Ganesha Puja Vidhi

In brief

Ganesha, also called Ganapati or Vinayaka, is the elephant-headed lord of beginnings and the remover of obstacles. He is remembered first in almost every puja, whichever deity the puja is for. This page gives the home puja you can do on an ordinary day, on a Chaturthi, or before something new such as a move, an exam or a new job. For the yearly festival with an installed clay idol, see the Ganesh Chaturthi festival page. Customs differ by family and region, so ask your priest about anything beyond these basics.

When to do it

• Wednesday is Ganesha's weekday for many families.
• Chaturthi, the fourth tithi (= lunar day) of each fortnight. The Shukla (waxing) Chaturthi is often called Vinayaka Chaturthi. On the Krishna (waning) Chaturthi many families keep Sankashti Chaturthi, a fast broken after moonrise.
• Before any new beginning, at any hour.

On Chaturthi the preferred time is Madhyahna (= the midday part of the day), when Ganesha is said to have been born. The site shows the window for your city. On other days, the morning is fine.

What you need

• A murti or picture of Ganesha on a clean seat, with a red or yellow cloth
• Durva (= tender blades of a fine grass), 21 blades or small tufts
• Red flowers, hibiscus if possible
• Modak (= a sweet dumpling filled with coconut and jaggery) or laddu, plus a banana or other fruit and a coconut
• Akshat (= whole, unbroken rice grains), kumkum and sandalwood paste
• A lamp, incense, camphor, a bell, and a vessel of water with a spoon
• Panchamrit (= milk, curd, honey, ghee and sugar) if you wish to bathe a metal murti

Puja vidhi (steps)

1. Bathe and put on clean clothes; red or yellow is often chosen. Clean the altar, spread the cloth and sit facing east or north if you can.
2. Sip water three times for purification (see the daily puja page). Then take a sankalpa (= a spoken intention). Hold a little water, rice and a flower in your right palm, say in your own words who you are, what day it is and why you are doing the puja, and let the water fall onto a plate. A priest may use the Sanskrit form with your gotra (= family lineage name).
3. Light the lamp and incense and ring the bell.
4. Invite Ganesha by placing a flower at his feet and saying "ॐ गं गणपतये नमः" (om gam ganapataye namah).
5. Offer a seat (a petal or a small cloth), then a few drops of water for his feet, hands and mouth.
6. Bathe the murti by sprinkling water. A metal murti may be bathed with panchamrit and then water and wiped dry. A clay image gets only a few drops, never immersion.
7. Offer a small cloth or red thread, then sandalwood paste, kumkum and akshat.
8. Offer the red flowers and the 21 durva one at a time, saying his name or the mantra with each.
9. Chant "om gam ganapataye namah" 11, 21 or 108 times, or recite the Ganapati Atharvashirsha if your family does.
10. Offer naivedya (= food offering): modak, fruit and coconut, left before him for a minute.
11. Do aarti. Circle the lamp or camphor flame clockwise and ring the bell. Offer a handful of flowers (pushpanjali), circle the altar clockwise three times or turn in place, and bow.
12. Ask forgiveness for any mistakes and share the prasad. Many Maharashtrian families call out "Ganapati Bappa Morya" at this point.

Mantras and aarti

The aarti for this puja is Jai Ganesh Deva. The 108 names (Ashtottara Shatanamavali) and the short prayers, including the verse beginning Vakratunda Mahakaya, are on their own pages in this section. Families also recite the Ganapati Atharvashirsha (an Upanishad in praise of Ganesha) and the Sankatnashan Ganesh Stotra. Ask a priest or elder to guide pronunciation.

Doing it in the USA

Durva. In the warmer southern states, the common lawn grass called Bermuda grass is the same plant as durva. Pick it only from a lawn free of weed killer and pesticide, and wash it well. Where it does not grow, ask an Indian grocery, your temple or your priest what to use instead.

Other items. Hibiscus can be hard to find, so many families use any red flower, such as a rose. Store-bought modak, laddu or a banana is a good offering.

Lamps and smoke. Keep the lamp on a metal plate well away from curtains and paper, and never leave it burning when you go out. Use incense and camphor sparingly near a smoke alarm, open a window, and never disable the alarm.

Time. The Chaturthi date in the USA can differ by a day from the date in India, so use the date and the midday window shown for your city. If midday falls in working hours, a morning or evening puja on that same Chaturthi is a common choice.