Moon goes missing on Vinayaka Chaturthi

India is celebrating 10-day long Ganesh Chaturthi from Friday; the tradition associated with the festival bars devotees from seeing the moon on this particular day. However,most of the parts of both states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh were covered with thick clouds and torrential rains, so the Chavithi moon did not appear in the sky. In the joint capital of Hyderabad, the city was cloud and filled experienced intermittent rain until early morning Saturday.

Despite heavy rains, devotees prayed to Lord Vinayaka with devotion at Mandals. The moons invisibility took the priests by shock who said that even though it rains every year the moon is visible. While the mythology says if someone inadvertently sees the moon on this night, they may remedy the situation by listening to (or reciting) the story of the syamantaka jewel found in the 'Puranas' or ancient Hindu scriptures. However the moon was not visible for people who wanted to check it out.