Ganesh Chaturthi 2023 is upon us – Date, time and puja procedure

• Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated for around 10 days consisting of a list of rituals and ceremonies starting with Prana Pratishta and concluding with Ganesh Idol Visarjan.
• This year, Ganesh Chaturthi is marked on the calendar on September 19, 2023.
• The most auspicious time recommended for Ganesh Puja on September 19 is between 11.01 am and 01:28 pm.

Call it Ganeshotsav, Vinayaka Chaturthi or Ganesh Chaturthi – the Hindu puja which kicks off the festival season in India is upon us and, as usual, it is expected to be celebrated with a lot of fanfare and enthusiasm. Ganesh is considered as the god of prosperity, wisdom and good luck and is the first worshipped God in Hinduism before beginning anything or starting any other puja.

Heralding the birth of Lord Ganesh, Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated on Shukla Paksha Chaturthi (the fourth day of the bright half of the lunar month) of the Bhadrapada (August – September) month.

This year, Ganesh Chaturthi will be celebrated starting from September 19 and will end on September 28.

Tithi & Timing

On Ganesh Chaturthi Tithi, the Shubh Muhurat to welcome Lord Ganesh to every home starts from 12:39 pm on Monday, 18 September and lasts till 01:43 pm on Tuesday, 19 September 2023.

The most auspicious time to perform the main Ganesh Puja is between 11:01 am and 01:28 pm on Tuesday, 19 September 2023.

Ganesh Visarjan or the immersion of Ganesh Idol will be done on September 28, which will mark the conclusion of all the rituals and ceremonies connected to Ganesh Chaturthi 2023.

How to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi?

The arrival of Lord Ganesh to every household marks the onset of good luck, happiness and prosperity. Generally, before the festival commences, people clean the house, prepare the puja altar and decorate the puja room with auspicious things and puja materials.

In most states of India, a new idol of Lord Ganesh is purchased for the puja year on year which will be worshipped during the puja and for ten days following it, finally immersing in a water body like sea, lake, pond or river.

During the Shubh Muhurat of Ganesh Chaturthi, one starts the puja by installing the Ganesh Idol on a pedestal and decorating it with clothes, ornaments and flowers. Offer lamps, incense fumes, fruits, special dishes like modak, ladoos and others. This is often accompanied by chanting Ganesh’s name(s) and singing Ganesh songs with the family. The puja concludes with arati waving camphor flame in front of the idol.

The 10 day long puja

On every morning and evening following Ganesh Chaturthi, people light lamps and do a simple puja. During the puja, people make some offerings and make the elders and children utter the chants and sing the songs related to Lord Ganesh. Often, people organise some special events on each of these 10 days when the Lord stays in your house.

Concluding the puja

The ten day long Ganesh Chaturthi puja will conclude on 28 September, 2023 with Ganesh Visarjan. During this event, the idol of Lord Ganesh is taken in procession to the nearest water body. People do the final puja and bid farewell to the Lord saying, “Good Bye Lord; Please come back in the next year”. Finally, the idol is immersed in the water to mark the conclusion of the puja.