When Anant Chaturdashi falls

Dates are computed astronomically against Kashi sunrise.

The significance of Anant Chaturdashi

Anant Chaturdashi puja vidhi

1. 1Bathe, wear clean clothes, and take the sankalpa of the Ananta vrat.
2. 2Prepare a kalash and place upon it an image or symbol of Vishnu reclining on Shesha.
3. 3Prepare the anant sutra: a cotton or silk thread, coloured with turmeric, tied with fourteen knots.
4. 4Worship Ananta with flowers, incense, a lamp, akshat and a bhog of fourteen items where custom keeps it.
5. 5Read the Ananta vrat katha of Kaundinya and Sushila, and recite the Vishnu mantra.
6. 6Tie the anant sutra on the arm with the prayer for protection, and perform the aarti.
7. 7Where Ganeshotsav is kept, carry the Ganesha idol in procession and perform the visarjan.

Mantra

Vrat rules

• The vrat is kept in honour of Ananta (Vishnu); many take only satvik food, avoiding salt or grains as their family custom prescribes.
• The central act is the tying of the anant sutra — a thread of fourteen knots — on the arm, right for men and left for women in the common custom.
• The old year's thread is removed before the new one is tied.
• Those keeping the classical vrat observe it for fourteen years, one thread each year.
• The fast is broken after the puja, with the food first offered to Ananta.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Confusing the two observances of the day — the Anant vrat to Vishnu and the Ganesh visarjan are distinct, kept together only by the calendar.
• Discarding or losing the anant sutra carelessly; the fourteen-knotted thread is a sanctified vow, kept with respect.
• Immersing Ganesh idols of plaster or chemical paint in natural water, which harms it — clay idols are the responsible choice.
• Overlooking the Jain meaning — for Jains it is the height of Das Lakshana, a day of forbearance and forgiveness.

The vrat katha of Anant Chaturdashi

Anant Chaturdashi timeline

1. Morning — Anant puja

   Vishnu as Ananta is worshipped, and a thread (the anant sutra) with fourteen knots is placed before him and sanctified.

2. Tying the sutra

   The blessed thread is tied on the wrist — the right for men, the left for women — to be worn for protection.

3. Ganesh visarjan

   Across Maharashtra and beyond, the ten-day Ganesh festival ends today with the immersion of the idols amid song and colour.

4. Jain Kshama

   For Jains the day closes Das Lakshana; the next day is Kshamavani, the asking and granting of forgiveness.

Famous places & temples

Interesting facts

• ◆The fourteen knots of the anant sutra are said to stand for the fourteen lokas (worlds) that Vishnu, the endless one, pervades.
• ◆The Mahabharata tells that Krishna gave the Anant vrat to Yudhishthira to help the Pandavas regain their lost kingdom.
• ◆It is the tenth and final day of Ganeshotsav, when Ganpati Bappa is bid farewell with 'pudhchya varshi laukar ya' — come again soon.
• ◆For Jains the same day crowns the festival of the ten virtues, followed by the universal forgiveness of Kshamavani.

Common questions