Question: which indian leader popularized the celebration of ganesh chaturthi
Answer: It is unclear when the festival started , it may have South Indian origins , but historical evidence suggests it became a major social and public event with sponsorship of Shivaji after Mughal - Maratha wars , and again in the 19th century after public appeal by Indian freedom fighter Lokmanya Tilak , who championed it as a means to circumvent the colonial British government ban on Hindu gatherings through its anti-public assembly legislation in 1892 .