Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi. Ganeshotsav lasts until Anant Chaturdashi, September 22, when the idols are immersed. Ganesh Chaturthi (ISO: Gaṇeśa Caturthī) (transl.  Festival of Ganesha on the Fourth Day), also known as Vinayaka Chavithi (Vināyaka Cavithī), or Vinayagar Chaturthi (Vināyagar Caturthī), is a Hindu festival celebrating the arrival of the Hindu deity Ganesha to the south of India to meet his brother Karthikeya. The festival is marked with the installation of Ganesha's murtis (devotional representations of a deity), privately in homes and publicly on elaborate pandals (temporary stages). Observances include chanting of Vedic hymns and Hindu texts, such as prayers and vrata (fasting). Offerings and prasada from the daily prayers, which are distributed from the pandal to the community, include sweets such as modak, as it is believed to be a favourite of Ganesha. The festival ends on the tenth day after its start, when the murti is carried in a public procession with music and group chanting, and then immersed in a nearby body of water such as a river or sea, called visarjana on the day of Ananta Chaturdashi. In Mumbai alone, around 150,000 murtis are immersed annually. It is a state festival of Indian state Maharashtra. The festival celebrates Ganesha as the god of new beginnings, the remover of obstacles, and the god of wisdom, fortune, prosperity and intelligence. It is observed throughout the Indian subcontinent by Hindus, especially in the states such as Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Goa, as well as Sri Lanka. Ganesh Chaturthi is also observed by the Hindu diaspora elsewhere such as in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, other parts of the Caribbean, Fiji, Mauritius, South Africa, the United States, and Europe. In the Gregorian calendar, Ganesh Chaturthi falls between 22 August and 20 September every year. Reading of texts, feasting, athletic and martial arts competitions are held at public venues. Although the exact origin of Ganesh Chaturthi is unknown, public celebrations were popularized by Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the 1600s, who used the celebration as a means to promote harmony and unity across castes. Celebrations were re-popularized by Bal Gangadhar Tilak in the 1880s as a means to rebel against the British, who had banned public assemblies in India. The celebration served as an opportunity to unify Indians across castes and protest against British rule in India. Wiki link Dates computed from the Sun and Moon as New Delhi's panchang reckons them; regional calendars can differ by a day. Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).