Ganesh Chaturthi, Vinayak Chaturthi festival, Ganesh Chautha, Ganapati, or Ganeshotsav is a sacred, colorful Hindu festival. People believe Lord Ganesh comes on earth on this day and commemorate the birthday of Lord Ganesh.
God Ganesha is the God of wisdom, prosperity, and fortune. Lord Ganesha, the most adored God, brings together people of all religions.
2023 Ganesh Chaturthi Date and Puja time/ Muhurat
People are celebrating the auspicious festival on Tuesday, September, 19 2023, throughout India and other countries.
Devotees should prefer starting Ganapati Puja rituals at noon (Madhyanha-Kaal), as Lord Ganesha was born during the Madhyanha-Kaal.
2023 Ganesh Chaturthi Puja Muhurat
The starting time for the auspicious Puja of Lord Ganesh is as follows:
10:17 AM to 01:14 PM, (IST), Tuesday, September 19, 2023
Lord Ganesha will stay with us for the full eleven days. Puja will be performed daily.
The ending date for Ganesh Chaturthi festival is as follows:
The festival ends on Thursday, September 28, 2023, on Anant Chaturdasi with the Visarjan of the idol.
The Tithi of the celebration of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival is on the fourth day of the waxing moon.
Actually, it is the Shukla Paksha Chaturthi in the lunar month Bhadrapada, in September. This auspicious festival falls once a year.
The elephant-headed Lord Ganesha is considered the remover of all the obstacles, known as Vighnaharta.
That is why people worship Lord Ganesha always first and remember God Ganapati before starting any auspicious event or venture.
Why is Ganesh Chaturthi a ten- day festival?
It is a ten/ eleven-day sacred festival. There is a belief that Lord Ganesh comes every year on earth for ten days to bless people.
People celebrate it in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Gujarat as a public celebration.
But in Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Kerala, and other parts of eastern or north India, people mostly celebrate it as a private celebration.
People of India, Nepal, and other parts of the world also observe it with great enthusiasm.
Welcome of Lord Ganesha idol for Ganapati-Sthapana on Ganesh Utsav or Ganpati Festival
Devotees bring the idol of Lord Ganesha for Ganapati-Sthapana, Ganesh Chautha/ Vinayak Chaturthi Puja.
The date for bringing the idol of Lord Ganesha to the place of Ganapati-Sthapana is Vinayak Chaturthi, Tuesday, 19, 2023.
People are involved in lots of activities, from house cleaning to decorating, seven days before bringing the home idol of Lord Ganesha, during Ganesh Chaturthi.
You may use the papercraft for decoration of your home or Puja Pandals during the Ganesh festival by making flower bouquets or decorative art pieces. These are eco-friendly and free from pollution.
Preparing different kinds of Modak, the special sweet for Bhog for Lord Ganapati
People prepare Sweets and Modak, using rice flour, jaggery, coconut and other ingredients, a special sweet, for offering Bhog to Lord Ganesha.
They purchase new dresses for this occasion. Women buy ornaments and dress up gracefully during Ganpati Puja.
Devotees bring home idols of both Goddess Gauri and Lord Ganesha, worship, and chant mantras and prayers.
People offer Jal, Modak, and sweets as the favorite Bhog of God Ganesha and his mother Gauri.
They perform Arti and distribute Prasad to the people present there during Puja.
The welcome home idol of Goddess Gauri for Gauri Avahan and Gauri Puja 2023
During the auspicious occasion, people perform Gauri Avahan and Puja on the third day of the ten-day Ganesh Chaturthi puja.
People will bring home the idol of Goddess Gauri for Avahan and perform Gauri Puja on September 22, 2023, and keep it in the home for three days, till September 24, 2023.
According to the belief Gauri or Goddess Parvati, the mother of Lord Ganesh comes in search of her son Lord Ganesh and brings prosperity and peace with her.
After Goddess Gauri finds her son, blesses us, then returns to her home happily, in the Himalayas.
Method of Ganesha Chaturthi Puja in four steps on Ganesh Chautha
A pandal or a temporary stage is prepared and decorated with flowers and lights. Pujari (priest) performs Ganapati Puja, in four steps, on this stage, on auspicious Ganesha Chaturthi or Ganesh Chauth.
