Ganesh Chaturthi 2026 and 2027: Date and Puja Time in 49 Cities

Ganesh Chaturthi is the birthday of Ganesha, kept on the fourth day (Chaturthi) of the bright half of the month of Bhadrapada. Families and communities install a clay image of Ganesha, worship him with modaks and flowers for one and a half, three, five, seven or ten days, and then immerse the image in water. It is a great public festival in Maharashtra and is now held in communities around the world.

The day is fixed by the Madhyahna, the middle of the day, because the tradition places the birth then. The festival is kept on the civil day on which Chaturthi is in force at Madhyahna, and the puja is done in the Madhyahna muhurat shown in the table. If Chaturthi is in force in the Madhyahna on two days, the second is taken, which is the convention of the published panchang we compared with.

Why do cities differ? Chaturthi starts and ends at the same instant everywhere, but local midday is a different instant in each city. A tithi that ends shortly before noon in a city in the east is still running at noon in a city in the west, so the festival can fall on different days, and the puja window always moves with the local clock and daylight saving.

A calm note: installing and immersing an image is a matter of care as well as devotion. Many families now choose clay images and immerse them at home or at a community point set up for the purpose. If your family or community keeps a different day, it is right to follow them.

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