Ganesh Chaturthi 2026: Puja Vidhi, Sthapana, Offerings & Visarjan Guide
Ganesh Chaturthi 2026 is almost here, and this year Bappa arrives on Monday, 14 September, staying with devotees through processions, aarti, modak and music until Anant Chaturdashi on 25 September closes the festival.
Whether you're setting up a home Sthapana for the first time or you've done this every year since childhood, getting the timing right matters. The Madhyahna muhurat shifts by city, the puja vidhi has a sequence worth following, and the length of stay before Visarjan comes down to family tradition more than rule.
This guide walks through all of it: the exact date and muhurat for 2026, the step-by-step Sthapana and puja process, the offerings Ganesha is traditionally given, and the full Visarjan calendar so you can plan your celebration end to end.
Table of Contents
- When Is Ganesh Chaturthi 2026?
- Ganesh Sthapana Muhurat 2026 (City-Wise)
- Ganpati Sthapana and Puja Vidhi, Step by Step
- Offerings Lord Ganesha Loves
- Ganeshotsav 2026 Visarjan Calendar
- Anant Chaturdashi 2026
- Why This Day Matters
- Bring Bappa Home This Year
- Frequently Asked Questions
When Is Ganesh Chaturthi 2026?
Ganesh Chaturthi 2026 falls on Monday, 14 September. The festival is observed on the Chaturthi tithi of Bhadrapada Shukla Paksha, and this year that tithi begins around 7:06 AM on 14 September and continues until roughly 7:44 AM the following morning. Because the tithi covers the full daylight hours of the 14th, that is the date families and mandals across India will keep for Sthapana.
Tradition holds that this is the day Lord Ganesha, the remover of obstacles and the deity of wisdom, appeared and was welcomed into the world. That account comes from the Ganesha Purana and is a matter of scriptural tradition rather than something that can be independently dated as history, and it is worth holding that distinction even while the devotion around it stays wholehearted.
Ganesh Sthapana Muhurat 2026 (City-Wise)
The most auspicious window for installing the idol is the Madhyahna, or midday, period, since this is traditionally considered the hour of Ganesha's appearance. Because Madhyahna is calculated from local sunrise and sunset, the exact window shifts slightly from city to city, so a family in Mumbai and one in Delhi are not working from the same clock even on the same date.
| City | Madhyahna Sthapana Muhurat, 14 September 2026 |
| New Delhi | 11:02 AM – 1:31 PM |
| Mumbai | Approx. 11:20 AM – 1:48 PM (confirm against local panchang closer to date) |
If the Madhyahna window is missed, Pradosh Kaal, the evening twilight period, is the accepted secondary option in most household traditions.
Ganpati Sthapana and Puja Vidhi, Step by Step
A day before: clean and decorate the puja space, and set flowers or a toran at the entrance.
- A day before: clean and decorate the puja space, and set flowers or a toran at the entrance.
- On the morning of the 14th: bathe and wear clean clothes before beginning.
- Prepare a wooden chowki or raised platform, cover it with a red or yellow cloth, and place a base of akshata, unbroken rice.
- Install the murti facing east or north, and perform Pranapratishtha, the invocation that calls the idol to life through mantra.
- Offer durva grass, red flowers, modak, coconut and panchamrit as part of the Shodashopachara, the sixteen-step ritual worship.
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Close with aarti, and keep the idol for however many days your family tradition follows before Visarjan.
Offerings Lord Ganesha Loves
Modak is the offering most associated with Ganesha, alongside durva grass, red hibiscus flowers, coconut and panchamrit. These offerings appear consistently across household and pandal traditions and form the core of the Shodashopachara worship.
One widely observed custom asks devotees to avoid looking at the moon on Ganesh Chaturthi night. It traces to a Puranic story in which Ganesha, embarrassed after a fall from his mouse vahana, cursed the moon for mocking him, so that anyone who saw it on this day would face false accusation. Families who follow this custom treat it as a precaution rather than a rule, and the tradition includes its own remedy through prayer if the moon is seen by accident.
Ganeshotsav 2026 Visarjan Calendar
Not every household keeps Ganpati for the same length of time, and every option below is a complete, valid observance. The length of stay is a matter of family custom, not a measure of devotion.
| Tradition | Visarjan Date 2026 |
| Dedh Din (1.5 days) | Tuesday, 15 September |
| 3 days | Wednesday, 16 September |
| 5 days | Friday, 18 September |
| 7 days | Sunday, 20 September |
| Full Ganeshotsav, Anant Chaturdashi | Friday, 25 September |
Anant Chaturdashi 2026
Anant Chaturdashi, the day the fullest public Ganeshotsav concludes, falls on Friday, 25 September 2026. This is when the largest mandals and most public pandals hold their immersion processions, closing the ten-day festival that began on 14 September.
Ganpati Bappa Morya, Pudhchya Varshi Lavkar Ya. Come again soon next year, dear Bappa.
Why This Day Matters
Ganesh Chaturthi is a homecoming as much as a festival. Bappa is welcomed as an honoured guest for the days he stays, given daily aarti and offerings, and then sent off with the same warmth he arrived with. The festival's public form, with community pandals and street processions, took shape in the late nineteenth century when Lokmanya Tilak encouraged collective celebration as a way of bringing people together, and that spirit of shared devotion is still what carries the festival today.
Bring Bappa Home This Year
Carry Ganpati Bappa's blessings beyond the ten days with Agami's Ganesh Collection, with devotional tees for adults, oversized streetwear fits, kids' wear, and accessories like stickers and fridge magnets, all inspired by Bappa.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Ganesh Chaturthi 2026?
Ganesh Chaturthi 2026 falls on Monday, 14 September 2026.
What is the Sthapana muhurat for 2026?
The Madhyahna muhurat is roughly 11:02 AM to 1:31 PM in New Delhi and approximately 11:20 AM to 1:48 PM in Mumbai, with minor variation by city.
When is Ganesh Visarjan 2026?
Visarjan can fall on 15, 16, 18 or 20 September depending on family tradition, with Anant Chaturdashi, the conclusion of the full ten day Ganeshotsav, on Friday, 25 September 2026.
How many days can Ganpati be kept at home?
Common durations are 1.5, 3, 5, 7 or the full period through Anant Chaturdashi. All are considered complete observances, and the choice comes down to family custom.
What should be offered to Ganesha on Chaturthi?
Modak, durva grass, red flowers, coconut and panchamrit are the traditional core offerings.