Sankashti Chaturthi is a fast from sunrise to moonrise, with Ganesh worshipped in the evening and the fast broken after offering water to the rising moon. In short: bathe and make a sankalp in the morning, fast through the day, worship Ganesh at dusk with durva, red flowers and modak, hear the katha, then look for the moon, offer it arghya and eat.
The month's Sankashti, the form of Ganesh it honours and the moonrise for your city are on the Sankashti Chaturthi dates page. Moonrise moves by several minutes between cities, so check yours on the moonrise page rather than a list printed for somewhere else.
Samagri: what to keep ready
- A small image or picture of Ganesh, or a clay or turmeric figure made at home
- A chauki and a red or yellow cloth to spread on it
- Durva grass, washed, tied in small bundles
- Red flowers, especially hibiscus if available; a few marigolds
- Roli or kumkum, sindoor, haldi, akshat, chandan
- Ghee lamp and incense
- Modak or ladoo for the bhog; in Magha (Sakat Chauth) til-gud sweets or tilkut
- A banana or seasonal fruit, a betel leaf and a whole supari in many homes
- A lota of water for the moon's arghya, with a little milk, rice and a flower to add to it
- A copy of the katha, or someone who knows it
All of this can be simplified. Ganesh is easily pleased, as the stories say, and a single bundle of durva with a little jaggery is a complete offering.
The puja, step by step
- Morning sankalp. After bathing, sit facing east, take a little water in the right hand, and say in your own words that you are keeping the Sankashti fast for Ganesh, naming what you are praying for if you wish. Let the water fall.
- The day. Keep the fast as your family does: water only, or phalahar such as fruit, milk, sabudana khichdi or peanuts. Grain and salt are usually avoided until moonrise.
- Prepare the place. Before sunset, clean the puja corner, spread the cloth on the chauki and place Ganesh facing east or north. Set the lamp, the durva, the flowers and the bhog nearby.
- Evening puja. Bathe or wash again. Light the lamp. Offer water, then roli, akshat, sindoor and chandan to Ganesh. Offer the durva bundles one by one and the red flowers, and place the modak or til-gud before him.
- Remember the form. Each month Ganesh is worshipped in a named form, Vakratunda, Lambodara, Bhalachandra and the rest, and many families simply say that name with folded hands. A short name-mantra such as "Om Gan Ganapataye Namah" is enough.
- The katha. Read or hear the Sankashti Chaturthi vrat katha. Then the aarti Jai Ganesh Deva is sung in many homes.
- Wait for the moon. Go to the roof or a window when the moonrise time approaches.
- Arghya to the moon. Add milk, rice and a flower to the lota, and pour the water slowly toward the moon in a thin stream, praying silently. Some families also offer a lamp, or touch roli to the rim of the lota first.
- Break the fast. Take the prasad first, a piece of modak or til-gud, then eat the meal. In many homes the first food is simple and sweet.
Checking the time
Only one time really matters: moonrise on the evening of the fast. The moonrise times by city give it for your location, and the Sankashti page gives it with each date. The moon on Krishna Chaturthi rises well after dark, often late in the evening, so it is worth knowing the time in the morning and planning dinner for children and older family members separately. Families who like to begin the evening puja in a favourable period can check the choghadiya.
Customs families keep
These are customs, not conditions. Your household's own way comes first.
- Twenty-one blades of durva and twenty-one modaks are a favourite count, but any number offered with care is the same.
- Tulsi is not offered to Ganesh in most homes, following a story in which he declined to marry her.
- Many keep Angaraki Sankashti, the one falling on a Tuesday, more strictly than the others, and some begin the practice of a monthly fast on an Angaraki.
- Some people keep a year of Sankashtis together as a vow and close it with a special puja on the last one.
- Children and older family members often eat earlier, and nobody needs to wait for the moon who is unwell.
Regional ways
- Maharashtra: Sankashti is a household fast and a temple occasion; the Ashtavinayak temples and the Siddhivinayak temple in Mumbai draw long queues, especially on Angaraki.
- Karnataka and Tamil Nadu: the day is often called Sankatahara Chaturthi, with abhishekam at Ganesh temples in the evening.
- North India: the Magha Sankashti is Sakat Chauth, kept by mothers with til-gud and sweet potato, and the Kartika Sankashti shares its day with Karwa Chauth.
- Gujarat: amanta month names mean that the same Sankashti can carry the previous month's name there.
After the puja
Share the modak or til-gud as prasad. The great annual festival of Ganesh is Ganesh Chaturthi in Bhadrapada, and the moon fast the northern women keep in Kartika is Karwa Chauth.