Vinayaka Chathurthi
விநாயகர் சதுர்த்தி
4 Sep 2027
ஆவணி 19 4 SepAcross Tamil Nadu; Karpaga Vinayagar Temple, Pillayarpatti
Birthday of Lord Vinayaka (Ganesha): clay idols and kozhukattai at home, street pandals, and immersion processions to the sea.
Immersion processions follow over the next days.
Vinayaka Chathurthi (Vinayagar Chathurthi) celebrates the birth of Lord Vinayaka, the elephant-headed god of beginnings, on the fourth day of the waxing moon in Avani (August–September).
At home, families buy a small clay Vinayaka with an umbrella from the market, decorate it with arugampul (bermuda grass) and erukkam flower garlands, and offer kozhukattai (steamed rice dumplings with coconut and jaggery), sundal and fruit. The idol is later placed in a well, tank or the sea.
In towns, neighbourhood groups set up pandals with large idols, and over the following days these are taken in processions to designated immersion points. In Chennai, processions go to the beaches at Pattinapakkam, Palavakkam, Neelankarai and Kasimedu along routes fixed by the police.
The Karpaga Vinayagar Temple at Pillayarpatti, a rock-cut temple near Karaikudi, holds a ten-day festival ending on Chathurthi with a chariot procession and a giant kozhukattai offering. Vinayaka shrines in every street, often under a peepul tree, draw local worshippers through the day.
Good to know
- Markets are busy the evening before; clay idols and flowers are cheapest early in the morning.
- On immersion days, Chennai police divert traffic on the routes to the beaches; avoid driving along the coast roads in the afternoon and evening.
- Watch processions from the roadside rather than joining them; they can be loud and crowded.
- Dress modestly and remove footwear when visiting Pillayarpatti or other temples.
