🐘 Sankashti Chaturthi (and Vinayaka Chaturthi) Puja Vidhi — step by step
This is the household Sankashti vidhi — the day's fast, the evening Ganesha puja and katha, the arghya and paran at moonrise; the midday puja of Vinayaka Chaturthi at the end.
How to do Sankashti Chaturthi (and Vinayaka Chaturthi) — the steps
- Bathe in the morning, red/yellow clothes; sankalp — 'the (name) Sankashti Chaturthi vrat, for the removal of troubles/the blessing of children, paran after seeing the Moon and giving the arghya'; waterless (strict) or fruit (milk-fruit-sabudana) all day; remembrance of Ganesha 'Om Gam Ganapataye Namah'.
- Evening (after sunset, before moonrise): bathe the Ganesha idol/picture (panchamrit-water), red cloth, sandalwood-sindoor, durva (21 — with 3 or 5 blades), red flowers (jaswand/hibiscus), shami leaves, modak/laddoo (21), fruit, paan-supari; incense and lamp; the Ganesha Atharvashirsha/the Sankatnashan Ganesha Stotra ('Pranamya shirasa devam…'), the Ganesha Chalisa.
- Hear the katha (below — that month's Sankashti katha or the general Ganesha-Moon tale); the aarti 'Sukhkarta Dukhharta'/'Jai Ganesh Deva'; the camphor aarti.
- Moonrise (time above — the Moon of the Krishna Chaturthi rises between 8:30 and 10 at night): arghya to the Moon with water-milk-akshat-flowers, 'Om Somaya Namah', the sight of the Moon; then naivedya for Ganesha; if cloudy, the arghya in the direction after the moonrise time.
- Paran: after the arghya the Ganesha prasad (modak/laddoo), then the meal — sattvic (ukdiche modak and varan-bhaat in Maharashtra; sesame-jaggery/laddoo-kheer in the north); many homes without salt/once.
- Angarki Sankashti: the same vidhi, Ganesha temple darshan, red flowers-jaggery-gram, the gift of masoor and jaggery for pacifying Mars; 21 modaks.
- Vinayaka Chaturthi (Shukla Paksha): the fast from morning to noon; Ganesha puja at midday (11-1:30, Abhijit above), durva-modak, katha; paran after noon; do not see the Moon this day (if seen, read the Syamantaka tale); the Vinayaka of Bhadrapada = Ganesh Chaturthi (separate page).
- Women's custom: a vow of 12 Sankashtis (one year) for the blessing of children; mothers for the welfare of children; udyapan — on completing 12, a Ganesha havan, 21 durva, feeding Brahmins, charity (the 'Sankashti udyapan' in Maharashtra).
Puja samagri checklist
Durva, modak, red flowers, sindoor, the pot for the Moon arghya — the Sankashti list.
- Ganesha idol/picture, wooden seat, red cloth, kalash, coconut, mango leaves
- Durva (21 — 3/5 blades), red flowers (jaswand-hibiscus-marigold), shami leaves, bel leaves (some customs)
- Sandalwood, sindoor, roli, turmeric, kumkum, akshat, mauli, sacred thread, perfume, paan-supari-clove-cardamom
- Panchamrit, Gangajal; lamp-ghee, incense, camphor, aarti thali, bell
- Naivedya: modak (steamed/fried) 21, besan/boondi/sesame laddoos, fruit (banana-guava-apple), jaggery-gram, kheer, panchmewa
- The Moon arghya: copper pot, water-milk-akshat-flowers
- The Ganesha Atharvashirsha/Sankatnashan Stotra/Sankashti katha book, rudraksha/sandalwood mala
- Angarki/pacifying Mars: red clothes, jaggery-gram, masoor (charity)
Modak, durva, jaggery-gram, sesame laddoo — Ganapati's thali; the meal after the Moon
On Sankashti the fast all day, the modak prasad and meal after the Moon arghya; modak for Ganesha (ukdiche — steamed — the mark of Maharashtra), laddoos (besan-boondi-sesame), jaggery-gram, banana; tilkut on Sakat Chauth; laddoo-kheer-poori in the north; milk-fruit-sabudana on the vrat day.
