Chaturthi is the fourth tithi, the stage at which the Moon has moved between thirty-six and forty-eight degrees from the Sun. It comes in both fortnights, and in both it belongs to Ganesha, the remover of obstacles. The bright-half Chaturthi is called Vinayaka (or Varada) Chaturthi, and the dark-half one is Sankashti Chaturthi.
This makes Chaturthi an unusual tithi. Its group, Rikta, is the one that muhurat texts treat most warily, and yet the tithi is among the most devotedly kept in the year, because the deity who rules it is the one worshipped at the start of every other undertaking. The two facts do not contradict each other, and the rest of this page explains how they sit together.
The tithi at a glance
| Detail | Chaturthi |
|---|---|
| Where it falls | Number 4 in Shukla paksha (tithi 4 of 30) and number 4 in Krishna paksha (tithi 19 of 30) |
| Moon ahead of the Sun by | 36 to 48 degrees in Shukla; 216 to 228 degrees in Krishna |
| Group | Rikta (with Navami and Chaturdashi) |
| Deity in a common list | Ganesha |
Group and deity
Rikta means empty or depleted. The Rikta group is made up of Chaturthi, Navami and Chaturdashi, the fourth, ninth and fourteenth tithis. Muhurat texts advise against beginning ordinary auspicious work such as a marriage or a housewarming on these days, on the reasoning that an empty tithi does not carry the work to fullness.
The deity is Ganesha in the common lists, which is why the avoidance is understood to apply to secular beginnings and not to his own worship. Ganesha is asked to clear the way before any undertaking, so the day he rules is an obvious time to approach him. Where a text does give a different deity, it is the exception rather than the rule.
Festivals on Shukla Chaturthi
The most important is Ganesh Chaturthi, on Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi, the birthday of Ganesha in popular tradition. A clay image is installed at home or in a public pandal and worshipped for a day, three days, five, seven or ten days, and then immersed. The steps are set out in Ganesh Chaturthi Puja.
Every Shukla Chaturthi in the year is Vinayaka Chaturthi, kept with a morning worship of Ganesha, an offering of modak or laddu, and the repetition of a short mantra such as the one on the Ganesh mantra page. A traditional caution says not to look at the Moon on Ganesh Chaturthi evening, and the story behind it is told on the festival page.
In some regions, Magha Shukla Chaturthi is observed as Ganesh Jayanti, also called Tilkund Chaturthi, a second birthday observance of Ganesha in Maharashtra and Goa.
Festivals on Krishna Chaturthi
Every Krishna Chaturthi is Sankashti Chaturthi, a day of fasting for Ganesha broken after moonrise, covered in Sankashti Chaturthi and its vrat vidhi. When it falls on a Tuesday it is called Angaraki Sankashti and is regarded as especially meritorious. Because the Moon rises late on this tithi, the time for breaking the fast depends heavily on the city.
Karva Chauth falls on a Krishna Chaturthi as well: the Kartika Krishna Chaturthi in the purnimanta calendar, which is Ashvin in the amanta calendar. It is a fast kept by married women for their husbands, broken at moonrise, with rituals set out in Karva Chauth Puja and dates on the festival page.
What muhurat practice says
Because Chaturthi is Rikta, almanacs generally leave it out of the lists of days recommended for marriage, a housewarming, buying a vehicle or starting a business. If a family has set a date on a Chaturthi anyway, it is usually for a reason that overrides the tithi, and an astrologer will look at the remaining factors before agreeing.
Some texts soften the Rikta rule by treating Rikta tithis as acceptable on certain weekdays, and a few lists note an exception for worship of the deity of the day. Opinions vary, so it is unwise to rely on a general rule. What is safe to say is that Chaturthi is excellent for devotional observance of Ganesha and rarely chosen for celebrations or new ventures.
To see how this fits with the other factors, read the muhurat section, and for the text that opens many a day’s worship of Ganesha see the Ganapati Atharvashirsha.
A simple way to observe the day
A simple Vinayaka Chaturthi worship is a morning bath, a lamp before an image of Ganesha, durva grass, a red flower, a modak or any sweet, and the repetition of a mantra a number of times that is comfortable to you. It need not be long.
For Sankashti Chaturthi the traditional fast ends only after the Moon is seen and a small worship is done. If you cannot fast, or have a health condition, are pregnant or take regular medicine, speak to your doctor and keep to a lighter observance. The intent matters more than the strictness.
Reading the tithi in the calendar
Chaturthi is the tithi where a practical question comes up each month: the Moon’s rise. On Vinayaka Chaturthi the Moon is a crescent in the evening sky and sets a few hours after the Sun, but on Sankashti Chaturthi it rises well after sunset, so the end of the fast can be late in the evening, and in a far northern city the clock time differs greatly from a southern one.
Because the tithi for Ganesh Chaturthi is taken at midday, the date can differ from the sunrise tithi. The festival pages on this site calculate the day for each city, and the daily panchang shows what is running today.
To see whether Chaturthi is the tithi running today in your own city, open the daily panchang. Chaturthi follows Tritiya in the cycle and is followed by Panchami; the whole set is described in the guide to the thirty tithis.
Related pages
- Ganesh Chaturthi and Ganesh Chaturthi Puja: the birthday festival.
- Sankashti Chaturthi and Sankashti vrat vidhi: the dark-half fast.
- Karva Chauth: a Krishna Chaturthi fast.
- Ganesh mantra and Ganapati Atharvashirsha: texts for the day.
- Muhurat: how Rikta tithis are treated.
Frequently asked questions
↳ What is Chaturthi tithi?
Chaturthi is the fourth tithi of each fortnight, when the Moon is thirty-six to forty-eight degrees away from the Sun. It is sacred to Ganesha in both the bright and dark halves.
↳ Why is Chaturthi called Rikta?
Rikta means empty. The group of Chaturthi, Navami and Chaturdashi is called Rikta in muhurat texts, and these days are generally avoided for ordinary auspicious beginnings. Worship of the deity of the day is not affected.
↳ What is the difference between Vinayaka and Sankashti Chaturthi?
Vinayaka Chaturthi is on the bright half Chaturthi and Sankashti Chaturthi on the dark half. Sankashti is traditionally a fast broken after the Moon is seen, while Vinayaka Chaturthi is a daytime worship of Ganesha.
↳ Is Karva Chauth on Chaturthi?
Yes. Karva Chauth falls on a Krishna Chaturthi, in the month called Kartika in the purnimanta calendar and Ashvin in the amanta calendar.