Ganesh Chaturthi 2026: Which Ganesh Mantras to Chant — Dates, Visarjan & Method
Ganesh Chaturthi 2026 falls on Monday, 14 September, and the festival runs ten days until Ganpati Visarjan on 23 September (Anant Chaturdashi). The mantra most traditionally chanted for the festival is Om Gan Ganpataye Namah — 108 times daily — with the Vakratunda Mahakaya shloka recited before beginning worship and the Ganesha Gayatri for meditation. Here are this year's dates, the mantras tradition prescribes, and a simple daily method for the ten days.
Chant through Ganesh Chaturthi with the Mantras App
Guided mantra audio with correct pronunciation, meanings, and a 108 japa counter — free.
Ganesh Chaturthi 2026 dates — sthapana to Visarjan
| Observance | Date (2026) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ganesh Chaturthi / Ganpati Sthapana | Monday, 14 September | Chaturthi of Bhadrapada Shukla Paksha; idol installation is traditionally done in the Madhyahna (midday) muhurat, since Ganesha is held to have been born at midday |
| Festival days — daily puja, aarti & japa | 15–22 September | Daily puja, aarti and japa; many households do visarjan on day 1½, 3, 5 or 7 by family tradition |
| Anant Chaturdashi / Ganpati Visarjan | Wednesday, 23 September | The final immersion day — "Ganpati Bappa Morya, pudhchya varshi lavkar ya" |
Tithi timings vary by city and panchang — when in doubt, follow your local panchang for the exact muhurat.
Which mantra to chant on Ganesh Chaturthi
Om Gan Ganpataye Namah — the mantra of the festival
ॐ गं गणपतये नमः — Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha — is the Ganesh mantra most chanted through the festival. Its heart is the beej (seed) syllable gam (गं), given in the Ganapati Atharvashirsha, the Upanishadic hymn to Ganesha; the full mantra is a salutation to the lord of the ganas. It needs no initiation and no ritual setting — 108 repetitions in the morning carries the practice. Spelling variants (gan/gam, namah/namaha), meaning and method are on our Ganesh mantra page.
Vakratunda Mahakaya — before beginning anything
वक्रतुण्ड महाकाय सूर्यकोटि समप्रभ ।
निर्विघ्नं कुरु मे देव सर्वकार्येषु सर्वदा ॥
Vakratunda Mahakaya Suryakoti Samaprabha, Nirvighnam Kuru Me Deva Sarvakaryeshu Sarvada — "O curved-trunked, mighty-bodied one, radiant as ten million suns: make all my undertakings free of obstacles, always." This traditional shloka opens pujas, functions and new ventures across India, and is recited before the sthapana itself.
Ganesha Gayatri — for meditation
From the Ganapati Atharvashirsha tradition: Om Ekadantaya Vidmahe, Vakratundaya Dhimahi, Tanno Danti Prachodayat — a meditative invocation of the single-tusked one in the Gayatri metre, usually chanted after the main japa rather than in place of it.
One mantra kept daily beats three attempted occasionally. If you are new, choose Om Gan Ganpataye Namah alone for these ten days.
How to chant on Ganesh Chaturthi (and all ten days)
- Bathe or wash, and sit facing east in a quiet spot, spine upright.
- Recite Vakratunda Mahakaya once — the traditional opening — and, if you like, state your sankalpa for the festival.
- Listen first — play the mantra audio once and absorb the rhythm and pronunciation.
- Chant Om Gan Ganpataye Namah 108 times — count on a mala or the app's 108 japa counter.
- Sit in silence for a minute, and close with a simple aarti if you have a Ganpati at home.
Japa and the household sthapana are separate observances — you can chant the full ten days without bringing an idol home. New to japa? Start with the complete chanting method and the traditional rules.
Why Ganesha is worshipped first
Tradition names Ganesha Vighnaharta — the remover of obstacles — and Pratham Pujya, the first to be worshipped: every undertaking, from a wedding to a daily puja, opens with an invocation to him so the work may proceed unobstructed. Ganesh Chaturthi marks his birth in the bright half of Bhadrapada — held by tradition to be at midday, which is why the sthapana is done in the Madhyahna muhurat. The ten days of japa, modak offerings and aarti end with the visarjan procession, entrusting Bappa to the waters until next year.
A simple ten-day practice plan
- Daily (14–23 September): Om Gan Ganpataye Namah × 108, morning or evening — same time every day.
- Before each day's puja: Vakratunda Mahakaya once.
- Sthapana day (14 Sep) and Visarjan day (23 Sep): add a second mala if you can.
- Through the day: let the mantra run silently — manasik japa counts.
Benefits in the tradition's own framing: obstacles met with a steadier mind, auspicious beginnings, and the quiet discipline of ten days kept well — fruits of consistent practice, not instant results.