Anant Chaturdashi 2025: Rituals, Muhurat, and Ganesh Visarjan on a Day of Renewal

A day of devotion and farewell: Vishnu’s infinite vow meets Ganpati’s visarjan

Two powerful observances converge today. As dawn breaks on Saturday, September 6, 2025, millions mark Anant Chaturdashi, dedicated to Lord Vishnu in his infinite Ananta form, while also bidding farewell to Lord Ganesha with Ganesh Visarjan, the final day of the ten-day Ganeshotsav. The Chaturdashi Tithi began at 3:12 AM and runs until 1:41 AM on September 7. The recommended puja window stretches from 6:02 AM today through 1:41 AM tomorrow, giving homes and temples a long, flexible time band for worship and immersion.

“Anant” means endless. In iconography, Vishnu rests on the cosmic serpent Sheshnag (Ananta), the universe sustained by divine order. The day carries a calm message: hold on to what is eternal, let go of what is not. That is why it pairs so naturally with visarjan—after ten days of joy, devotees dissolve the clay idol, not their faith.

Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and parts of North India see the largest crowds today. In the south, the focus leans toward Ananta Padmanabha worship; in Maharashtra, the visarjan processions dominate the streets and seafronts; in Odisha, many observe the Ananta Basudha ritual. Across these differences the theme is the same—seek stability at home, ask for peace, and start afresh.

The day’s schedule is friendly to working families. Morning to early afternoon is ideal for the Vishnu puja, but those with school runs, offices, or late-night visarjan plans still have the full day to observe the vow at home. Many temples keep extended darshan, while housing societies time visarjan slots to avoid late-night rush.

How families are observing: rituals, meanings, and the visarjan pulse

The home ritual is simple and personal. A small altar is cleaned, a kalash is placed or a picture/idol of Ananta Padmanabha is set, and the family gathers. Offerings include flowers (especially yellow or white), tulsi leaves for Vishnu, akshata (unbroken rice), incense, lamp, and a small bowl of panchamrit (milk, yogurt, ghee, honey, sugar). If Ganpati is still at home, devotees offer durva grass and modak before the visarjan yatra later in the day.

The Anant Vrat is the heart of the observance. Many keep a simple fast—fruit, milk, and satvik food—until puja, then eat a light meal, often without onion and garlic. Those with health conditions adapt as needed; intention matters more than strictness. Families often cook seasonal sweets and a simple prasad such as lapsi, sheera, or payasam, shared with neighbors or support staff as an act of gratitude.

The Anant Sutra (sacred thread) is the distinctive sign of the vow. Traditionally, it is dyed with turmeric and kumkum and knotted 14 times, symbolizing vows that endure—variously explained as the 14 lokas (realms), 14 years of observance in some households, or 14 strands of discipline that steady the mind. In many regions, men wear it on the right wrist and women on the left; local customs vary, and families follow their elders on this point. The thread is kept with respect through the year as a reminder that protection is a daily practice, not a one-day event.

The story many grew up with goes like this: A Brahmin named Sumant had a daughter, Sushila, who married Sage Kaundinya. After setbacks and hardship, Sushila learned the vow from women by a river and began the puja with faith. Their fortunes turned. When Kaundinya later doubted the ritual and discarded the thread, he faced more trials, only to realize that discipline and devotion, sustained over time, rebuild what doubt tears down. The tale is simple, but its point lands—don’t drop your guard after the first good result; keep at it.

Today’s muhurat is generous. If you prefer precision, many households aim to finish the main worship by early afternoon. If your schedule is tight, a focused ceremony in the evening still counts. The broad window—6:02 AM today to 1:41 AM tomorrow—allows urban families to combine Vishnu puja at home with society or community visarjan later at night.

