| Ganesh Chaturthi | |
|---|---|
 Khairatabad Ganesh, Hyderabad | |
| Official name | Vinayaka Chaturthi, Vinayaka Chavithi |
| Also called | Chavithi, Chouthi, Ganeshotsav, Gauri Ganesh |
| Observed by | Hindus around the world |
| Type | Religious |
| Celebrations | Chanting of Vedic hymns and Hindu texts, prayers, processions, idol immersion |
| Ends | 5 and 7, & 9, 11 days after the start and 21 days after the start only in some regions of India |
| Date | Varies depending on lunar cycle as per Hindu calendar or Panchang |
| 2025 date | 2025-08-27 |
| 2026 date | 2026-09-14 |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Explanatory note on Hindu festival dates | |
|---|---|
TheHindu calendar is lunisolar but most festival dates are specified using the lunar portion of the calendar. A lunar day is uniquely identified by three calendar elements:māsa (lunar month),pakṣa (lunar fortnight) andtithi (lunar day). Furthermore, when specifying the masa, one of two traditions are applicable, viz.amānta /pūrṇimānta. If a festival falls in the waning phase of the moon, these two traditions identify the same lunar day as falling in two different (but successive) masa. A lunar year is shorter than a solar year by about eleven days. As a result, most Hindu festivals occur on different days in successive years on the Gregorian calendar. | |
Ganesh Chaturthi (ISO:Gaṇeśa Caturthī) (transl. Ganesh Festival or the Festival of Ganesha on the Fourth Day), also known asVinayaka Chaturthi (Vināyaka Caturthī),Vinayaka Chavithi (Vināyaka Cavithī), orVinayagar Chaturthi (Vināyagar Caturthī), is aHindu festival celebrating the birthday of theHindu deityGanesha.[1] The festival is marked with the installation of Ganesha'smurtis (devotional representations of a deity), privately in homes and publicly on elaboratepandals (temporary stages). Observances include chanting of Vedic hymns and Hindu texts, such as prayers andvrata (fasting).[1] Offerings andprasada from the daily prayers, which are distributed from the pandal to the community, includesweets such asmodak, as it is believed to be a favourite of Ganesha.[2][3] The festival ends on the tenth day after its start, when themurti is carried in a public procession with music and group chanting, and then immersed in a nearby body of water such as a river or sea, calledvisarjana on the day ofAnanta Chaturdashi. InMumbai alone, around 150,000 murtis are immersed annually.[1][4][5] It is a state festival of Indian stateMaharashtra.[6][7]
The festival celebrates Ganesha as the god of new beginnings, the remover of obstacles, and the god of wisdom and intelligence.[8][9] It is observed throughout theIndian subcontinent by Hindus, especially in the states such asMaharashtra,Madhya Pradesh,Gujarat,Uttar Pradesh,Karnataka,Odisha,Telangana,Andhra Pradesh,Tamil Nadu,Kerala, andGoa, as well asSri Lanka.[1][10] Ganesh Chaturthi is also observed by the Hindu diaspora elsewhere such as inAustralia,New Zealand,Canada,Singapore,Malaysia,Sri Lanka,Trinidad and Tobago,Guyana,Suriname, other parts of theCaribbean,Fiji,Mauritius,South Africa,[11] theUnited States, andEurope. In the Gregorian calendar, Ganesh Chaturthi falls between 22 August and 20 September every year.[5][12][13]
Although the origin of Ganesh Chaturthi remains unknown, it became increasingly popular after a public celebration was initiated by the prominent Anti-Colonial Freedom Fighter, LokamanyaBal Gangadhar Tilak, in Maharashtra in the year 1893.[14] It was a means to form a Hindu nationalist identity and rebel against British rule.[15] Reading of texts, feasting, athletic and martial arts competitions are held at public venues.[16]
Although it is unknown when (or how) Ganesh Chaturthi was first observed, the festival has been publicly celebrated in Pune since the era of KingShivaji (1630–1680, founder of theMaratha Empire).[17][better source needed] ThePeshwa in the 18th century were devotees of Ganesha and started as a public Ganesh festival in their capital city ofPune during the month of Bhadrapad.[18] After the start of theBritish Raj, the Ganesh festival lost state patronage and became a private family celebration inMaharashtra until its revival by Indian freedom fighter and social reformerLokmanya Tilak.[17][19] Indian freedom fighter Lokmanya Tilak,[20] championed it as a means to circumvent the colonial British government ban on Hindu gatherings through its anti-public assembly legislation in 1892. Lokmanya Tilak started the festival in Pune and Girgaon, Mumbai.[21][22][23]
I followed with the greatest curiosity crowds who carried in procession an infinite number of idols of the God Ganesh. Each little quarter of the town, each family with its adherents, each little street corner I may almost say, organises a procession of its own, and the poorest may be seen carrying on a simple plank their little idol or of paper mâché... A crowd, more or less numerous, accompanies the idol, clapping hands and raises cries of joy, while a little orchestra generally precedes the idol.
