Ganesh Chaturthi Samagri

The list

Lists differ by region and family. Use your family's book or your priest's list if you have one.

• An unbaked clay idol of Ganesha, painted with natural colors if painted at all, and a low wooden seat (chowki) covered with a red or yellow cloth.
• Durva (= a fine grass dear to Ganesha), traditionally 21 blades or small bundles.
• Flowers, especially red hibiscus, and marigold garlands.
• Modak (= sweet dumplings of rice flour filled with coconut and jaggery), traditionally 21, plus fruit, coconut and other sweets.
• A kalash (= water pot) with mango leaves and a coconut.
• Akshat (= whole, unbroken rice), turmeric, kumkum, sandalwood paste, a sacred thread (janoi), new cloth, and betel leaves and nuts.
• A ghee lamp, incense, camphor, a bell and panchamrit (= milk, curd, honey, ghee and sugar).
• In some traditions, 21 kinds of leaves (patri), including durva, bilva, shami and arka.

Preparation

Clean the house and the puja space the day before. Set up the chowki with its cloth, then the kalash. Make the modak ahead: mix fresh grated coconut with jaggery for the filling, wrap it in rice-flour dough, and steam for about 10 to 12 minutes. Wash the durva, pat it dry and keep it in a clean cloth. Keep the flowers in water.

If you plan a home visarjan (= the farewell immersion), keep a large clean tub or bucket ready. The clay dissolves in it, and the water can go to garden plants.

Substitutes

• No coconut: a covered vessel of water with mango or betel leaves is acceptable.
• Fewer than 21 durva: use what you can find and ask your priest what counts in your tradition.
• A leaf missing from the 21: offer akshat while saying its name.
• Red hibiscus: marigold, rose or other fresh flowers.
• Modak: modak or ladoo bought from an Indian sweet shop.
• No idol: some families, especially Telugu families, first worship a small cone of turmeric paste on a betel leaf. A picture also works.
• Tulsi: most traditions do not offer it to Ganesha, though some include it on this day.

Where to buy in the USA

• Indian shops and temples: small clay idols are sold before the festival, so reserve early. Ask for a natural clay idol, not plaster of Paris, which does not dissolve and often carries harmful paint.
• Indian grocery: durva, banana leaves, betel leaves, jaggery (gud), rice flour and coconut. Ask whether they stock durva, which some stores sell fresh.
• Your own lawn: durva is the same plant as Bermuda grass. Pick it only from a lawn never treated with weed killer or pesticide, and wash it well.
• Ordinary supermarket: bananas, apples, pomegranates, fresh coconut and cut flowers. Garden centers often sell potted red hibiscus in late summer.
• Online: modak molds, eco-friendly clay idols and puja kits from Indian shops. Order ahead, since the festival is busy.