RAMM celebrates Ganesh Chaturthi with Hindu community
Published: 6 September 2024
Ganesh Chaturthi – a vibrant Hindu festival – is being celebrated at Exeter’s Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery (RAMM).
Members of the city’s Hindu community will gather at Exeter’s popular museum on Saturday 7 September to celebrate the birth of Lord Ganesha – the elephant-headed god.
The 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 fully-booked event is being hosted by Exeter’s Hindu Cultural Centre.
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.
In recent times, members of the Hindu Cultural Centre donated a permanent garland to adorn Ganesh, provided a copy of the sacred book (Bhagavad Gita), and hand-hemmed a brightly coloured, sparkling cloth for his plinth. They requested a donations box to enable practising Hindus to be generous in his presence, and advised on a respectful height to view the deity.
The statue was last taken to the labs for conservation care in 2018 and welcomed back to the gallery with blessings on his birthday, Ganesh Chaturthi.
One visitor to RAMM commented: “It’s so impressive to see how you have displayed Ganesh here…. I was born in Uganda, and moved to Totnes recently from Birmingham… For us, these gods are alive once they have been worshipped.”
A Hindu priest also said: “Kudos to you guys. You have opened your doors and you have started building bridges between the faith community and the museum…. It will be a learning experience for the new generation as well.”
RAMM’s Lead conservator Sarah Klopf added: “We have deliberately made this display [of Ganesh] so the glass can be removed when the community comes. We’ll allow fresh flowers, and we very much want people to feel that he is part of the celebration and not just in a case where you can’t engage with him.
“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.