Sankashti Chaturthi in January 2025

What is Sankashti Chaturthi?

Sankashti Chaturthi is a monthly fast dedicated to Lord Ganesha, the remover of obstacles, kept on the Chaturthi (4th tithi) of the Krishna (waning) paksha. Because it recurs once each lunar month, there are around twelve to thirteen observances a year. "Sankashti" means deliverance from difficulties, and devotees keep this vrat praying for the removal of obstacles, worries and troubles (sankat). Each month's Sankashti honours a named form of Ganesha, such as Vakratunda or Ganadhipa, with its own katha.

Why the moonrise matters

What sets Sankashti apart is that the fast is broken only at night, after sighting the moon (Chandra Darshan). Devotees wait for moonrise, offer arghya (water) to the moon and to Ganesha, and only then take their meal — which is why the moonrise time is the most important moment of the day. This page lists the moonrise timing for each date so you can plan the puja and the breaking of the fast. Traditionally the vow is considered complete once the moon has been honoured.

Angarki Sankashti Chaturthi (the Tuesday one)

When Sankashti Chaturthi falls on a Tuesday, it is called Angarki Sankashti Chaturthi. Tuesday is the day of Angaraka (Mangal, Mars), and this rare coincidence is traditionally held to be the most powerful and auspicious Sankashti of all. It comes only a few times across several years, so many devotees make a special effort to keep the Angarki fast. The vidhi is the same as any Sankashti — day-long fast, Ganesha puja and moon-sighting at night.

How to observe the vrat

Observers keep a day-long fast; many take only fruit and simple vrat food, while some keep it without food or water until moonrise. The day centres on a Ganesha puja: offering durva grass, flowers and modak or laddu, lighting a lamp, and reading or hearing that month's Sankashti katha. At night, after the moon is visible, arghya is offered to the moon and Ganapati, and the fast is broken with the prasad. The vrat is kept with devotion and patience rather than as a bargain.

Sankashti vs Vinayaka Chaturthi

Both are Chaturthi vrats for Ganesha, but they fall in different halves of the month. Sankashti Chaturthi is the Krishna-paksha (waning) one, worshipped at night and broken after sighting the moon. Vinayaka Chaturthi is the Shukla-paksha (waxing) one, worshipped during the day at madhyahna (midday), with no moon-sighting involved. Knowing which paksha you are in tells you which vrat applies. This page is for the Sankashti observance, with its night moon worship and monthly named form of Ganesha.

The Sankashti Chaturthi Katha

The tradition tells that once the gods, troubled by a great obstacle, went to Lord Shiva for help. Shiva turned to his two sons, Ganesha and Kartikeya, and asked which of them could remove the difficulty. To decide who was worthier, he set a test: whoever circled the whole world first would win. Kartikeya at once set off on his peacock to race around the earth. Ganesha, wise beyond his years, simply walked around his parents Shiva and Parvati, saying that they were his whole world — and so he was declared the winner and the remover of obstacles, Vighnaharta. From this, it is said, devotees keep the Sankashti Chaturthi fast, praying to Ganesha to remove their sankat, breaking the fast only after the moon has risen. Each month's Sankashti also carries its own named katha.

Sankashti Puja Samagri

Gather these items before you begin the vrat so the puja can proceed without interruption:

• An idol or image of Lord Ganesha
• Durva grass, ideally twenty-one blades
• Red flowers, such as hibiscus
• Sindoor (vermilion)
• Modak or laddu
• Akshat (unbroken rice)
• A ghee lamp
• Incense (dhoop)
• Water in a lota for the moon arghya
• Sesame with jaggery (til-gud)