– Angelo de Gubernatis,Bombay Gazette (1886)[24][25]
According to others such as Kaur, the festival became a public event later, in 1892 whenKrishnajipant Khasgiwale (also known as Nanasaheb Khasgiwale), a Pune resident, visitedGwalior then under Scindia rule where he witnessed a public Ganesh Chaturthi celebration(Sarvajanik Ganesh Mahotsav) for the first time. This inspired him to conceptualize a similar public festival back home in Pune.[26] Khasgiwale shared this idea with his friends in Pune Shrimant Bhausaheb Rangari (a respected royal physician and freedom fighter) and Balasaheb Natu. Enthused by the idea, Rangari took the lead and installed the first sarvajanik (public) Ganesha idol in his wada in the Shalukar Bol area of Pune. In 1893, the Indian freedom fighter Lokmanya Tilak praised the celebration ofSarvajanik Ganesh Utsav in his newspaper,Kesari, and dedicated his efforts to launch the annual domestic festival into a large, well organised public event.[27] Tilak recognised Ganesh's appeal as "the god for everybody",[28] and according to Robert Brown, he chose Ganesha as the god that bridged "the gap betweenBrahmins and non-Brahmins", thereby building a grassroots unity across them to oppose British colonial rule.[29]
Other scholars state that the British Empire, after 1870 out of fear of seditious assemblies, had passed a series of ordinances that banned public assembly for social and political purposes of more than 20 people in British India, but exempted religious assembly for Friday mosque prayers under pressure from the Indian Muslim community. Tilak believed that this effectively blocked the public assembly of Hindus whose religion did not mandate daily prayers or weekly gatherings, and he leveraged this religious exemption to make Ganesh Chaturthi to circumvent the British colonial law on large public assembly.[20][21][23] He was the first to install large public images of Ganesha in pavilions inBombay Presidency, and other celebratory events at the festival.[30]
God Ganesh: political obstacle remover
Why shouldn't we convert the large religious festivals
into mass political rallies?
According to Richard Cashman, Tilak recruited and passionately committed himself to god Ganesha after the 1893 Hindu-Muslim communal violence in Bombay and the Deccan riots, when he felt that the British India government underLord Harris had repeatedly taken sides and not treated Hindus fairly because Hindus were not well organised.[36] In Tilak's estimate, Ganesha worship and processions were already popular in rural and urban Hindu populations, across social castes and classes in Baroda, Gwalior, Pune and most of the Maratha region in the 18th century.[37] In 1893, Tilak helped expand Ganesh Chaturthi festival into a mass community event and a hidden means for political activism, intellectual discourse, poetry recitals, plays, concerts, and folk dances.[38]
In Goa, Ganesh Chaturthi predates theKadamba era. TheGoa Inquisition had banned Hindu festivals, and Hindus who did not convert to Christianity were severely restricted. However, Hindu Goans continued to practice their religion despite the restrictions. Many families worship Ganesha in the form ofpatri (leaves used for worshiping Ganesha or other gods), a picture is drawn on paper or small silver idols. In some households Ganesha idols are hidden, a feature unique to Ganesh Chaturthi in Goa due to a ban on clay Ganesha idols and festivals by theJesuits as part of the Inquisition.[39]
In India, Ganesh Chaturthi is primarily celebrated at home and in public by local community groups in the central and western states ofMaharashtra,Madhya Pradesh,Gujarat,[note 2]Uttar Pradesh,Rajasthan andGoa and the southern states ofKarnataka,Andhra Pradesh,Telangana,Tamil Nadu, andKerala and eastern states ofWest Bengal andOdisha and in North eastern state ofAssam.
