Ganesh Chaturthi — Vinayaka Chavithi — falls on Chaturthi of the bright fortnight of Bhadrapada masam, in August or September. The observance has three parts: the sthapana of a clay idol, worship over a number of days the household chooses, and nimajjanam, the immersion that closes it.
Sthapana
The idol is installed on the morning of Chaturthi with pranapratishtha, and the pooja that follows is the Vinayaka Vratam. The two elements specific to this festival are the patri — an assortment of leaves offered during the archana — and the naivedyam of kudumulu or modakam.
The ekavimshati patra pooja offers twenty-one named leaves in sequence. Whether a household performs it in full depends largely on what can be sourced locally, and a reduced set is common and customary rather than a shortfall.
The days of worship
There is no single prescribed duration. The idol is kept for a number of days the household decides, and the customary counts are one and a half, three, five, seven, nine and eleven. Daily worship continues through those days, generally a shorter archana than the first day's vratam.
The Vinayaka Vratam katha is read as part of the first day's observance, and in many households on the closing day as well. The language it is read in — Sanskrit or Telugu — is a household preference and worth settling with the Purohit in advance.
Nimajjanam
The immersion closes the observance. It is preceded by a final archana and the uttara pooja — the formal leave-taking — after which the idol is taken for immersion. Households immersing at home or in a tank arranged for the purpose follow the same sequence at smaller scale.
One practical point that has become part of the observance: clay idols without synthetic paint are what the tradition assumes and what municipal guidance in most cities now asks for. Where a household immerses at home in a drum or tank, an unpainted clay idol is what makes that possible.
What is established, and what varies
These are kept apart deliberately. The first list is what published practice describes consistently; the second is where families, regions and sampradayams legitimately differ, and where a Purohit’s own tradition decides the answer rather than a general rule.
Consistently described
- Vinayaka Chavithi falls on Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi.
- The observance comprises sthapana with pranapratishtha, worship over a chosen number of days, and nimajjanam preceded by uttara pooja.
- Patri and kudumulu or modakam are the customary offerings specific to the festival.
Varies by tradition
- The number of days the idol is kept is a household decision; one and a half to eleven days are all customary.
- Whether the full ekavimshati patra pooja is performed depends on local availability of the leaves.
- The reading language of the vratam katha, and whether it is read once or twice, differ by household.
Related service
If this applies to you, Ganapathi Pooja is the service that addresses it. It sits under Poojas & Rituals — Ganesha Poojas.
Written and reviewed by the AnugrahaSidhi editorial team. Last substantive review: . How we source and correct this material is set out in our editorial policy.