The first step for Ganesh Chaturthi Puja/ Pran Pratishtha Muhurat
The first step is Pran-Pratishtha starts with invoking Lord Ganesha at noon(Madhyahna-Kaal). Devotees stand in Avahan Mudra (join both palms together).
They chant Mantras from Ganesh Upnishada or hymns from Rigveda and other ancient texts, in front of God Ganesha and take Sankalp.
People keep fast (Vrat), and perform Puja and Tilak with five betel leaves and five betel-nut, kumkum, Haldi, Chandan, Vastra, flowers, garland, and Bhog with Modak and other sweets.
The second step for Ganesh Chaturthi Puja
The second step is Ganapati-Sthapana( installing Ganesha) in the auspicious Labh Muhurat and Amrita Chaughadia.
The Puja starts with the bringing of the idol of Lord Ganesha and installing on stage or performing Ganesh-Sthapana (Avahan) on a decorated Pandaal (stage) or at home.
The third step for Ganesh Chaturthi Puja
The next is Shodashopachar Puja, before starting this Puja, people should keep fast, do Deepa-Prajvalan (Lighting Deepak) and perform rituals with prayers. Devotees should chant Vedic hymns from Rigveda and other Hindu texts to please Lord Ganesha.
They perform Puja with flowers, garland, Haldi, Durva grass, Jala, and Prasad offerings. Aarti is done with Dhup, camphor, and lighted Deepak.
People distribute Prasad in form of fruits, dry fruits, Gur, coconut, and other sweets, including Laddu and Modak (made of rice flour, Gur, and coconut in a particular shape) daily among the devotees after Arti.
The fourth step for Ganesh Chaturthi Puja
In the fourth step, Uttar Puja is done, wherein the idol of Lord Ganesha is shifted to another place.
One can see feasting and they enjoy large groups of people everywhere, martial art competition is also held for youth and children.
Duration for Puja, and other rituals for Ganesh Chaturthi Puja 2023
Ten days as Chauth or Chaturthi Tithi begins on Tuesday, September 19, and ends on Thursday, September 28, 2023.
On Ganesh Chaturthi, moon sighting is prohibited.
To avoid any false accusations of stealing something (Mithya- Kalanka or Dosha), avoid moon sightings on Ganesh Chaturthi or Ganesh Chautha.
When should the Moon sighting be avoided?
Avoid Moon sighting on the night of 19th September 2023.
Time: from 03:33 PM to 8:17 PM (IST)
Ganesh Visarjan is performed on Anant Chaturdashi or Anant Chaudas
The Ganeshotsav ends after ten or eleven days on Anant Chaturdashi (Anant Chaudas) on Ganesh Visarjan day, the last day of the festival.
This year Ganesh Visarjan will be on Thursday, 28 September 2023.
Devotees carry the idol of Ganapati Bappa in a grand public procession through the roads and streets in different groups of rich and poor with music and chanting.
During the procession, they request Lord Ganesha to come back early, next year (‘Ganapati Bappa Morya, Pudhchya Varshi Loker ya’ in Maharashtra).
Then they immerse the idol into the water of a lake, river, or ocean, assuming that Lord Ganesha has returned to his home, Mount Kailasha to meet his parents Goddess Parvati and Lord Shiva.
The dates for Visarjan or immersion for the idols of Ganapati, which people brought home:
Devotees keep the idol of Lord Ganesh in their homes for a shorter period as compared to the idol of Lord Ganesha kept for display and Puja Pandals.
They perform Visarjan according to their personal preference but follow a schedule. The immersion will be on selected days. The days are as follows:
One and a half days, the third day, the fifth day, the seventh day, and Anant Chaturdashi. The starting day is September 19 and the last day is Thursday, September 28, 2023.
The date for Gauri Visarjan 2023
Visarjan’s date for Goddess Gauri’s idol is on September 24, 2023.
When or how was the Ganeshotsav celebrated for the first time as a social and public celebration?
It is not known when or how Ganesha Chaturthi was first observed for the first time.
The celebration of Ganeshotsav for the first time began as a social and public celebration in Pune. Shivaji had appealed to the Maratha people after the Mughal-Maratha wars.
Ganeshotsav started again in the 19th century after a public appeal by Indian freedom fighter and social reformer Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak.
It was against the British government’s ban on Hindu gatherings during the British regime.
