The popular Ganesha festival began on Wednesday, with Hindu devotees across India celebrating the birthday of elephant-headed Hindu god over 10 days.

The annual festival holds immense significance and popularity among Hindus.

All Hindu prayers begin with an invocation to Ganesha and believers say he has powers to remove all obstacles.

Elaborate and decorated idols of Ganesha are set up in homes and at temporary public shrines where the worshippers gather to offer prayers.

In New Delhi, devotees led a small procession of Ganesha, dancing to drumbeats.

"This festival brings joy, it brings people, community, every kind together,” said Mohini Umesh Totre, a devotee.

The festival ends on Sept 6 with the immersion of the idols in rivers and the sea in a ritual that symbolizes sending the god back to his mythical home.

AP Video shot by Shonal Ganguly and Rafiq Maqbool