Ganesh Puja, on the fourth day of the bright fortnight of Bhadraba, is in Odisha above all a festival of students. As at Saraswati Puja, every school, college and coaching centre installs a clay Ganesha; pupils offer him their books and pens, and palm-leaf styluses in the villages, and ask for learning without obstacles. Shops and workshops worship him too, and in western Odisha the day is the eve of Nuakhai.
The story
Ganesha is the remover of obstacles and the scribe who took down the Mahabharata from Vyasa's dictation, breaking off his own tusk to write with. A student has need of both.
The sweet of the day is the modaka, here made as manda pitha, a steamed rice dumpling with coconut and jaggery, and ladoos.
How it is kept
- The pandalRaised by students with their own collection.
- Books and pensLaid before the image.
- OfferingsManda pitha, ladoos, fruit and dubo grass.
- Cultural eveningSongs, plays and prize-giving.
- BisarjanaImmersion after a few days, with a procession.
Why this date
Ganesh Puja is the Chaturthi of the bright fortnight of Bhadraba, on the day it is present at midday.
Ganesh Puja in other years
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Monday | |
| 2027 | Saturday | |
| 2028 | Wednesday | |
| 2029 | Tuesday | |
| 2030 | Sunday | |
| 2031 | Saturday |
More Odia festivals
5 SeptemberNuakhaiନୂଆଖାଇ
24 AugustJanmashtamiଜନ୍ମାଷ୍ଟମୀ
7 OctoberMahastamiମହାଷ୍ଟମୀ
17 AugustGamha Purnimaଗହ୍ମା ପୂର୍ଣ୍ଣିମା
18 JulyGuru Purnimaଗୁରୁ ପୂର୍ଣ୍ଣିମା
8 OctoberMaha Navamiମହାନବମୀ
Where to see Ganesh Puja
In Odisha
- CuttackOdishaThe largest public pandals, a foretaste of the city's Durga Puja.
- BhubaneswarOdishaEvery college and market has its own.
- Mahavinayak Temple, JajpurOdishaA hill shrine where five gods are worshipped in one linga, Ganesha first.
Across India
- MumbaiMaharashtraThe ten-day Ganeshotsav, ending in immersion at the sea.
- PuneMaharashtraWhere the public festival began.
- HyderabadTelanganaThe giant Ganesh of Khairatabad.