Anant Chaturdashi 2026 - Anant Vrat Vidhi & Ganesh Visarjan

Anant Chaturdashi is dedicated to Lord Vishnu in his form as Anant - the infinite, eternal one without beginning or end. On this day devotees keep the Anant vrat and tie a sacred thread called the Anant sutra, knotted fourteen times, on the arm for divine protection and unending prosperity. The same day marks Ganesh Visarjan, the final immersion of Ganpati idols that closes the ten-day Ganesh Utsav with grand processions of 'Ganpati Bappa Morya'.

Anant Chaturdashi falls on Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturdashi - the fourteenth day of the bright fortnight of the month of Bhadrapada. In the Gregorian calendar this lands in the late monsoon, around September. It is the tenth and final day of Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations, which begin on Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi. Since the tithi and the auspicious puja and visarjan muhurat change each year with the moon, please confirm the exact date and timings for your city on the Vandnaa Panchang.

The Anant vrat is kept to seek the endless grace of Lord Vishnu - protection from misfortune, recovery of lost wealth and status, and continuity and prosperity for the family across generations. The fourteen knots of the Anant sutra are said to represent the fourteen lokas (worlds) and the endless nature of the divine. Devotees who keep the vrat with faith for fourteen years, or as a lifelong observance, are believed to be blessed with stability, abundance and freedom from sorrow.

Keep the vrat with a fast and worship Lord Vishnu in the morning: 1. Bathe early, wear clean clothes and take the sankalp to keep the Anant vrat. 2. Prepare a kalash and place an image of Vishnu, often resting on the serpent Shesha (Anant). 3. Prepare the Anant sutra - a cotton or silk thread coloured with turmeric and tied with fourteen knots. 4. Worship the thread with roli, kumkum, flowers, durva and incense, offering fourteen of each item. 5. Chant Om Anantaya Namah and listen to the Anant vrat katha. 6. Tie the blessed thread on the right arm for men and the left arm for women, then perform the aarti. Many offer fourteen pooris or sweets and gift food to a brahmin or the needy.

The katha tells of a poor but devout woman named Sushila, wife of the sage Kaundinya, who kept the Anant vrat and tied the sacred thread, after which the family rose to great wealth. In pride, Kaundinya later disrespected and discarded the Anant sutra, and soon their fortune was lost. Realising his mistake, he searched long for Lord Anant, who finally appeared and taught him that prosperity comes only with humility and faith. When Kaundinya kept the vrat sincerely again, all that was lost was restored. The story teaches devotion, gratitude and respect for the divine.

Anant Chaturdashi is the day of Ganesh Visarjan, when the Ganpati idols installed on Ganesh Chaturthi are carried in joyful processions and immersed in water. Before visarjan, families perform the uttar puja to thank Lord Ganesha, offer modak and aarti, and seek his return the next year with chants of 'Ganpati Bappa Morya, pudhchya varshi laukar ya'. The immersion symbolises Ganesha returning to Mount Kailash and reminds devotees of the cycle of creation and renewal. Please choose eco-friendly clay idols and designated immersion sites to honour the tradition responsibly.

Devotees believe the Anant vrat grants the boundless grace of Lord Vishnu - protection from troubles, restoration of lost wealth and respect, lasting prosperity and harmony in the home. Tying the Anant sutra is seen as a shield of divine protection through the year. Above all, the vrat and the katha teach that true abundance is built on humility, gratitude and unwavering faith rather than pride.