Ganesh Chaturthiगणेश चतुर्थी

Ganesh Chaturthi begins Ganeshotsav, the best-loved festival of Maharashtra. Families bring home a Ganpati murti, and neighbourhoods set up sarvajanik mandals that draw visitors from across the state.

Next: Saturday, 4 September 2027.

Pranapratishtha and puja

The murti is installed during the madhyahna muhurat, when the pranapratishtha is performed. Durva grass, red flowers, shami leaves and modaks are offered, and aarti ("Sukhakarta Dukhaharta") is sung morning and evening.

How long Ganpati stays

Households keep Ganpati for one and a half, five, seven or ten days according to family custom. On the fifth or sixth day many homes also welcome Gauri (Mahalakshmi) for three days.

Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav

Lokmanya Tilak turned the household festival into a public one in 1893 to bring people together. Today Lalbaugcha Raja in Mumbai and the five manache Ganpati of Pune, beginning with Kasba Ganpati, are famous.

Anant Chaturdashi

The festival ends on Anant Chaturdashi with the visarjan procession, to the call "Ganpati Bappa Morya, pudhchya varshi lavkar ya" (come back soon next year).

Chandra darshan

By tradition one should not look at the Moon on the night of Ganesh Chaturthi.

How the date is fixed

Chaturthi of the bright half of Bhadrapad that prevails at madhyahna (the middle fifth of the daytime), the time of Shri Ganesha's birth.

Dates are calculated for Mumbai. A printed panchang from another city or tradition can differ by a day. For rituals, follow your family priest.