Ganesh Visarjan Vidhi: Muhurat, Puja & Aarti
The full visarjan-day sequence — muhurat, Uttar Puja, the immersion steps, and the aarti — explained simply.
With Anant Chaturdashi falling on Friday, 25 September 2026, thousands of families will perform Ganesh visarjan (idol immersion) that day. This guide walks through the actual vidhi — the puja sequence, the muhurat windows, the aarti, and the small rituals that traditionally surround saying goodbye to Ganpati Bappa — described as commonly practiced, with family and regional variation noted throughout.
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Auspicious Muhurat Windows for Visarjan (25 September 2026)
According to Panchang-based sources, several auspicious windows fall on visarjan day: 06:11 AM–10:42 AM, 12:13 PM–01:43 PM, 04:44 PM–06:14 PM, 09:14 PM–10:43 PM, and a late-night window from 12:13 AM–04:42 AM (into 26 September). Ravi Yoga, considered especially auspicious, runs from roughly 06:11 AM–11:22 AM. In practice, most families and mandals choose a window that fits their own procession and travel plans rather than treating any single slot as mandatory — please confirm exact timings against your local Panchang, since these can shift slightly by city and calculation method.
Morning Puja Before Visarjan
On visarjan morning, many families begin with a Shodashopachar (sixteen-step) or a shorter Panchopachar (five-step) puja to Ganpati, offering his favourite naivedya — modak, laddoo, and other sweets — one last time before the idol leaves the house.
Uttar Puja — The Formal Farewell
Uttar Puja (also called Uttaravahan) is the concluding worship that formally bids Ganpati farewell before immersion. It typically includes a final aarti, a prayer asking forgiveness for any mistakes made knowingly or unknowingly during the festival, and a request for continued blessings of happiness, peace, and prosperity for the household.
Step-by-Step Immersion Vidhi
- Uttar Puja / concluding worship: the formal farewell described above.
- Final offerings: durva grass, flowers, modak, boondi laddoo, and fruits are offered once more.
- Aarti: the household's usual Ganpati aartis are sung one last time.
- Prayer for forgiveness: a short prayer seeking Bappa's pardon for any lapses, and blessings for the year ahead.
- Procession: the idol is respectfully lifted and carried — often with music, dancing, and chanting — to the place of immersion.
- Immersion: the idol is immersed with devotion while chanting "Ganpati Bappa Morya, Pudhchya Varshi Lavkar Ya."
For city-specific guidance on exactly where this happens and how the largest public mandals organise their processions, see our companion guides for Ganesh Visarjan in Nashik and Ganesh Visarjan in Mumbai.
The Aarti Before Immersion
The aartis sung during Uttar Puja are usually the same ones sung throughout Ganeshotsav — most commonly "Sukhkarta Dukhharta" and "Jai Dev Jai Dev Jai Mangalmurti" — sung one final time before the idol leaves the house. This is a separate tradition from the Vishnu aarti ("Om Jai Jagdish Hare") sung by families specifically observing the Anant Vrat side of the day, covered in our Anant Chaturdashi Katha, Samagri & Aarti article — the two traditions run in parallel rather than overlapping.
"Ganpati Bappa Morya, Pudhchya Varshi Lavkar Ya" — What It Means
This is the chant traditionally called out at the moment of immersion, and roughly translates to "Hail Lord Ganpati, come again soon next year." It captures the spirit of the whole farewell: not sorrow at Bappa's departure, but a hopeful, affectionate invitation to return the following Ganesh Chaturthi.
Eco-Friendly Immersion Options
Plaster of Paris (PoP) idols dissolve very slowly and can add real pollution to rivers, lakes, and the sea, while idols made of natural Shadu clay disintegrate far more easily. Many cities now provide artificial ponds or tanks as an alternative to direct immersion in a natural water body, and some municipal bodies distribute idol-dissolving powder or run PoP idol collection drives instead. If you're not sure what your city offers, our Nashik and Mumbai guides linked above cover the specific local arrangements for those two cities.
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