What is Ganesh Chaturthi? When is Ganesh Chaturthi? How to do Ganesh Puja at home and How to do Visarjan Pooja?

What is Ganesh Chaturthi?

Ganesh Chaturthi is a 10 day Hindu festival, marking the birth of Lord Ganesha who is also called as the elephant headed god. Lord Ganesha is known by more than 108 different names and is considered as the God of arts and science with immense wisdom. Prayer to Lord Ganesha at the start of any ceremony such as Griha Pravesh, Shop Opening etc is considered to bring good luck and prosperity as the Lord Ganesh is considered as the God of New Beginnings and the Remover of Obstacles as well as the god of wisdom and intelligence.

When is Ganesh Chaturthi?

As believed in the Hindu puranas, Lord Ganesha was born on the Chaturthi day which is the 4th day of the waxing moon period known as Shukla Chaturthi in the Hindu month of Bhadrapada which according to the Gregorian calendar is in August or September every year.

How to do Ganapathi sthapana at home?

The practice of installing the Ganesh idol at a suitable place in the home is known as Sthapana and there should be few rituals known as Vidhi which have to be observed during the process of Sthapana. Lord Ganesha is considered to be born on Shukla Chaturthi at about 1PM. Therefore the Ganesha idol has to be placed between 12:30 pm to 1 pm. Make sure that the place where this idol is placed should be such that, we can see it in most of the time in the day, preferably in the living room. Make sure that the place is cleaned properly and place a clean red cloth with rice spread over it. Then place Ganesha over the rice and chant mantra 'Om Ganeshaya Namaha’.

How to do Ganesh Puja at home?

• Wash Lord Ganesha'a feet with holy water and perform the panchamirth snanam. The Panchamirth is mixture of Curd, Honey, Ghee and Sugar. After the panchamirth bath, give a pure water bath to the Ganesh idol and offer new clothes
• Chant Ashtottara Shatanamavali which is popular as the reciting of the 108 names of Lord Ganesha. Siddhi Vinayaka Vratha Katha is recited after completing the chanting of Ganesh mantras
• Next Step is to light the lamp and offer Aarti to Lord Ganesha while reciting Aarti mantras
• Now is when we offer special recipes such as modak, undralla payasam, kudumulu and other recipes made of out of leaves and fruits. Also offer coconut and light deepam, incense sticks commonly known as agarbatti
• As Lord Ganesha is considered as the God of knowledge and education, people generally place books, pens and other educational or office material near the Ganesh idol and take them after Ganesh idol has been moved. This practice is considered to bring the good will and blessing of Lord Ganesha on one's education, career and business

The above procedure is to be followed for 7 days or 10 days till the Ganesh Nimajjan.

How to do Ganesh Visarjan Pooja?

• Offer final prayers to Lord Ganesha. Visarjan here means not immersing Ganesha into the water and bidding farewell, it means the gesture of sending Lord Ganesha to his own abode where he usually belongs
• Move the Ganesha idol towards Eeshanya known as North East direction and offer Mangal Aarti
• Sprinkle water on Ganesha and take him in a procession chanting Ganapati Bappa Moriya
• Pray at the visarjan place and immerse the Ganesha

The day of immersion of Ganesh ji is also called as the Anant Chaturdasi. Anant means eternal energy and this day is observed as to worship Lord Anant, incarnation of Lord Vishnu and Chaturdasi means 14 which usually refers to the 14th day of the bright half moon in the month of Bhadrapada.