Religious Tradition and Political Struggle
Traditional Roots of the Festival
Anant Chaturdashi, observed on the 14th day of the bright fortnight of Bhadrapada (August–September), is one of India’s important Hindu festivals. Traditionally dedicated to Lord Vishnu as the infinite (Anant) sustainer of the universe, it revolves around the tying of the sacred Anant Sutra – a thread symbolizing prosperity, protection, and continuity.
Over time, particularly in Maharashtra, the festival also came to be associated with the Ganesh Visarjan, the immersion of Ganesha idols that concludes the Ganesh Utsav. This link between Vishnu’s eternal presence and Ganesha’s cyclical farewell created a symbolic rhythm uniting cosmic continuity with cultural renewal.
Festivals under Colonial Rule
During British colonial rule, large public gatherings were tightly controlled, as the authorities feared political unrest. Yet religion provided a protective shield. The British were reluctant to interfere with Hindu festivals, so they became one of the few legitimate arenas where large numbers could assemble without immediate repression.
This made festivals “double-coded”: spiritual on the surface, but political underneath. In a climate where newspapers were censored and rallies restricted, processions, rituals, and community celebrations became crucial for spreading nationalist ideas and forging collective identity.
Tilak and the Political Turn of Anant Chaturdashi
Bal Gangadhar (Lokmanya) Tilak was the first to seize this opportunity. In 1893, he transformed Ganesh worship into the Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav – a public festival designed to unite society. The festival climaxed on Anant Chaturdashi, with grand processions featuring music, speeches, and symbolic imagery.
Tilak’s innovation accomplished three goals:
- Mass Mobilisation: thousands could assemble under the cover of devotion.
- Collective Identity: it brought Hindus across caste lines into a shared community space.
- Nation-Building: devotion to Ganesha was linked with devotion to the motherland, framing patriotism as sacred duty.
By tying the immersion of Ganesha on Anant Chaturdashi to nationalist resolve, Tilak turned ritual into political theatre — a subtle pledge of loyalty to India.
Savarkar’s Vision: Festivals as Hindutva in Practice
Vinayak Damodar (Veer) Savarkar, a generation after Tilak, sharpened and expanded this use of festivals. For Savarkar, festivals were not only occasions for mobilisation but also embodiments of Hindutva — the cultural, civilizational, and political identity of Hindus as one nation.
While in London (1906–1910), he already stressed how Hindu festivals could break caste divisions and foster solidarity. Later, during his long internment in Ratnagiri (1924–1937), Savarkar urged that festivals like Ganesh Utsav and Anant Chaturdashi should be consciously reinterpreted:
- Civilizational Symbols: they kept alive the memory of Hindu resistance and renewal.
- Unity in Practice: he promoted cross-caste participation in rituals and processions, a living example of Hindu Sanghatan (organization).
- Hindutva in Action: festivals became occasions to express not only devotion to deities but also commitment to the Hindu nation.
Savarkar insisted that festivals must never remain “empty rituals.” They were to be used as tools of cultural reform, social equality, and nationalist awakening. In this way, Anant Chaturdashi became both a spiritual celebration and a demonstration of Hindutva — the unification of Hindus into a collective identity bound by shared faith, history, and destiny.
Why Festivals Mattered Politically
The political significance of Anant Chaturdashi and similar festivals lay in their ability to do what formal politics could not:
- Mass Participation: Religion spoke to the common people in ways Western political discourse could not.
- Bypassing Colonial Censorship: Songs, plays, and speeches conveyed nationalist messages under the cover of devotion.
- Cross-Caste Unity: Shared worship blurred rigid hierarchies, aligning with Savarkar’s reformist vision of a united Hindu community.
- Sacralisation of the Nation: The homeland itself became sacred, patriotism reframed as religious duty.
- Cultural Education: People learned nationalist narratives, symbols, and songs through festival processions.
Legacy
Tilak’s transformation of Anant Chaturdashi laid the foundation for mass nationalist politics. Savarkar’s engagement gave it a deeper ideological force. By connecting festivals to Hindu Sanghatan and Hindutva, he ensured they were not just occasions of piety but also engines of political consciousness and cultural renewal.
Together, Tilak and Savarkar demonstrated how India’s spiritual traditions could be reimagined as instruments of national struggle. Festivals like Anant Chaturdashi thus became powerful bridges between religion and politics, between devotion and patriotism.
Final Thoughts
Anant Chaturdashi shows how ritual could become a revolution. Tilak pioneered its political use, while Savarkar gave it ideological sharpness and a Hindutva foundation. For Savarkar, the immersion of Ganesha symbolized not only renewal of faith but also renewal of the Hindu nation.
✍️ In short: Anant Chaturdashi was no longer only about Vishnu’s infinity or Ganesh’s farewell — it became a moment to affirm Hindu unity, practice Hindutva, and pledge loyalty to the motherland.
💭 What do you think? How do you see Lokmanya Tilak’s transformation of Ganesh Utsav influencing forms of mass politics in British India? Veer Savarkar saw festivals as practical expressions of Hindutva. Do you agree that rituals can serve as instruments of cultural reform and national unity? Should religion and politics intersect in nation-building, or should they remain separate? What relevance does the politicisation of festivals by Tilak and Savarkar have for contemporary India?
👉 Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Sources:
GODBOLE, Vasudev Shankar. 2004. Rationalism of Veer Savarkar. Itihas Patrika Prashan: Thane/Mumbai.
KEER, Dhananjay. 1988. Veer Savarkar. Third Edition. (Second Edition: 1966). Popular Prakashan: Bombay (Mumbai).
SAMPATH, Vikram. (1921). Savarkar. (Part 2). A Contested Legacy. 1924-1966. Penguin Group: New Delhi.
Wolf, Siegfried O. 2010. Savarkar’s Strategic Agnosticism. A compilation of his political and economic worldview, in Heidelberg Papers in South Asian Comparative Politics (HPSACP), No. 51, Heidelberg University, Germany.
Wolf, Siegfried O. 2009. Vinayak Damodar Savarkar und sein Hindutva-Konzept. Die Konstruktion einer kollektiven Identität in Indien [“Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and his concept of Hindutva: The construction of a collective identity in India.”]. Online Dissertation: Heidelberg University: Heidelberg.
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