Welcome to the Ganesh Chaturthi home page where you can learn about it’s significance, prepare for the Ganesh Puja, watch videos on how to perform the Puja, listen to popular devotional Ganesha songs and enjoy a collection of Ganesha Shlokas with lyrics, translation, audio and significance. All ad-free!
Ganesh Chathurthi - Significance
Ganesh Chaturthi, also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi, or Vinayaka Chaviti is a Hindu festival celebrating the arrival of Lord Ganesh to earth from Kailash Parvat with his mother Goddess Parvati/Gauri. The festival is marked with the installation of Lord Ganesh’s clay murtis (idols) in homes and Puja is performed with the chanting of Vedic hymns, prayers, vrata (fasting). Prasāda including sweets such as modaka (believed to be a favourite of Lord Ganesha) are made and offered to the Lord. The festival ends on the tenth day after start, when the idol is immersed in a nearby body of water such as a river or sea, called visarjan.
Ganapati means “Lord of the people” (gana-“Host, group of people”, pati-“father, Lord”) and is also known as
Ganesha Gana-Esha, again referring to a Lord (Isha) of the Host/People is another name for Ganapati.
Ganesha, who is also known as the Lord of New Beginnings, is also worshipped as the Remover of Obstacles. It is believed that when the idol of the Ganesha is taken out for immersion, it also takes away with it the various obstacles of the house and these obstacles are destroyed along with the visarjan/nimajjanam (immersion).
Chathurthi means the fourth day (Tithi) of both waxing and waning phase of any Lunar month in the Hindu calendar.
STORY OF LORD GANESHA
Ganesha is the younger son of Lord Shiva and Parvati. There are various stories behind his birth but two of them are the most common ones. According to the first story, Lord Ganesha was created by Parvati out of dirt from her body to guard her in the absence of Shiva. She gave him the task of guarding the entrance while she took a bath. In the meantime, Shiva returned home and Ganesha, who didn’t know who Shiva was, stopped him. This angered Shiva and he severed Ganesha’s head after a tiff between the two. Parvati was enraged when she came to know about 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 fixed the elephant’s head on the child’s body, and that how Ganesha was born.
The other popular 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.
BENEFITS OF PRAYING TO LORD GANESHA
As Lord Ganesha is the remover of all obstacles, it is believed that devotees who pray to Ganesha are able to fulfil their wishes and desires. So, the main essence of Ganesh Chaturthi is that devotees who pray to him are set free of sins and it leads them on the path of knowledge and wisdom.
Preparation for Ganesh Pooja
- A clay image of Lord Ganesha
- Pedestal
- Kalasha
- Mango leaves – To decorate the threshold and to put in the kalash
- Tumbler, Udhdharani (the spoon for taking water), Small Plate
- Kumkum
- Turmeric
- Sandal wood paste
- Akshata – are prepared by mixing rice with wet turmeric, saffron and sandalwood paste
- Betel leaves, nuts
- Water – fetch after taking a bath
- Two pieces of red cloth
- Lamps and oil (sesame) or ghee (cow’s) for the lamp and wicks
- Incense sticks
- Camphor
- Plate to light camphor
- Variety of Fruits (esp. bananas)
- Flowers
- Modakams (sweet preparation)
- For Madhuparkam – Mix a little of Cow Milk, Curd and Ghee
- For Panchamrutam: Cow’s milk, curd, ghee and honey and sugar mixed
- Leaves: For a basic Puja use Tulasi leaves or even Akshata with the same benefit
- Ganesh idol
- Wooden plank to place Ganesha
- Flowers
- Milk
- Curd
- Honey
- Tender coconut water
- Water
- Rice flour
- Sesame oil
- Turmeric powder
- Shikakai powder
- Kumkum,Sandal paste
- Panchamirtham (Milk, Sugar, Ghee, Honey, Bananas)
- Turmeric powder for manjal pillayar
- Vastram for Ganesha ( New blouse bit or dhoti cloth)
- Mupiri nool for poonool ( 3 threaded string)
- ArugamPul (Bermuda grass)
- Tulasi leaves
- Vellerukku Maalai ( White flower garland)
- Yellow rice/Akshathai
- Flowers
- Kumkum, Sandal powder
- Incense stick
- Camphor
- Sesame oil or Ghee for Lamp
- Fruits,coconut, betel leaves and betel nut
- Banana leaf
- Suparis (7)
- Paan Leaves (For Kalash) (5)
- Coconuts (3)
- Paint Brush of Big Size to clean Murti daily (1)
- Rice (uncooked/kacha)
- Fresh Flowers
- Red Pooja Dhaga (Raksha Kavach) To tie on wrists after Staphna
- Attar (Perfumed Oil)
- Black Thread (Make Ganesh ji wear before bringing Him home
- Banana Leaves (Kele che khamb)
- Durva, Bhel Patra
- Diya Wicks
- Prasad (Modaks)
- Fresh Fruits
- Floral Ideas (Torans for outside home, table of Ganesh ji, flower mala for Ganesh ji)
- Measuring Tape (To keep record of Murti Size)
- Mukut
- Mala / Maitri
- Hand/Arm Bracelets
- Vastra - For Ganesh ji
- Vastra - To cover Sandli before seating Ganesh ji
- Vastra - To cover Ganeshji while bringing Him home if brought one day before Ganesh Chaturthi
- Haldi, Pinjar, Abhil, Gulal, Ashtaghand, Sindoor, Chandan
- Camphor tablets, Dhoop, Aggarbatti
- Honey
- Khadi-Sakhar
- Cotton
- Akhrot (5), Badaam (5), Khareek (5)
- Jaggery
- Matchbox
- Ganga jal
- A platform for placing idol of Lord Ganesha.
