When is Ganesh Chaturthi 2026?
Ganesh Chaturthi 2026 falls on 14 September 2026. Ganeshotsav runs for 12 days from that morning until Anant Chaturdashi on 25 September 2026, which is when the large public mandals of Pune and Mumbai take their idols to immersion.
The festival marks the birth of Ganesha. In homes it begins with pranapratishtha — installing and invoking the idol — followed by aarti twice a day, modak as naivedya, and immersion on whichever day the family keeps.
The public celebration in its present form dates to the 1890s in Pune, when what had been a household rite was deliberately organised into a street festival. That is why Pune's oldest mandals — and their fixed order of precedence — still anchor the city's Ganeshotsav.
Visarjan days
Families immerse on different days according to their own custom. These are the dates each choice falls on in 2026.
| Observance | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dedd din (1½ days)दीड दिवस | 15 September 2026 | The most common household choice — immersion on the evening of the second day. |
| Teen din (3 days)तीन दिवस | 16 September 2026 | Immersion after three days of puja and aarti. |
| Panch din (5 days)पाच दिवस | 18 September 2026 | Often kept until Rishi Panchami in households that also observe it. |
| Saat din (7 days)सात दिवस | 20 September 2026 | A week of daily aarti before immersion. |
| Daha din (10 days)दहा दिवस | 23 September 2026 | The full ten-day observance kept by many families and smaller mandals. |
| Anant Chaturdashiअनंत चतुर्दशी | 25 September 2026 | The main visarjan miravnuk — the big public mandals of Pune and Mumbai immerse on this day. |
Guides
- Best decoration contest 2026Mandaps, makhars and murtis sent in by households across India. Send yours, and vote for the ones you like best.
- Pune pandal guideThe five Manache Ganpati in their order of precedence, Dagdusheth, and the mandals worth the walk.
- Mumbai pandal guideLalbaugcha Raja, Mumbaicha Raja, GSB King’s Circle, Andhericha Raja and how the queues actually work.
- Visarjan route and trafficThe Anant Chaturdashi procession route through Pune, which roads close, and where the official advisory is published.
- Ashtavinayak yatraAll eight temples in the traditional order, with distances and a workable two-day plan.
Can't get to a pandal?
Several mandals and temples broadcast their aarti live. Dagdusheth Halwai, Shree Siddhivinayak and Lalbaugcha Raja all stream through the festival — watch live darshan, free and without signing up.
Through the rest of the year, the same devotion attaches to Sankashti Chaturthi, the monthly Ganesha vrat kept until moonrise.
Quick answers
- Which are the five Manache Ganpati of Pune?
- In order of precedence: Kasba Ganpati, Tambdi Jogeshwari Ganpati, Guruji Talim Ganpati, Tulshibaug Ganpati, Kesariwada Ganpati. The visarjan procession follows this order and does not begin until Kasba Ganpati, the city's gramdaivat, sets out.
- Which Mumbai mandals draw the biggest crowds?
- Lalbaugcha Raja, Ganesh Galli (Mumbaicha Raja), GSB Seva Mandal, King’s Circle among others. Lalbaugcha Raja is the most visited mandal in India and queues there routinely run many hours.
- What is the difference between Ganesh Chaturthi and Sankashti Chaturthi?
- Ganesh Chaturthi is the annual festival marking Ganesha's birth. Sankashti Chaturthi is the monthly vrat on the fourth day after the full moon, kept as a fast until moonrise.