Ganesh Chaturthi 2022: Rituals that devotees perform during 10-day Lord Ganesha festival

The 10-day long Hindu festival, one of the most important in India, Ganesh Chaturthi is all set to begin on August 31, 2022, and end on September 9, 2022. The festival also known as Vinayak Chaturthi is celebrated as Lord Ganesha's birthday with fervour all across the country. On this day, people bring Lord Ganesha into their homes and celebrate him for 10 days as a revered guest of their house.  

This year, Ganpati's 'sthapna' will be done on August 31 between 11:05 am to 01:38 pm. The immersion of Ganpati Bappa's idol will take place on the day of Ganesh Chaturdashi, which is on Friday, September 9.

Please note that devotees can bring the Ganpati idol home for 1.5 days, 3 days, 7 days, or 10 days. This 10-day festival usually contains 16 rituals that need to be performed, however, today we will classify them as 4 key rituals which you need to keep in mind before bringing Ganpati Bappa home. 

Avahana and Pran Pratishtha 

This is the first step that needs to be performed. Recite mantras to do Pran Pratishtha, light a ghee diya, and offer Lord Ganesha Modak, before performing aarti. This step welcomes the Lord into your homes. It is a ritual to sanctify the Ganpati idol. 

READ | Ganesh Chaturthi 2022: Bringing Ganpati Bappa home this year? Here are some do’s and don’ts

Shodashopachara 

This is the second step that involves a 16-step puja. Here 'shodasha' means 16 and 'upachara' means 'devoutly offering the lord'. After washing Lord Ganesha's feet, devotees then bathe the idol in milk, ghee, honey, curd, and sugar (panchamrit snan). This is followed by scented oil and ganga jal. 

New clothes are then offered to the idol along with flowers, unbroken rice (Akshata), garland, sindoor, and chandan. The Ganpati idol is then decorated by applying sandalwood paste tilak and offering flower garlands, durva grass, and red flowers.

READ | Ganesh Chaturthi 2022 on August 31: Know tithi, puja muhurat, mantras

Uttarpuja 

Before bidding adieu to Lord Ganesha and inviting him again next year, this ritual is performed during visarjan. Devotees celebrate this ritual and offer flowers to the Lord along with chanting mantras and performing aarti. The sequence involved are Niranjan aarti, Pushpanjali arpan, Pradakshina.

Ganpati Visarjan 

This is the final ritual where the idol of Lord Ganesha is immersed in water bodies and devotees invite the Lord to return to them again next year. People chant "Ganapati Bappa Morya, Purchya Varshi Laukariya" (Hail Lord Ganpati, come soon next year) while they head for immersion.

Please note that if there is no waterbody near your house, immerse the Ganpati idol in your home in a drum or a bucket.