Festival · Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi
Ganesh Chaturthi 2026
On Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi, Ganpati Bappa comes home! A clay murti, modaks for naivedya, and a guest for a day and a half or up to ten days.
Avoid looking at the moon tonight.
Date, tithi and timing
Times are for Indore. The app gives times for your city.
Date by city
The date is the same in every city listed.
Next year, 2027
Quick facts
- Also known asGaneshotsav, Vinayaka Chavithi (Andhra), Pillayar Chaturthi (Tamil Nadu)
- WhereMaharashtra's biggest festival; also Goa, Karnataka, Andhra and Tamil Nadu
- Puja forGanesha, in a clay (parthiv) murti
- In one lineThe remover of obstacles comes to every home, and the whole town keeps Ganeshotsav together.
Ganesh Chaturthi, in a little more detail
- 01
About the festival
Vinayaka Chaturthi comes twelve times a year, but this one in Bhadrapada is the biggest. Today Ganesha comes home as a guest, in a murti of clay.
How long he stays is up to each family: a day and a half, five, seven or ten days. Then the uttarpuja, the last puja, and the murti goes into the water. Clay goes back to water.
There's a lovely lesson in it: welcome with love, look after your guest with all your heart, and when it's time, say goodbye with a smile.
- 02
How Ganesha got his elephant head
Parvati shaped a boy out of clay, and set him to guard her door: don't let anyone in.
Just then Shiva came. The boy stopped him too. They fought, and Shiva struck off the boy's head.
Then Shiva gave him the head of an elephant, and the boy lived again. A Ganesha made of clay: and on Ganesh Chaturthi we still worship a murti made of clay.
- 03
In Maharashtra and beyond
A clay murti in every home, aarti morning and evening, and modaks for naivedya. The modak is Ganesha's favourite sweet of all.
Tonight you're not supposed to look at the moon. The story goes that Ganesha, riding home from a feast, fell off his mount, and the moon laughed. Ganesha broke off one of his tusks, threw it at the moon, and cursed him: you will never be whole again.
The Gauris come in these same days: three days of welcome, puja and farewell. On the coast the Koli community worships Jyeshtha Gauri as a metal mask, while inland two Gauris, Jyeshtha and Kanishtha, are kept.
In British times Lokmanya Tilak took the festival out of the home: a public Ganeshotsav, to bring people together. Today Pune has its five manache, honoured, Ganpatis: Kasba, Tambdi Jogeshwari, Guruji Talim, Tulshibaug and Kesariwada. Mumbai has Lalbaugcha Raja, begun by Koli fishermen as a vow for a market of their own.
How to do the puja
In short: Welcome the murti, install it at midday, puja and aarti every morning and evening, and the uttarpuja before he goes.
- 1Book a clay murti early, and bring it home the day before or that morning.Choose natural clay with natural colours: it melts in water. Plaster of Paris does not, and spoils rivers and the sea.
- 2Get his place ready: a patta or chaurang, a fresh cloth, flowers all around.Keep lamps clear of paper, cloth and decorations.
- 3Set a kalash beside him: water, mango leaves and a coconut.No coconut? A covered pot of water with leaves will do.
- 4In the midday window shown above, do the pranapratishtha.Many families call a priest; many do it themselves from a puja book.
- 5Then the sixteen-step puja: sandalwood, haldi-kunku, akshata, red flowers, durva and a janave.Many homes offer twenty-one blades of durva: Ganesha loves it.
- 6Offer modaks as naivedya, with a coconut and fruit.Twenty-one in many homes: steamed ukadiche modaks, with coconut and jaggery.
- 7Sing the aarti, Sukhakarta Dukhaharta, and offer the mantrapushpa.Family, neighbours, friends: call everyone for the aarti.
- 8For as long as he stays, puja, naivedya and aarti every morning and evening.A day and a half, five, seven or ten days: as your family does.
- 9On the last day, do the uttarpuja, and ask him to come back soon next year.The uttarpuja is an aarti, a naivedya and a goodbye.
- 10Then the visarjan: in a bucket at home, an artificial pond, or where your city allows.In the procession, keep children and elders out of the thickest crowd, and stay out of deep water.
What you needTick as you go
0 of 12 ready
Frequently asked questions
How many days should he stay?
As your family does: a day and a half, five, seven or ten days. However long he stays, look after him with your whole heart.
Must a priest do the pranapratishtha?
No. Many families call a priest, and many do it themselves from a puja book. The time and the feeling matter most.
How do I do the visarjan at home?
Fill a clean bucket or tub with water. After the uttarpuja, lower the murti gently and let the clay dissolve. Then give the water and soil to your plants or garden, not the drain.
What if I see the moon tonight by mistake?
Don't worry. In many homes people then hear or read the story of the Syamantaka jewel.
When do the Gauris come?
A few days after Ganesha: they arrive on the Anuradha nakshatra, are worshipped on Jyeshtha, and go on Mula. Many families seat Ganesha between the two Gauris.
Can I bring Ganpati to a small flat, or on my own?
Yes. A small clay murti, simple decorations and the daily aarti are enough. A day-and-a-half Ganpati works too.
Set a reminder in the app
The app sends a notice the day before and on the day, even offline.