The Tithis in the lunar month of the Hindu Calendar are taken in account while deciding auspicious events, rituals, and festivals.
Hindu Calendar follows the lunar month which has two phases, the Krishna Paksha and the Shukla Paksha. Both include tithis and there are two Chaturthi Tithis. The fourth lunar day which is Vinayaka Chaturthi belongs to Lord Ganesha. In Shukla Paksha, the Chaturthi that follows the new moon day is the popular Vinayaka Chaturthi whereas the full moon day occurring during Krishna Paksha refers to Sankashti Chaturthi.
So, while Vinayaka Chaturthi is known to come during every lunar month of the Hindu calendar, it is the Bhadrapada month’s Vinayaka Chaturthi that is truly the most vital one. Believers of Hinduism are known to celebrate the auspicious Vinayaka Chaturthi during Shukla Paksha as Lord Ganesha’s birthday. The other term given to Vinayaka Chaturthi is Varad Vinayaka Chaturthi. This meaning of this is “requesting the Almighty to fulfill one’s desires and wishes.” Observation of fast is done by devotees of Lord Ganesha along with worship and prayers in order to seek blessings of this divine presence. Two virtues associated with Lord Ganesha is wisdom and patience which devotees of Lord Ganesha inculcate in their day-to-day living thus helping them to achieve progress well in life and attainment of life’s desires.
On Vinayaka Chaturthi day, Puja is conducted after noon. Devotees looking to do Ganesh Puja on Vinayaka Chaturthi should refer to the Hindu Calendar for exact Muhurtam timing as mentioned against the dates for Vinayaka Chaturthi.
Location based Vinayaka ChaturthiAny fast that one observes as per the Hindu religion should correlate the location to the date and time. For Vinayaka Chaturthi also this rule stands good. Fasting time thus is different for different locations relating to sunrise and sunset timings. People fasting for Vinayaka Chaturthi must keep in mind to observe it whilst Chaturthi Thithi is on during mid-day, in which case the Tritiya Tithi is suitable. In other words, a day prior to Chaturthi Tithi. For correct timings taking reference on location based Vinayaka Chaturthi days from the Hindu Calendar given on our website would be wise rather than merely looking up a generalized calendar covering dates for the entire country of India.