Here’s a compact at-home flow many families use:

• Prepare the space: clean the altar, place the kalash or Vishnu/Ananta Padmanabha image, light a lamp.
• Sankalp (intent): state your name and intention—peace at home, steady income, clarity for children, health for elders.
• Offerings: tulsi, flowers, akshata, incense, lamp, and panchamrit; chant simple Vishnu mantras or the names of Narayana.
• Tie the Anant Sutra: 14 knots, applied with haldi and kumkum; family members tie for each other with a short prayer.
• Vrat: keep a light fast or satvik meal; share prasad and, if possible, donate food or grains.
• Keep the thread respectfully for the year; store it near the altar or in a clean place.

Ganesh Visarjan adds the public heartbeat. Processions head to rivers, lakes, and seafronts through the afternoon and late into the night. In big cities, civic bodies have set up artificial ponds to protect natural water bodies, deployed lifeguards at immersion points, and marked traffic diversions around popular routes. Volunteers help seniors and children near crowded ghats, and many societies now stagger visarjan slots to cut wait times.

Environmental steps are front and center again. Many groups encourage clay idols and natural colors. Households are switching to smaller idols and home immersions in buckets or society tanks, then filtering and reusing water for plants. After visarjan, families collect flowers and biodegradable decor for composting, avoiding plastic glitter and thermocol that choke lakes.

The economy around the festival hums from dawn: flower sellers with marigold and jasmine gajras, sweet shops stocking modaks and laddoos, roadside vendors rolling out turmeric-and-kumkum threads, and small brassware stores offering kalash, bells, and lamps. For artisans who make idols and for women’s self-help groups who twist and dye the sutras, this week is crucial income. Many families now buy directly from local makers, a small but steady change driven by awareness and convenience.

Regions add their own flavor. In Maharashtra and Goa, dhol-tasha and slogans ring out until the idol reaches the water. In Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, the Ananta Padmanabha Vrata is an old home ritual, sometimes performed with a drawing of Sheshnag near the altar. In Odisha, households observe Ananta Basudha with a sacred thread tied to a stone symbolizing stability. In North India, some tie the thread to the neck of a kalash or keep it near the Tulsi plant. However it is done, the aim is the same: anchor the home in something steady.

Families with kids often turn the day into a lesson. Children help count the 14 knots, set flowers, and read the vow story in simple language. Teens handle music and video for elders who cannot leave home, especially during visarjan. Many temples and community groups livestream a short puja, making it easy for relatives abroad to join in.

Safety and courtesy matter when faith hits the streets. Organizers are asking groups to avoid very loud speakers near hospitals and old-age homes, keep traffic corridors open for ambulances, and carry water, glucose biscuits, and a basic first-aid kit. If you’re part of a procession, stick with your group, avoid climbing onto trucks or rails, and follow life-guard instructions at the water.

For those who cannot step out, a home visarjan in a tub or bucket is a respectful alternative—immerse the clay idol, let it dissolve, and use the water for plants. Keep a moment of silence before and after. The point is not the noise; it is the release.

Here are a few do’s and don’ts families are following today:

• Do keep the puja space simple and clean; intent beats decoration.
• Do tie the Anant Sutra with care; keep it intact through the year.
• Do choose eco-friendly flowers and natural colors; avoid plastic decor.
• Do donate food or essentials; a small act grounds the vow.
• Don’t overload vehicles during visarjan; safety comes first.
• Don’t leave flowers, plastic, or cloth in rivers or lakes; use collection bins.
• Don’t push through crowds; follow volunteers and marked routes.

If you track timing, here are today’s key windows at a glance: the Chaturdashi Tithi started at 3:12 AM on September 6 and ends at 1:41 AM on September 7. The recommended puja span runs from 6:02 AM today to 1:41 AM tomorrow. Most households wrap main rituals by early afternoon, then step out for visarjan late evening or night.

Under the ritual detail there’s a basic idea. The thread is a promise you make to yourself and your home: be steady in small things, keep faith when things wobble, and renew what matters. The visarjan teaches the other half: let go with love when a moment has passed. Between the two sits a normal, busy day—work calls, school events, traffic—yet many still find an hour for a vow and a farewell. That balance, more than anything, is what keeps the festival alive each year.