On the same day,Chaurchan festival is celebrated inMithila region ofBihar which is related to Ganesha andChandra, the Hindu moon god.[41][42]
The date for the festival is usually decided by the presence of Chaturthi Thithi. The festival is held during "Bhadrapada Madyahanaa Purvabaddha". If theChaturthi Thiti begins at night on the previous day and gets over by morning on next day, then the next day is observed as Vinayaka Chaturthi.
In theconsecration ceremony, a priest performs aPrana Pratishtha to invite Ganesh like a guest. This is followed by the 16-step Shodashopachara ritual,[43] (Sanskrit:Shodash, 16;Upachara, process) during which coconut,jaggery,modaks,durva grass and redhibiscus (Jaswand) flowers[44] are offered to the idol. Depending on the region and time zone, the ceremony commences with hymns from theRigveda, theGanapati Atharvashirsa, theUpanishads and the Ganeshstotra (prayer) from theNarada Purana are chanted. In Maharashtra as well as Goa,aarti is performed with friends and family, typically in the morning and evening.
In preparation for the festival, artisans create clay models of Ganesha for sale. The images (Murtis) range in size from 20 mm (3⁄4 in) for homes to over 20 m (70 ft) for large community celebrations.[45]
On the last day of the festival, the tradition ofGanesh visarjan ornimajjanam (lit. "immersion") takes places, when the Ganesha images are immersed in a river, sea or water body. On the last day, the devotees come out in processions carrying the idols of Ganesha, culminating in immersion. It is believed that the god who comes to the earthly realm on Ganesh Chaturthi, returns to his celestial abode after immersion. The celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi also denotes the significance of the cycle of birth, life and death. It is believed that when the idol of the Ganesha is taken out for immersion, it also takes away with it the various obstacles of the house and these obstacles are destroyed along with the immersion. Every year, people wait with great anticipation to celebrate the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi.[46]
InMaharashtra, Ganesh Chaturthi is known as Ganeshotsav. Families install small clay Murtis for worship during the festival.[47] At home, the festival preparation includes purchases such aspuja items or accessories a few days in advance and booking the Ganesh murti as early as a month beforehand (from local artisans). The murti is brought home either a day before or on the day of the Ganesh Chaturthi itself. Families decorate a small, clean portion of the house with flowers and other colourful items before installing the idol. When the Murti is installed, it and its shrine are decorated with flowers and other materials. On the day of the festival, The ceremonial installation of the claymurti (idol) is done along with chants of holy mantras and puja including bhajans during a certain auspicious period of the day. The Murti is worshipped in the morning and evening with offerings of flowers,durva (strands of young grass),karanji and modaks (jaggery and coconut flakes wrapped in rice flour dumplings).[2][48] The worship ends with the singing of anaarti in honour of Ganesh, other Gods and Saints.
