Most Ganpatis in Mumbai are not in pandals. They are in homes, installed for a day and a half, five days, seven days or ten, depending on family custom, and that custom does not change. The idol is brought home in a procession from the shop, installed with a puja, offered modak and aarti twice a day, and then taken for immersion by the family.
Gauri — two goddesses understood as Ganesha’s mother or sisters, depending on the tradition — arrive on the third day in many households and are a festival within the festival, with their own decoration and their own food.
The names
Mandals, places and people, with what each one is| Name | Where | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| The one-and-a-half day custom | across Maharashtra | The shortest; the idol leaves on the second day. Common in households with limited space. |
| Five, seven and ten day customs | across Maharashtra | Family traditions, fixed and not varied. |
| Gauri Avahan and Gauri Pujan | third and fourth days | Two goddesses installed alongside; their own decoration, their own menu, and largely a women’s festival. |
| Makhar | the home | The decorated frame the idol sits in; made new or reused each year. |
| Aarti twice a day | the home | Morning and evening, with Sukhkarta Dukhharta, the aarti written by Samarth Ramdas in the seventeenth century. |
| Modak | the home | Twenty-one offered on the first day in many households. |
| Lalbaug and Dadar idol shops | Lalbaug, Dadar | Where households buy; the queues start weeks ahead. |
| Artificial ponds2010s | across the city | Where most household idols are now immersed. |
| The Ganpati procession home | city-wide | Bringing the idol from the shop, usually on foot, with drums. |
Worth knowing
- The duration is family custom and does not change from year to year.
- Gauri, on the third day, is a festival within the festival and is largely run by the women of the house.
- Twenty-one modak on the first day is the common offering.
- Households now mostly use the BMC artificial ponds rather than the sea.
- Being invited to a household aarti is an ordinary courtesy; accept the prasad.
More on Ganeshotsav
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A note on this page. Festival dates move with the lunar calendar and arrangements change every year. Everything here is a snapshot of Mumbai as of 2026, offered as a starting point rather than a live listing. Check timings, routes and darshan rules before you travel.
Mandal, temple, shop and company names belong to their respective owners. Inclusion is for independent discovery only, not endorsement, ranking or affiliation.
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