Sankashti Chaturthi Dates 2026 and 2027: All Dates and Moonrise

About Sankashti Chaturthi

Sankashti Chaturthi, also called Sankatahara Chaturthi, falls on Krishna Chaturthi, the fourth tithi of the waning fortnight. It is kept for Ganesha, the remover of obstacles, and the name itself speaks of release from difficulty. Devotees keep it as a monthly day to set their worries before Ganesha and begin again with a lighter heart.

Unlike most fasts, this one is tied to the moon. The fast runs from sunrise until the moon rises that night, and it is broken after seeing the moon and offering it water, called arghya. So the day is chosen by moonrise: Sankashti is kept on the day Krishna Chaturthi is present when the moon comes up. Moonrise differs from city to city, sometimes by many minutes, so the time shown is worked out for your chosen place.

When Sankashti falls on a Tuesday it is called Angaraki Sankashti Chaturthi, and it is held especially dear, above all in Maharashtra. Each month's Sankashti is also linked with its own form of Ganesha, such as Heramba, Vakratunda, Ekadanta or Bhalachandra, and the puja and katha of that form are used that month. Sakat Chauth in Magha is kept by many mothers for the well-being of their children, with til and gud offered to Ganesha.

Through the day people take fruit, milk, sabudana or simply water. In the evening Ganesha is offered durva grass, red flowers, modak or laddoos and a lamp, and the Sankashti katha is read. When the moon rises, water mixed with milk, rice and flowers is offered to it, and the fast is then broken with a simple meal.

Each row in the list below shows the date, the moment Chaturthi begins and ends, and the moonrise time for your city.