Puja Vidhi

Lord Ganesha Anga Puja

In the Anga Puja, part of the full Ganesha Chaturthi worship, each part of Ganesha's body is worshipped in turn, from his feet to his head, with a name that suits it. Akshata, flowers or durva are offered at each limb. It is a way of contemplating the whole form of the god.

WhenAfter the sixteen offerings, before the leaf and flower pujas
OrderFrom the feet upward to the head, then the whole body
FormOm [name]aya namah, [limb] pujayami

The limbs and the names

A common order is: "Om Ganeshaya namah, padau pujayami", the feet; Vighnarajaya, the knees (januni); Akhuvahanaya, the thighs (uru); Herambaya, the waist (katim); Lambodaraya, the belly (udaram); Gaurisutaya, the chest (stanau); Ganadhipaya, the heart (hridayam); Sthulakarnaya, the throat (kantham); Skandagrajaya, the shoulders (skandhau); Pashahastaya, the hands (hastau); Gajavaktraya, the face (vaktram); Vighnahantre, the eyes (netre); Shurpakarnaya, the ears (karnau); Phalachandraya, the forehead (lalatam); Sarveshvaraya, the head (shirah); and finally Vighnarajaya, the whole body (sarvangani pujayami).

Each name matches its limb: the remover of obstacles at the knees that walk the path, the one who rides the mouse at the thighs, the big-bellied at the belly, the son of Gauri at the chest, the one with the noose at the hands, the one with ears like winnowing fans at the ears, and the one with the Moon on his brow at the forehead.

How it is done

With the right hand, offer a few grains of akshata, a flower or durva towards each limb of the image as its name is spoken. Lists differ slightly between books; families follow their own. Many priests then go on to the 21 leaves, the 21 flowers and the 21 durva offerings, and finally the 108 names.

तिथयः सम्बद्धपृष्ठानि च