Lord Ganesha is welcomed home elaborately by the devotees everywhere. Puja celebration may last for 1 ½, 5, 7 or 10 days, and it is performed with sincere devotion and with the offerings of modak, fruits and flowers. Even though Ganesh Chaturthi is a 10 day festival, some people perform it for a lesser period. Puja for 1.5 days is performed in some places.
Items Needed for a 1.5 Day Puja:
Items required for a 1.5 day puja includes a clay image of Lord Ganesh, chandan or sandalwood, red flowers, incense sticks, Modaks, miscellaneous sweet delicacies, sweet made of Pancha Khadya, Karanjis, coconut, fruits, etc.
Procedure of the 1.5 Days Puja of Ganesh Chaturthi:
1) To begin the 1.5 days puja, houses are cleaned thoroughly. The devotees take a holy bath before the worship begins.
2) The idol of Lord Ganesha is placed on a raised platform and is decorated with flowers and rubbed with kumkum and sandalwood paste.
3) Then begins the Pranaprathistha ritual or invoking life into the clay idol amidst chanting sacred mantras from Ganesh Suktha.
4) After this ritual, the Lord is offered 21 blades of Druva grass, 21 Modaks, 21 of the sweet of Panch Khadya, variety of fruits and flowers.
5) After applying Tilak on a coconut it is broken into two.
6) 1.5 days puja ends by reciting 108 names of Lord Ganesha, which is followed by arti and distribution of Prasad.
Performing this brief puja at home, lasting 1.5 days, it is sufficient to observe the above rituals. Even though the priests perform elaborate rituals, what matters most is worshipping the Lord with sincerity and devotion.