Ganesh Chaturthi 2026: Sthapana Muhurat, the Moon You Shouldn't See, and Visarjan Dates
Ganesh Chaturthi 2026 is on Monday, 14 September. Get the Sthapana muhurat, why you shouldn't see the moon, home puja vidhi, and all Visarjan dates.
यह लेख अभी अंग्रेज़ी में उपलब्ध है। हिन्दी संस्करण जल्द आ रहा है।
For ten days, a household rearranges itself around a guest. The clay Ganesha comes home on the first morning, often carried in through the door on someone's head, to drumbeats, and takes the best spot in the house. There's an aarti in the morning and another at night, modaks on the plate, family dropping by the way they would for a visiting elder. And then, on the last day, everyone walks him to the water and lets him go, already saying "come back soon." That arc, arrival, ten days of being fully present, a tearful goodbye, is the whole festival in miniature.
In 2026, Ganesh Chaturthi is on Monday, 14 September, and the immersions run through to Anant Chaturdashi on 25 September. It's a Monday this year, Shiva's day, which many read as fitting for the worship of Shiva's son.
Date: Monday, 14 September 2026
Sthapana (Madhyahna) muhurat: ~11:02 AM – 1:31 PM (Delhi)
Tithi: Bhadrapada, Shukla Paksha, Chaturthi
Moon to be avoided: ~9:01 AM – 8:09 PM on 14 Sep (Delhi)
Anant Chaturdashi (main visarjan): Friday, 25 September 2026
The Sthapana muhurat
Ganesh Chaturthi's main ritual is the Sthapana, installing the idol and doing prana pratishtha, inviting life into it. The traditional window is Madhyahna, the midday stretch, which for Delhi in 2026 runs roughly 11:02 AM to 1:31 PM. Morning hours after sunrise work too; the one thing to avoid is Rahu Kaal. The Chaturthi tithi itself begins at 7:06 AM on the 14th and ends at 7:44 AM on the 15th, so the whole of the 14th sits within it. Sthapana timing shifts by city, check yours if you're far from Delhi.
The moon you're not supposed to see
This is the custom unique to Ganesh Chaturthi, and it puzzles a lot of people. On this day, you're meant not to look at the moon. The story: after a heavy feast, Ganesha stumbled, and the Moon laughed at his round belly. Ganesha cursed him, anyone who sees the moon on this Chaturthi would be falsely accused of some wrongdoing. It's called Mithya Dosha, sometimes the Syamantaka Mani dosh, after the gem Krishna was once wrongly blamed for stealing, he had glanced at the moon and paid for it. In 2026, the avoidance window for Delhi runs roughly 9:01 AM to 8:09 PM on 14 September. If you do glance up by accident, tradition offers a simple undo: recite the Syamantaka story or a short shloka, and the dosha is cleared.
Puja vidhi at home
Clean the space; place the idol on a raised platform over a red or yellow cloth.
Do prana pratishtha and avahana (invocation), ideally during Madhyahna.
Offer the shodashopachara, sixteen steps: water, flowers, incense, lamp, and so on, or a simpler sequence if that's too much.
Offer durva grass (21 blades) and modak (21 is auspicious), his favourites.
Aarti with "Sukhkarta Dukhharta," and chant Om Gan Ganapataye Namah.
Repeat the morning and evening aarti each day Bappa stays.
How long to keep Bappa, and when to immerse
Families keep Ganesha for different lengths, all equally valid, usually set by household tradition or a vow:
1.5 days: immerse 15 September
3 days: 16 September
5 days: 18 September (often with Jyeshtha Gauri puja)
7 days: 20 September
10 days / Anant Chaturdashi: Friday, 25 September, the grand public visarjan
On the immersion day, do a final aarti, ask forgiveness for any lapses in seva, and immerse the murti. If you can, choose a clay idol and an artificial tank or community immersion site, kinder to the same rivers the festival honours.
The mantras
The core name, and the verse recited before any new beginning to clear obstacles:
ॐ गं गणपतये नमः
वक्रतुण्ड महाकाय सूर्यकोटि समप्रभ।
निर्विघ्नं कुरु मे देव सर्वकार्येषु सर्वदा॥
Frequently asked
When is Ganesh Chaturthi 2026?
Monday, 14 September 2026.
What is the Sthapana muhurat?
The Madhyahna window, about 11:02 AM to 1:31 PM in Delhi. It shifts slightly by city.
Why shouldn't we see the moon on Ganesh Chaturthi?
Because of Ganesha's curse on the Moon, seeing it is said to bring Mithya Dosha, a false accusation. In 2026 the Delhi avoidance window is about 9:01 AM to 8:09 PM on 14 September.
When is Ganesh Visarjan 2026?
The main Anant Chaturdashi immersion is Friday, 25 September. Shorter options fall on 15, 16, 18 and 20 September.
How many days can Ganpati stay at home?
1.5, 3, 5, 7, or 10 days, all valid, chosen by family tradition.
For your city's exact Sthapana muhurat, the moon-avoidance window, and your chosen visarjan day, plus a reminder before every festival, Kaalo keeps the whole Hindu calendar in your pocket, offline.
त्योहारों की याद पाएँ
कोई त्योहार या व्रत न छूटे, सीधे आपके ईमेल पर।
कोई त्योहार न छूटे
त्योहार और व्रत की याद अपने ईमेल पर पाएँ।