Ganesh Chaturthi is a very popular Hindu festival that celebrated the birth of the elephant-headed deity Ganesha, the god of prosperity and wisdom. This festival is also called Vinayaka Chaturthi or Ganeshotsav. It begins in the month of Bhadrapada( August- September) and it lasts for 10 days. On the last day of the festival, it ends with the immersion( Visarjan) of the murti on Anant Chaturdashi day.

In 2022 Ganesh Chaturthi’s date is Friday, August 31 information based on the Hindu calendar. It will start on 31st August and ends on 9th September. It ends with the immersion( Visarjan) of the murti on Anant Chaturdashi day i.e  September 9, 2022.

Good Puja Timings

• The tithi begins at 3:33 PM  on August 30 to 3:23 PM on August 31. The best worship time on August 31, 2022, is from 11:00 AM to 1:20 PM.
• The Ganesh staphna can be done at Labha time between 06:23 am to 07:57 am or Amrita time between- 07:57 to 09:31.

Importance of Ganesh Chaturthi

Ganesh puja is performed with much zeal across all of India, as God. Lord Ganesh is the symbol of intellectual activity, he is the one who wrote down the Mahabharata to him. His blessings are gathered at most religious rituals as he is the one who can clear all barriers to success.  He is the giver of wealth and can help to detour natural misfortunes.

Ganesha is known to provide his devotees fortune and wisdom. A lot of people firmly believe that praying to Ganesha leads to financial success and the fulfillment of their desires.

Traditions or Rituals of Ganesh Chaturthi Festival

• A statue(murti) of Ganesha is installed at home or in a public place (pandal) with   Paranpratishta, ready for prayers. People pray, and sing bhajans and some communities perform musical concerts for this ritual.
• On Ganesh Chaturthi, avoid moon sightings. A wrong accusation called Mithya Dosham or Mithya Kalank is caused by witnessing the moon on Ganesh Chaturthi
• Making Ganpati’s favorite sweet is known to be Modak
• Immersing the statue of Ganesha in the sea or river on the last day of Chaturthi. This ritual signifies that God is universal and formless. It is also a reminder of the concept that nothing is endless.

History

Ganesha is the offspring of Lord Shiva and Parvati. There are many stories behind his birth but two of them are the most common ones. Behind the birth of lord Ganesha, there are two main stories.

According to the first story, Parvati created Lord Ganesha from the soil that came from her skin to guard her in the absence of Shiva. She placed him on the door while she took a bath and instructed him not to let anyone in without her concern. In the meantime, Shiva arrived at the door, the Ganesha stopped him. This angered Shiva and he severed Ganesha’s head after a conflict between the two.  Parvati was angered when she came to know about this.

After this Lord Shiva, in turn, promised to get Ganesha back to life. The devas were sent to search for a child’s head facing north but they could only find an elephant’s head. Shiva set the elephant’s head on the child’s body, and that is how Ganesha was born.

The other story is that the Devas requested Shiva and Parvati to create Ganesha so that he can be a Vighnakarta (creator of obstacles) for rakshasas (demons), thus being a Vighnaharta (averter of obstacles) and helping Devas.