Panchang 16 August 2026: Vinayaka Chaturthi by 4:52 PM
Today is Vinayaka Chaturthi, the monthly bright-fortnight day kept for Sri Ganeshji. The tithi ends at 4:52 PM, so this is a daytime puja and the morning is the part to use. The clock is unusually kind about that.
Today's Panchang
Shukla Chaturthi runs until 4:52 PM, then Panchami. The Moon holds Hasta all day and only leaves at 3:51 AM tomorrow. Yoga is Sadhya. Karana is Vishti, better known as Bhadra. Sunrise is 5:50 AM in Delhi and sunset 7:01 PM. The Moon is 13 percent lit and waxing.
The Morning Is Completely Clear
Nothing blocks the day from sunrise at 5:50 AM until Yamaganda opens at 12:25 PM. That is more than six unbroken hours, and it covers the whole puja window.
The back half is the crowded one. Yamaganda runs 12:25 PM to 2:04 PM, Gulika 3:43 PM to 5:22 PM, and Rahu Kaal 5:22 PM to 7:01 PM, straight up to sunset. Keep the puja in the morning and none of it touches you. Live timings are on the panchang for 16 August 2026.
Hasta, the Star of the Hand
Hasta means hand, and its symbol is an open palm. It is ruled by Chandra (Moon), and its deity is Savitar, the Sun as the one who sets things in motion. Today is Sunday, so Savitar's star runs on Surya's own day.
Hasta is the star of skill, craft, and finishing something with your own two hands. Vinayaka Chaturthi is the day for beginning work properly. The two fit together more neatly than usual. If there is a piece of work you keep circling, today is the day to do the first physical part of it rather than plan it again.
About Bhadra
The karana at sunrise is Vishti, which is the one called Bhadra. Tradition keeps new ventures, travel, and marriage clear of it.
A vrat kept on its own named tithi is a different case and is not moved for Bhadra. So keep the puja as usual. Hold the trip, the launch, or the agreement for another day. Yesterday, 15 August, was the better date for that anyway.
Keeping the Vrat
The form is short. Bathe in the morning and clean the altar. Place Sri Ganeshji on red, yellow, or green cloth. Offer durva grass, modak, red flowers, fruit, and water. Light a lamp. Chant Om Gan Ganapataye Namah one hundred and eight times, read a short katha, and close with aarti.
Some families avoid sighting the Moon on Chaturthi. If yours does, keep to that after dusk. The full method is on the Vinayaka Chaturthi guide.
The Day Sits Inside Sawan
Sri Ganeshji is Shivji's son, and this Chaturthi falls inside Shivji's month. Households keeping Sawan often do both today, the Ganesh puja in the morning with the usual water offering beside it. The third Somvar follows tomorrow, 17 August. Remaining dates for both calendars are on the Sawan 2026 guide.
Hasta rewards work done by hand, and a mala counted by hand is the oldest form of that. Every Naksham rudraksha is an Original Nepal bead, hand selected, and each bead is lab certified on its own, with a free lab X-ray certificate at every price. The rudraksha calculator matches the mukhi to your chart if you would rather not guess.