In Maharashtra the Marathiaarti "Sukhakarta Dukhaharta", composed by the 17th-century saint,Samarth Ramdas is sung.[49]Family traditions differ about when to end the celebration. Domestic celebrations end after1+1⁄2, 3, 5, 7 or 11 days. At that time the Murti is ceremoniously brought to a body of water (such as a lake, river or the sea) for immersion. InMaharashtra, Ganeshotsav also incorporates other festivals, namelyHartalika and the Gauri festival, the former is observed with a fast by women on the day before Ganesh Chaturthi whilst the latter by the installation of Murtis of Gauris.[50] In some communities such as theChitpavan, and theCKP, pebbles collected from river bank are installed as representations of Gauri.[51]
In Goa, Ganesh Chaturthi is known as Chavath inKonkani and Parab or Parva ("auspicious celebration");[52] it begins on the third day of thelunar month ofBhadrapada. On this dayParvati and Shiva are worshipped by women, who fast.[53] Instruments such asghumots,crash cymbals (ताळ(taal) in Konkani) andpakhavaj (an Indian barrel-shaped, two-headed drum) are played during the rituals.[54] The harvest festival, Navyachi Pancham, is celebrated the next day; freshly harvestedpaddy is brought home from the fields (or temples) and apuja is conducted. Communities who ordinarily eat seafood refrain from doing so during the festival.[53]
In Karnataka theGowri festival precedes Ganesh Chaturthi, and people across the state wish each other well. In Andhra Pradesh, Ganesh Murtis of clay (Matti Vinayakudu) and turmeric (Siddhi Vinayakudu) are usually worshipped at home withplaster of Paris Murti's.[citation needed]
Public celebrations of the festival are popular and are organised by local youth groups, neighbourhood associations, or groups of tradespeople. Funds for the public festival are collected from members of the association arranging the celebration, local residents and businesses.[18] The Ganesh idols and accompanying Murti are installed in temporary shelters, known as mandaps or pandals. Public preparations begin months in advance. The making of theMurti in Maharashtra usually begins with "Padya pooja" or worshipping the feet of Ganesh. The Murtis are brought to "pandals" on the day or a day before the festival begins. The pandals have elaborate decoration and lighting.[55]
The festival features cultural activities such as singing, theatre and orchestral performances and community activities such as free medical checkups, blood-donation sites and donations to the poor. Ganesh Chaturthi, in addition to its religious aspects, is an important economic activity inMumbai,Pune,Nagpur,Nashik,Kolhapur,Khamgaon,Aurangabad,Indore,Agra,Surat,Hyderabad,Visakhapatnam,Bangalore,Chennai,Thiruvananthapuram andKurnool. Many artists, industries, and businesses earn a significant amount of their living from the festival, which is a stage for budding artists. Members of other religions also participate in the celebration.[56][57][58]
In Tamil Nadu, the festival, also known asVinayaka Chaturthi orPillayar Chaturthi, falls on the fourth day after thenew moon in the month ofĀvaṇi in the Tamil calendar. The idols are usually made of clay orpapier-mâché,[59] sincePlaster of Paris idols have been banned by the state government,[60][61] but violations of this rule are often reported.[62] Idols are also made of coconuts and other organic products. They are worshipped for several days in pandals and immersed in theBay of Bengal the following Sunday. InKerala the festival is also known asLambodhara Piranalu, which falls in the month ofChingam.[63] InThiruvananthapuram a procession marches from the Pazhavangadi Ganapathi Temple toShankumugham Beach, with tall Murti of Ganesha made from organic items and milk immersed in the sea.[64]
AtVarasidhi Vinayaka Swamy Temple inKanipakam, Andhra Pradesh, annualbrahmotsavams will be celebrated for 21 days starting from Vinayaka Chavithi day. The processional deity of Vinayaka (Ganesh) will be taken in a procession on differentvahanams on these days amidst large number of pilgrims across the country.[65]
In Pakistan, Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations are conducted by the Shri Maharashtra Panchayat, an organisation forMaharashtrians in Karachi.[66]
Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated in theUK by theBritish Hindu population living there. The Hindu Culture and Heritage Society, aSouthall-based organisation, celebrated Ganesh Chaturthi for the first time in London in 2005 at the Vishwa Hindu Temple; and the idol was immersed in theRiver Thames atPutney Pier[citation needed]. Another celebration, organised by aGujarati group, has been celebrated inSouthend-on-Sea, and attracted an estimated 18,000 devotees.[67] Annual celebrations are also held on theRiver Mersey inLiverpool,[68][69] in the North Sea at Clacton-on-Sea,[70] and Caldecotte Lake in Milton Keynes.[71]
The Philadelphia Ganesh Festival is one of the most popular celebrations of Ganesh Chaturthi in North America,[72] and it is also celebrated in Canada (particularly in theToronto area), Detroit Metropolitan area-Wayne State university, Mauritius, Malaysia and Singapore. The Mauritius festival dates back to 1896,[73] and the Mauritian government has made it a public holiday.[74] In Malaysia and Singapore, the festival is more commonly known as Vinayagar Chaturthi because of the large Tamil-speaking Hindu minority.[75]
In Ghana,ethnic African Hindus celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi.[76]
In Tenerife (Spain), is one of the few places in Europe where Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated publicly.[77][78][79]
In Fiji Islands, Thakur Lal Waghela started Ganesh Chaturthi in 1985. It became an annual celebration for the town of Lautoka, the Ganesh murti would be taken to town to visit shops before heading to Saweni beach for visarjan. Then later there would be a feast organised for the entire town. Now Fiji islands have more than 100 Ganesh visarjans happening during the festival. When Thakur lal Waghela migrated to Auckland New Zealand, he continued the yearly celebrations, 10 years in Auckland and a further 10 years in Palmerston North. After 40 years of public celebrations, he has now continued it as a private one.
