Sankashti Chaturthi

Why is this observance important?

Sankashti — literally 'deliverance from difficulty' — is kept to seek Lord Ganesha's help in removing obstacles from a devotee's path, whether in health, work, or family matters. It is one of the most widely kept monthly vrats among Ganesha devotees.

Which story is remembered?

Puranic accounts describe several of Ganesha's own obstacle-removing feats — most often recalled is the tale of the Kolhapur or Mathura-associated Sankashti legend, in which a devotee's fast and Ganesha-worship on this tithi relieves a specific hardship, giving the day its name and its enduring practice of fasting until moonrise.

When is it observed?

Chaturthi, the fourth tithi of the dark fortnight (Krishna Paksha), of every lunar month, observed with a fast broken after moonrise. Reckoned from the panchang each month; a Sankashti Chaturthi that falls on a Tuesday is called Angarki Chaturthi and is held to be especially powerful.

How is it observed in the tradition?

• A day-long fast, taken by many with a single grain-free meal or fruit only
• Ganesha puja with red flowers, durva grass, and modak or laddoo as the offering
• Breaking the fast only after sighting the moon (chandrodaya) in the evening, and offering arghya (water) to it
• Reciting the Ganesha Sankashtanashana Stotra

How do household and regional customs differ?

Especially prominent in Maharashtra, where it is kept by a large share of Ganesha-devotee households every month without fail, and in other Ganesha-centric traditions across Western and Southern India. Angarki Chaturthi (on a Tuesday) draws the largest observance of the year.