In India, Lord Ganesha is worshipped first on all auspicious occasions,
whether it is a marriage or a religious function. Lord Ganesha is the
foremost god of the Hindu Pantheon. Any new project or venture that a
Hindu family undertakes starts with his name, the housewife utters his
name before even starting a small chore as he is the remover of all
obstacles and is an extremely benevolent god, fulfilling the wishes of
those who pray to him sincerely.
Lord Ganesha also has long been associated with commerce, and
merchants still pay homage to him. In households, it’s common for small
offerings of money, flowers and food to be placed before one of the
family’s effigies of Lord Ganesha. These tokens please him and he
therefore brings more beauty money and food to the family.
It is also a firm belief of every religious Hindu that he / she must pray to
Lord Ganesha before undertaking any job. Once, Lord Siva set off in his
chariot to wage war against a demon. Soon after He set off, one of the
wheels broke. Then He realized that He had forgotten to pray to Lord
Ganesha. So, He went back home, prayed to His own son, and
successfully defeated the demon!
Bells are used to call the faithful to worship & toll the time. The sound of a bell can express great joy, sound a warning, or signal mourning. Bells have also been rung to bring on or stop the rain, keep evil spirits at bay, invoke curses, and lift spells. Bells hold an honored place in religious ceremonies. In both Buddhism and Christianity, bells are blessed before each ceremony. In Roman Catholicism, bells are symbols of paradise and the voice of God. According to Tibetan Buddhism, ringing the bell represents an offering to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas in order to accumulate positive karma. Also, the bell represents wisdom, so ringing the bell is the sound of wisdom which purifies confusion.