Ganesha
Ganesha, invited home as a guest rather than merely worshipped at a distance. The murti is installed with pranapratishtha, hosted for one and a half to eleven days, then given a formal farewell.
What the puja consists of
- Sthapana — install the clay murti on a decorated platform, facing east or north.
- Pranapratishtha — invoke the deity's presence into the image, usually by a priest or the head of the household.
- Shodashopachara — sixteen offerings: water, cloth, sandal, flowers, incense, lamp and food among them.
- Offer durva grass in blades of twenty-one, modak and red hibiscus.
- Aarti twice daily for the days the murti is hosted.
- Visarjan — carry the murti to water with music and immerse it, asking Ganesha to return next year.
Core chants
Named, not printed — each links to a recording where the catalogue has one.
- Mantra
Om Gam Ganapataye Namahॐ गं गणपतये नमः
The seed mantra of the installation and the day's japa.
- Mantra
Vakratunda Mahakayaवक्रतुण्ड महाकाय
The invocation verse chanted before beginning anything new.
- Paath
Ganapati Atharvashirshaगणपत्यथर्वशीर्ष
The Upanishadic text recited during abhishekam, often twenty-one times.
Not in the catalogue yet — ask at your local temple or gurdwara, or learn it from a teacher in your tradition.
- Stotra
Sankashti Ganapati Stotram
Recited for the removal of obstacles, especially on Sankashti Chaturthi.
Not in the catalogue yet — ask at your local temple or gurdwara, or learn it from a teacher in your tradition.
- Aarti
Sukhkarta Dukhhartaसुखकर्ता दुःखहर्ता
Samarth Ramdas's aarti — the Marathi household aarti of the festival.
- Aarti
Jai Ganesh Devaजय गणेश देवा
The north Indian aarti, sung morning and evening.
It differs where you are. Maharashtra's public Ganeshotsav dates to Tilak's 1893 revival and runs eleven days; Goa keeps Chovoth as a strictly household observance; Tamil Nadu and Karnataka mark a shorter Vinayaka Chaturthi with kozhukattai. Clay murtis and natural colours are now widely preferred for the sake of the water they return to.
This page is editorial context, not religious instruction. Where your family, region or lineage does it differently, that is the version to follow — ask an elder or a teacher in your tradition rather than a website.