Ganesh Chaturthi 2024: Dates, significance, history, other details to know

Ganesh Chaturthi 2024: One of the most noteworthy Hindu festivals, Ganesh Chaturthi, will begin next month. The festival marks the birth of Lord Ganesha, who is known for his wisdom and revered as an obstacle remover. During the ten-day festival, devotees bring a small idol of Lord Ganesha and worship him for ten days (the duration can also be five or three days for many people).
The festival, associated with Lord Ganesha, is celebrated for different reasons in different parts of the world. One of the most recognised reasons for the Ganesh Utsav’s celebration is the birth of Lord Ganesha on Ganesh Chaturthi. The festival is celebrated with huge fervour in states like Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, etc.
This year, Ganesh Chaturthi will be celebrated on September 7, marking the beginning of the ten-day-long festival.
Ganesh Chaturthi falls on Chaturthi tithi of Shukla Paksha. This year, the festival will begin on Saturday, September 7. Whereas, the Ganesh Visarjan will be held on Tuesday, September 17. The Ganesh Chaturthi puja muhurrat will begin from 11:03 am to 1:34 pm.
The festival is also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi or Ganesh Utsav. Lord Ganesha is also called ‘Vignaharta’, which means the remover of obstacles. The festival is a perfect opportunity for devotees to seek divine intervention for life’s challenges.
According to Puranas, the fourth day of the month in Hindu calendar Saka Samwat, is known as Chaturthi, the day when devotees worship and observe fast for lord Ganesha. It is believed that Ganesha was born on the Chaturthi of bright night of Bhadra (August-September), according to gujaratindia.gov.in.
Ganesh Chaturthi, despite being celebrated as Lord Ganesha’s birthday, became popular among the masses when freedom fighter Lokmanya Tilak revived the observance of Ganesh Utsav in Maharashtra. His initiatives transformed the festival into a ten day celebration. On the 10th day of the festival, devotees carry Ganesha idol accompanied by singing and dancing to immerse it in water. The procession is known as Visarjana.