Ganesh Chaturthi 2024: 4 things to keep in mind before bringing Ganpati home

Ganesh Chaturthi 2024: Ganesh Chaturthi, popularly known by several names, including Vinayaka Chaturthi, Vinayaka Chavithi, or Vinayagar Chaturthi, will be celebrated on September 7 this year.

Ganesh Utsav, marking the birth of the elephant God, is a 10-day festival celebrated with great enthusiasm by devotees across the country. Devotees bring idols of Lord Ganesha to their homes to celebrate his birth. Grand celebrations take place throughout India, especially in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, and Karnataka.

How to prepare for Ganesh Chaturthi Puja at home?

Before commencing with the ten-day-long festivities, one should keep the following things in mind when you bring Ganpati home.

• Clean your house: Begin with a thorough cleaning to create a pure and clean environment before bringing Lord Ganesha's idol.
• Choose the correct spot: The Lord Ganesha idol should be placed in the northeast direction (Ishaan corner) of your home, which is considered auspicious. This particular placement is believed to bring positivity and prosperity. One must purify the area with Ganga water before installing the idol.

• Set the Idol: The idol ought to be positioned on an elevated surface, like a wooden chowki or a table that must be clean. This surface should be covered with a yellow cloth, which is considered to be sacred.
• Decorating the area where the idol is placed: Adorn the space surrounding the idol with elements such as Swastik or Om stickers on the walls, Rangoli at the entrance, floral arrangements and Toran, among others. These decorations add to the festive ambience and invite a sense of the divine.

City-specific puja timings according to Drik Panchang are given below:

Pune: 11:18 AM to 1:47 PM

Mumbai: 11:22 AM to 1:51 PM

New Delhi: 11:03 AM to 1:34 PM

Gurgaon: 11:04 AM to 1:35 PM

Noida: 11:03 AM to 1:33 PM

Chennai: 10:53 AM to 1:21 PM

Jaipur: 11:09 AM to 1:40 PM

Hyderabad: 11:00 AM to 1:28 PM