Anant Chaturdashi & Ganesh Visarjan

A Vishnu vrat centred on a fourteen-knotted thread, sharing the day with the farewell immersion of Ganesha.

Two movements meet on this day: Vishnu's endless continuity and Ganesha's deliberate release. Together they teach commitment without possession.

• Anyone who wishes to honour Vishnu as Ananta; Ganesha may observe it; there is no requirement of initiation or priesthood for the home version.
• Families often keep the fast together, while children, elders, pregnant or unwell people take a lighter form — fruit, milk, or simply the puja without fasting.
• In many families the observance passes down through the women of the house or through a family tradition tied to Vishnu as Ananta; Ganesha; follow your family's custom where it differs from the general description here.

1. 1Bathe, wear clean clothes and clear a small space for the deity.
2. 2Light a lamp and an incense stick, and offer water, flowers and a simple sweet from the samagri list below.
3. 3Say Vishnu as Ananta; Ganesha's name or the mantra on this page eleven times, with your intention for the day.
4. 4Read the short katha on this page aloud, offer the bhog, and share the prasad.
5. 5Keep the day's food rule as far as your health allows, and end it gently the next morning.

A day-long vrat is common, with fruit or water according to capacity, broken after puja. Health needs take priority.

• ×Fixing the puja by the clock instead of the tithi. Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturdashi can begin or end part-way through the day in your city, so check your Panchang the evening before.
• ×Gathering samagri on the morning itself. Items such as image of Vishnu reclining on Ananta Shesha and ananta sutra with fourteen knots are often unavailable at the last minute.
• ×Breaking the fast heavily or at the wrong moment. Parana is meant to be gentle — water, fruit or prasad first — and is kept within the window your tradition follows.
• ×Taking one region's practice as the only correct one. Ananta vrat is strongest in Vaishnava and household traditions; public Ganesh Visarjan is especially prominent in Maharashtra.
• ×Rushing the steps without knowing why each one is done, which makes the observance hard to repeat next year.

Ananta vrat is strongest in Vaishnava and household traditions; public Ganesh Visarjan is especially prominent in Maharashtra. Local Panchang timings and immersion rules vary.

Regional scope

Pan-Indian practice, with regional notes given above

Last reviewed

September 2026

Reviewed by

DharmaPath editorial team, from traditional texts and household practice

Explanations here are written in our own words from traditional sources; timings, muhurta and local custom should be confirmed with your Panchang or family priest.