The primary sweet dish during the festival ismodak (modak inMarathi and Konkani,modakam orkudumu inTelugu,modaka orkadubu inKannada,kozhakatta ormodakkam inMalayalam andkozhukattai ormodagam inTamil). Amodak is a dumpling made from rice or wheat flour, stuffed with grated coconut, jaggery, dried fruits and other condiments and steamed or fried. Another popular sweet dish is thekaranji (karjikai inKannada), similar tomodak in composition and taste but in a semicircular shape. This sweet meal is calledNevri in Goa and is synonymous with Ganesh festival amongst theGoans and theKonkani diaspora.[80]
In Andhra Pradesh and Telanganamodak,laddu,vundrallu (steamed, coarsely ground rice-flour balls),panakam (a jaggery-, black pepper- and cardamom-flavoured drink),vadapappu (soakedmoong lentils) andchalividi (a cooked rice flour and jaggery mixture) are offered to Ganesh. These offerings are known asnaivedya, and a plate ofmodak traditionally holds 21 pieces of the sweet. In Goa,modak and aGoan version ofidli (sanna) is popular.[81]
Panchakajjaya is an offering made to Ganesh during this festival in parts of Karnataka. It is a mixture of desiccated coconut, roasted Bengal gram powder, sugar, ghee, and sesame. Different versions ofpanchakajjaya are made. Roasted Bengal gram, green gram, roastedchana dal (putani) or aval can be used.[82]
The Madras High Court ruled in 2004 that immersion of Ganesh idols is unlawful because it incorporates chemicals that pollute the sea water.[83] In Goa the sale of plaster-of-Paris Ganesha idols has been banned by the state government and celebrants are encouraged to buy traditional, artisan-made clay idols.[84] Recent initiatives to produce traditional clay Ganesh idols in Hyderabad have been sponsored by theAndhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board.[85][86] Environmental concern is also making people in Gujarat to opt for Ganesh idols made with a mixture ofcow dung and clay. These are marketed as "Vedic Ganesh idols" by the organisation making them.[87]
Due to environmental concerns, a number of families now avoid bodies of water and let the clay murtis disintegrate in a barrel of water at home.[citation needed] After a few days, the clay is spread in the garden. In some cities a public, eco-friendly process is used for the immersion.[88]
On 10 July 2025,Government of Maharashtra declares it as state festival.[89][90][91]
... ready for delivery tomorrow to an 80-feet tall Ganesh Murti put up by Visakha Integrated Social Welfare Association supported by NRIs at the Gajuwaka area in Visakhapatnam.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite web}}:Missing or empty|url= (help)It is thought as many as 18,000 people attended from across Essex, Kent, Middlesex, London, the Midlands and even India.Alternate Link
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
Media related toGanesh Chaturthi at Wikimedia Commons| Major festivals |
|
|---|---|
| Sindhi New Year | |
| Literary Events | |
| Holy days | Sindhi Muslims Holidays |
| Lists | |
| Life events and movements | |
|---|---|
| Philosophy | |
| Education | |
| Influences | |
| Associates | |
| Legacy | |
| Works | |
| Influenced | |
| Society |
|  | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Religion | |||||||
| Culture |
| ||||||
| Folk culture |
| ||||||
| Others | |||||||
