Sankashti Ganesh Chaturthi 2021: How and why the festival is celebrated

The Hindu devotees are celebrating Bhalachandra Sankashti Chaturthi on Wednesday, 31 March. Also known as Sankashti Ganesh Chaturthi, the occasion is observed to seek the blessings of Lord Ganesha for a stress-free life. The literal meaning of Sankashti is rescuing from trouble. Sankashti Ganesh Chaturthi date and time The moonrise will be at 9.39 pm. The Sankashti Ganesh Chaturthi tithi starts on 31 March from 2.06 pm and will end on 1 April at 10.59 am. Sankashti Ganesh Chaturthi ritual and significance Devotees of Lord Ganesha observe a fast on this day and Chaturthi tithi of every month. They also worship the Lord and seek his blessings to remove the hurdles in their life and get the things they want. Lord Ganesha is considered to be the remover of obstacles or Vighneshwara. Sankashti Ganesh Chaturthi legend It is believed that Lord Vishnu did not invite Lord Ganesha to his wedding. Lord Vishnu thought that there was no need to send a separate invitation to him as his parents (Lord Shiva and Parvati) were already invited. Another reason was that Lord Vishnu felt that Lord Ganesha had a huge appetite. Upon insistence from other guests, he was made the gatekeeper or Dwarapala to the venue. When Devarshi Narada realised that Vishnu and other guests had insulted Ganesha, he asked the Lord to send the mooshak to dig holes right outside the venue. When guests arrived in their carriages, the wheels got stuck and they could not reach the venue. The guests felt that they were wrong in insulting Lord Ganesha. When the Lord finally received the invitation to the wedding, all the holes in the path were filled.