- Fresh yellow or red cloth to cover platform.
- Red hibiscus or other flowers
- Durva (Garikoihallu grass)
- 11 Modaks and 11 Laddos
- Kheer or Barfi and Bhog.
- Panchamrita (made with ghee, milk, curd, honey and sugar)
- A piece of fresh yellow cloth for Ganesha.
- Honey (sacred thread)
- Akshat
- Kumkum
- Haldi
- Sandalwood
- Camphor for Aarti
- Bell
- Incense
- Lamp, mustard or sesame oil or ghee
- Cotton wicks
- Pancha Paptra or Jalapatra
- Tambulam (2 or 5 five pan leaves, betel nut, Dakshina, whole coconut, two bananas)
- Five types of fruit (optional)
- Kalash (whole coconut with water, akshat, currency coins, mango leaves and its coir)
- A large tray or trays to keep all these items
Vinayaka Chathurthi Pooja Videos
The videos below on how to perform Ganesha Pooja or Vinayaka Chavithi (Chaturthi) are provided so you can enjoy an ad-free Puja. Our sincere gratitude to the creators of these videos, whose information is provided usually at the end of the video.
Devotional Ganesha Songs
A collection of popular Ganesh Chaturthi devotional songs. Listening to these songs before and after the Puja keeps you and your family in that devotional mood, thereby enjoying the benefits of the Puja that you have performed. Play them all or just your favourites, uninterrupted! Click on the 3 dots next to a song for its lyrics.
Ganesha Shlokams
Various Shlokas dedicated to Lord Ganesha are presented below. Each Shlokam has the Sanskrit version, English Transliteration, Meaning, Audio and explanation, significance. The language of each Shlokam can be changed easily using the dropdown on the top of the page.
Agajanana Padmakam
We meditate day and night on the one-tusked one who is the sun for the lotus in the form of the face of Pārvatī, the one with the elephant face and the one who is the giver of all desired ends to his
Gajananam Bhuta
I bow to you, the Lord with the face of an elephant (Gajanana), one who is served by the celestial attendants (Bhoota ganas) and other beings. The one who consumes the extract of Kapitha (wood apple)
Gananamtva Ganapatim
Among the celestial attendants (Ganas), you are the Lord (Ganapathi), We offer sacrificial oblations to you You are the wisest among the scholars. Your wisdom is known to be highest quality and uncomp
Ganapathi Atharvashirsha
The Ganapati Atharvasirsha Upanishad is a Sanskrit text and a minor Upanishad of Hinduism. It is a late Upanishadic text dedicated to Ganesha, the deity representing intellect.
Ganapati Stotram
As the rays from the lotus-face of Gauri (Devi Parvati) is always on her beloved son Gajanana (Who has the face of an Elephant), Similarly, the grace of Sri Ganesha is always on his devotees; Granting
Ganesha Gayatri Mantra
We pray to the one-tusked; we meditate on the one having a twisted trunk. May that Ganapati (one-tusked) inspire us (to meditate).
Ganesha Pancharathnam
The composer, Guru Sri Adi Shankaracharya had praised the God Ganesha by presenting these five stanzas as five jewels, hence the name Maha Ganesha Pancharatnam.
Ganesha Stavah
Ganesha Stavah or Ganapati Stavah is a set of 13 verses that describe the glory of Lord Ganesha. Gaṇapati stavaḥ is said to be from Ganesh Purana - upāsanā khaṇḍa adhyāya 13.
Mooshika Vahana
Salutations to Sri Vighna Vinayaka, whose vehicle is the mouse and who has the modaka in his hand, whose large ears are like fans and who wears a long sacred thread, who is short in stature and is th
Sankata Nashana Ganesha Stotram
This stotram is from Narada Purana. Sankata means problems, difficulties and Nashanam means to destroy. So, by chanting this stotram one is praying to Lord Ganesha to remove his difficulties. In Sanskrit, English Translation, Meaning, Significance…
Shuklambaradharam
I meditate upon (Lord Ganesa), the one who wears a white garment, who is all-pervasive, who has a (bright) complexion like the moon, who has four hands, who has a cheerful face, for the removal of all
Vakratunda Mahakaya
O god with the twisted trunk, broad-bodied, brilliant as thousand suns, bless me with freedom from obstructions and hindrances in all my works and for all times.