Happy Ganesh Chaturthi
An artisan paints an idol of Ganesh at a workshop ahead of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Bengaluru, India. Reuters

The Hindus across the globe are busy celebrating the beginning of Ganesh Chaturthi, the 10 day-long festival in honour of the god of wisdom and prosperity, Lord Ganesha. The son of Lord Shiva and Parvati, Ganesha is depicted as having an elephant's head and a man's body, usually with four arms.

In India, this festival is mainly observed in Maharashtra, Gujarat and South India in the month of Bhadra as per the Hindu calendar. During Ganesh Chaturthi, people clean their houses; prepare special food and delicious sweets. On the first day of the festival, the clay idols of Lord Ganesh, who is the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, are placed at homes or in public pandals, where special prayers, songs and pujas are conducted.

At the end of the ten-day period, the statues of Lord Ganesha are immersed in rivers, lakes or the sea. According to popular belief, Lord Ganesha blesses those who worship him on this day by removing obstacles from their lives and granting them new beginnings. In this gallery, IBTimes Singapore brings you a few images from Ganesh Chaturthi 2017.

Ganesh Chaturthi
An artisan makes an idol of Ganesh at a workshop ahead of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival celebrations in Kolkata, India. Reuters
Ganesh Chaturthi
A devotee transports an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh in a taxi on the first day of the ten-day-long Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai Reuters
Ganesh Chaturthi
An idol of the Hindu god Ganesh is loaded onto a truck to be transported to a place of worship on the first day of the ten-day-long Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Ahmedabad Reuters
Ganesh Chaturthi
Reuters