to Ganesha.
As per reports, the Savji community of Hubballi, Karnataka, offers non-vegetarian food to Lord Ganesha. Iliwara is celebrated on the day after Ganesha Chaturthi. On Chaturthi, vegetarian food is offered to Lord Ganesha, and on the next day, an offering of non-vegetarian food is offered. Non-vegetarian food is offered instead of Ladu and Kadabu.
As per Nagesh Kalaburagi, the former chairman of the Urban Development Authority and a leader of the Savji community, the next day after Chaturthi, food including mutton, fish, and chicken dishes are offered. Along with this, mutton keema, mutton chops, mutton tikka, mutton masala, chicken curry, fish fry and biriyani are also offered to Lord Ganesha.
There is also a custom of placing fish in Ganesha’s trunk on that day. The Savji community, which abstains from non-veg for a month during Shravan, starts eating non-veg as soon as Shravan ends. But because of the Ganesha festival, they start eating non-veg on the day after Ganesha’s installation.
As per the Savji community, they see Lord Ganesha as their son, so when they eat non-veg, they also offer it to Ganesha. This practice has been ongoing for hundreds of years.
On Iliwara week, the Savji community invites their relatives. After offering non-vegetarian offerings to Lord Ganesha, they enjoy a communal dinner with the family.
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