Festival · 2026
Ganesh Chaturthi 2026 — Monday, 14 September 2026
Ganesh Chaturthi welcomes Ganesha into homes and pandals on the fourth day of the bright half of Bhadrapada, with the main puja at midday.
In 2026
Monday, 14 September 2026
- Tithi
- Shukla Chaturthi (Shukla): 14 Sep, 7:07 AM – 15 Sep, 7:44 AM
- Lunar month
- Bhadrapada
- Sunrise / sunset
- 6:05 AM / 6:27 PM
- Madhyahna moment
- 12:16 PM
| Puja muhurat | 11:02 AM – 1:30 PM |
|---|---|
| Madhyahna | 11:02 AM – 1:30 PM |
Rule: Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi prevailing at madhyahna; if on both days, the first.
In 2027
Saturday, 4 September 2027
- Tithi
- Shukla Chaturthi (Shukla): 3 Sep, 2:19 PM – 4 Sep, 12:26 PM
- Lunar month
- Bhadrapada
- Sunrise / sunset
- 6:00 AM / 6:39 PM
- Madhyahna moment
- 12:20 PM
| Puja muhurat | 11:04 AM – 12:26 PM |
|---|---|
| Madhyahna | 11:04 AM – 1:35 PM |
Rule: Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi prevailing at madhyahna; if on both days, the first.
Times follow New Delhi’s sunrise and sunset. In other cities the muhurat shifts by some minutes, and occasionally the day by one. Full festival calendar
What is Ganesh Chaturthi?
Ganesh Chaturthi, also called Vinayaka Chaturthi, celebrates Ganesha, the remover of obstacles and the deity invoked before every beginning. It falls on Shukla Chaturthi, the fourth day of the waxing moon, in Bhadrapada. Families bring home a clay murti, install it with prayers and keep it for one and a half, three, five, seven or ten days before immersing it in water with a farewell procession.
Tradition holds that Parvati shaped Ganesha from sandalwood paste and set him to guard her door. Shiva, not knowing the boy, struck off his head when he barred the way, and then restored him with the head of an elephant, declaring that he would be worshipped first among the gods. Because Ganesha is believed to have been born at midday, the Chaturthi puja is done in the madhyahna window.
Another story explains a well-known custom. When Ganesha stumbled after a feast, the moon laughed at him, and Ganesha cursed it; so by tradition people avoid looking at the moon on this night, and anyone who sees it by chance listens to the story of the Syamantaka jewel. In the late nineteenth century Lokmanya Tilak turned the festival into a public gathering in Maharashtra, and it remains a festival of community as much as devotion.
How it is observed
- A clay murti is brought home or to a pandal and installed with prana pratishtha during the midday muhurat.
- Modaks, laddoos, durva grass and red flowers are offered; many Maharashtrian homes make ukadiche modak.
- Aarti is sung morning and evening, in Maharashtra usually Sukhakarta Dukhaharta.
- By tradition, people avoid looking at the moon on Chaturthi night.
- Each family decides how long Ganesha stays: one and a half, three, five, seven or ten days.
- Visarjan, the immersion, ends the festival; the largest processions are on Anant Chaturdashi, ten days after Chaturthi.
- Many families now choose clay or eco-friendly murtis and immerse them at home in a tub or an artificial tank.
How the date is fixed
Ganesh Chaturthi is Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi. Our engine divides the daytime into five equal parts and takes the middle one, madhyahna, because Ganesha is believed to have been born at midday. The festival is kept on the day Chaturthi prevails during madhyahna; if it does so on two consecutive days, the first is taken. The madhyahna window of that day is the puja muhurat.
Where practice differs
Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh celebrate on the largest scale, with public pandals and ten-day festivals ending on Anant Chaturdashi. In Tamil Nadu it is Vinayagar Chaturthi, often kept at home with kozhukattai, and in Goa Chavath is a family festival for which people return to their ancestral homes. Because this is the bright half of the month, it is called Bhadrapada in both the amanta and purnimanta reckonings.
Dates and times are computed by our own engine (sunrise, tithi and kalas for New Delhi, Lahiri ayanamsa). In another city, or in an almanac of another tradition, the day can differ by one — follow your family’s tradition.
Questions people ask
Why should the moon not be seen on Ganesh Chaturthi?
Tradition says Ganesha cursed the moon for laughing at him, so people avoid looking at it on this night. Anyone who sees it by chance traditionally listens to the story of the Syamantaka jewel; it is a custom, not a cause for worry.
When is Ganpati visarjan done?
Families immerse the murti after one and a half, three, five, seven or ten days. The largest immersions are on Anant Chaturdashi, ten days after Chaturthi.
What is the right time for Ganesh sthapana?
The traditional time is madhyahna, the middle fifth of the day, on the Chaturthi day. The window for this year is shown above.