- Ukdiche modak (a steamed rice-flour shell with a coconut-jaggery filling — 21), fried modak, besan/boondi/motichoor laddoo, sesame-jaggery laddoo (the Magha Sankashti/Sakat)
- Jaggery-gram (soaked/roasted), banana-guava-apple, panchmewa, kheer, poori-halwa (north), durva water
- Fasting fare: milk, fruit, sabudana khichdi, makhana, coconut water; those keeping waterless — nothing
- The paran meal: Maharashtra — varan-bhaat-modak, puran poli (Angarki); Karnataka — kadubu-payasam; Tamil (Sankatahara Chaturthi) — kozhukattai (modak), sundal; Gujarat — lapsi-laddoo; north — laddoo-kheer-poori, tilkut (Sakat)
- Angarki: 21 modaks and red flowers, the gift of jaggery-gram for pacifying Mars; Vinayaka Chaturthi (noon): modak-banana-panchmewa, the midday meal
Rules — do's and don'ts
✅ Do
- Sankashti: paran only after the arghya following moonrise (time above); Vinayaka: midday puja, no Moon
- Durva (21), modak, red flowers and sindoor for Ganesha; the Sankatnashan Stotra/Atharvashirsha
- Temple darshan on Angarki, 21 modaks, charity for pacifying Mars (jaggery-gram-masoor)
- A vow of 12 Sankashtis → udyapan; the wish for children/the removal of troubles
- The pregnant/unwell take fruit; modak prasad for the children
❌ Don't
- No breaking the fast on Sankashti without seeing the Moon; no seeing the Moon on Vinayaka Chaturthi (blemish — if seen, the Syamantaka tale)
- No Tulsi for Ganesha (forbidden — except on Ganesh Chaturthi in some customs), no dry/cut durva, no ketaki
- No tamasic food, anger or lies on the vrat day; no black clothes
- No forced waterless fast; no harsh vrat for children and the elderly
- No plaster idol in the river (no immersion — the Sankashti idol is the permanent one at home)
Vrat katha
Ganesha and the Moon's blemish: the Moon laughed at Ganesha's form (the big belly, the elephant face); Ganesha cursed — 'whoever sees you will be blemished'; at the gods' prayer the curse was softened — only seeing the M… Read the full katha →
Frequently asked questions
When is the next Sankashti Chaturthi and when will the Moon rise? {Y}
Above are the date of the next Sankashti, the moonrise time (Delhi) and the next 12 dates with names (marked if Angarki); the Moon of the Krishna Chaturthi rises between 8:30 and 10 at night; ±10-20 minutes in your city — match with a panchang.
What is the difference between Sankashti and Vinayaka Chaturthi?
Sankashti = the Krishna Paksha Chaturthi (after the Purnima) — the fast from sunrise to moonrise, paran after the arghya to the Moon, the removal of troubles; Vinayaka = the Shukla Paksha Chaturthi (after the Amavasya) — puja at noon, do not see the Moon (the tale of the blemish); the Vinayaka of Bhadrapada is Ganesh Chaturthi, the Sankashti of Magha is Sakat Chauth; both in the list above.
What is Angarki Sankashti, why so great?
The Sankashti that falls on a Tuesday — Ganesha's boon to Angaraka (Mars) after his penance that the Tuesday Sankashti's fruit equal a whole year's Sankashtis; 1-3 times a year; lakhs fast and queue at temples in Maharashtra; special for those with Mangal dosha; you will find '(Angarki)' marked in the list above.
What if it is cloudy and the Moon is not visible?
After the moonrise time (above) give the arghya in the Moon's direction (east) or take the reflection in a mirror/water in the thali — the paran is valid; the vrat complete; do not delay too late into the night; if moonrise is very late (after 10), the unwell and pregnant take fruit earlier.
For what wish is Sankashti kept, and how many times?
The removal of troubles, freedom from debt and disease, the blessing of children, removal of obstacles, success in work; mothers for their children; a vow of 12 (one year) or 21 Sankashtis, then the udyapan (Ganesha havan, 21 durva, feeding Brahmins); if one is missed, begin again from the next Angarki.
Why durva and modak for Ganesha?
The tale of Analasura — after swallowing the fire demon Ganesha's belly burned, the sages fed him 21 durva to cool it — since then durva is dear (with 3 or 5 blades, 21 joined); the modak (moda = joy) was made by Parvati, Ganesha's favourite — 21 modaks; red flowers and sindoor symbolise Ganesha's rajoguna radiance; Tulsi is forbidden for Ganesha (the tale of the curse).
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