Festival · Ganesha
Ganesh Chaturthi
The birth of Ganesha, the remover of obstacles. Clay images are brought home or set up in public, and later immersed in water.
- Ganesh Chaturthi 2027
- Saturday 4 September 2027
- New Delhi
For New Delhi, Saturday 4 September 2027
Shukla Chaturthi tithi
- Begins
- 2:19 pm, 3 Sept
- Ends
- 12:26 pm
- Sunrise
- 6:01 am
- Sunset
- 6:40 pm
- Moonrise
- 9:45 am
- Moonset
- 8:43 pm
Worked out for your city. Panchangs can differ by a minute or so.
Full panchang for this day →Puja times
For New Delhi, Saturday 4 September 2027
Madhyahna Ganesha puja
11:04 am to 12:26 pm
- Do not look at the moon
- 9:45 am to 8:43 pm
- And the day before
- 2:19 pm to 8:06 pm, 3 Sept
- Chaturthi begins
- 2:19 pm, 3 Sept
- Chaturthi ends
- 12:26 pm
Worked out for your city. Panchangs can differ by a minute or so.
How it is kept
Customs vary by region and family
- Install and worship a Ganesha image
- Offer modak and durva grass
- Immerse the image after one and a half to ten days
What it remembers
Ganesh Chaturthi is the fourth day of the bright fortnight of Bhadrapada, the birthday of Ganesha, remover of obstacles and lord of beginnings. A clay image is welcomed into the home or a public pandal, worshipped with modak and durva grass for one and a half to ten days, then carried to the water with the cry “Ganpati Bappa Morya, pudhchya varshi lavkar ya”: come back soon next year.
Welcoming Ganesha
The image is installed and worshipped in Madhyahna, the middle of the day, when Ganesha is said to have been born. Families keep it in many ways; follow your own tradition where it differs, and choose a clay image that dissolves in water.
- Clean the home and prepare a raised seat with a red or yellow cloth, decorated with flowers, banana leaves or a small mandap.
- Bring the clay image home with music, its face covered until it is installed.
- At the Madhyahna puja time, do the pranapratishtha: invite Ganesha into the image with mantras, then the shodashopachara puja, the sixteen offerings.
- Offer 21 blades of durva grass, red flowers (hibiscus), modak (21 of them, in many homes), laddoos, and a coconut.
- Sing the aarti, “Sukhakarta Dukhaharta”, morning and evening for as long as Ganesha stays.
- Do not look at the moon on the night of Chaturthi; if you do, hear the story of the Syamantaka jewel to undo the curse.
- On the last day (the 1½, 3rd, 5th, 7th or 10th, Anant Chaturdashi), do the uttara puja and carry Ganesha to the water, or immerse him in a bucket at home.
What you need
- A clay image of Ganesha (unpainted or with natural colours)
- A red or yellow cloth and flowers for the seat
- Durva grass, red flowers, a coconut and fruit
- Modak and laddoos
- A lamp, incense, camphor and the aarti
Across India
Maharashtra
The great sarvajanik Ganeshotsav: Lalbaugcha Raja in Mumbai, Dagdusheth in Pune, ten days of pandals and processions to the sea.
Goa and the Konkan
Chavath: every family brings Ganesha home, with the matoli, a canopy of forest fruits, hung above him.
Karnataka
Gowri Habba the day before, for his mother Gauri, then Ganesha Chaturthi with kadubu and modaka.
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
Vinayaka Chavithi: patri puja with 21 kinds of leaves; the Khairatabad Ganesh in Hyderabad is among the tallest.
Tamil Nadu and Kerala
Vinayagar Chathurthi: kozhukattai offered at home and at the great temples like Pillaiyarpatti.
Gujarat and the north
Kept increasingly with public pandals; in many homes as a quieter day of puja and modak.
When it falls
Shukla Chaturthi of Bhadrapada. Kept on the day this tithi holds at midday.
These are the usual rules. A few days can differ by a day in your tradition, so check with your temple.
Ganesh Chaturthi in the coming years
New Delhi, India time
- 2027Saturday 4 September 2027
- 2028Wednesday 23 August 2028
Questions
When is Ganesh Chaturthi in 2027?
Saturday 4 September 2027, in New Delhi. In a few places it can fall a day apart, so the date above is worked out for your city.
When does Ganesh Chaturthi fall?
Shukla Chaturthi of Bhadrapada. Kept on the day this tithi holds at midday.
How is Ganesh Chaturthi kept?
Families install and worship a Ganesha image, offer modak and durva grass and immerse the image after one and a half to ten days. Customs vary by region and family.
Who is honoured on Ganesh Chaturthi?
Ganesha. The birth of Ganesha, the remover of obstacles. Clay images are brought home or set up in public, and later immersed in water.
Why is the moon not seen on Ganesh Chaturthi?
Ganesha cursed the moon for laughing at him, and whoever sees it on Chaturthi is said to be falsely accused (Mithya Dosha). The page shows the hours the moon is up on the day, and on the day before once Chaturthi has begun, so it can be avoided.
When should Ganesha be installed?
In Madhyahna, the middle part of the day, while Chaturthi holds, as Ganesha is said to have been born at midday. The page shows that time for your city.
How long does Ganesha stay?
As long as the family’s custom: one and a half days, three, five, seven, or the full ten until Anant Chaturdashi. The visarjan, the farewell in water, follows the uttara puja on the last day.