Hindu community travel miles to celebrates Ganesh Chaturthi
Published: 10 September 2024
Visitors travelled from as far away as Cornwall for a Hindu celebration at Exeter’s Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery (RAMM) at the weekend.
One hundred tickets for the event to celebrate Ganesh Chaturhi – were snapped up within minutes of the event being publicised.
Members of the city’s Hindu community and further afield gathered at Exeter’s popular museum on Saturday to celebrate the birth of Lord Ganesha – the elephant-headed god.
RAMM invited the community along to take over the space in front of its large statue of Ganesh, create an atmosphere and enjoy some food and music. The event was hosted by Exeter’s Hindu Cultural Centre.
One of those attending on Saturday praised the event, saying: “This was such a unique and moving spiritual experience. Really intimate!”
Another said: “Ganesh is special in the part of western India we are from. We make offerings to him at home, but we have driven two hours from Cornwall to be here tonight so our children can be part of this. Thank you.”
Museum staff marked the entrance with pink and orange uplighters, laid a path of electric candles towards the deity, and directed visitors to leave shoes on the wooden floor next to the stuffed elephant and giraffe before going into the gallery.
A member of RAMM’s Visitor Services staff, said: “We’re just providing access, keeping the doors open later than we usually would. We’ve noticed how the way we display Ganesh on a fuschia-coloured, sparkling cloth, wearing a garland has changed how people interact. Now we find it’s normal on his birthday for visitors to leave offerings – like tiny mice, which represent the animal that carries the deity when he travels.”
RAMM Engagement Officer Ruth Gidley: “It’s very humbling to see how meaningful this occasion is. By stepping back and allowing Exeter Hindu Cultural Centre to create this atmosphere around each other and the children, we are making it possible for the next generation to feel their belonging within this global diaspora community, as well as in southwest England.”
The Ganesh statue at RAMM is one of the most iconic objects on display at the museum and is much loved and highly respected by the city’s Hindu community.
Carved from alabaster by master artisans more than 150 years ago, the statue was brought to Exeter by a British judge who served in India in the 1860s and 1870s.
Ganesh is one of the most important Hindu deities, and, as the remover of obstacles, prayers to Ganesh traditionally form part of many festivals and new beginnings.
RAMM and Exeter Hindu Cultural Centre have developed a trusting relationship over years to create opportunities for Ganesh to be surrounded by the people who care most about him, in public celebrations, open to all communities.
“Many conservators are very keen to preserve objects and control their use. My feeling is that the use of an object is all part of its history. We are not conserving just a thing; we are conserving a way of using it. We are conserving a whole way of life.”
RAMM has an extensive collection from around the world, predominantly acquired and donated by people with connections to Exeter and South West England. Modern museums aim to forge meaningful community relationships and reflect the contemporary relevance of the objects in their care.