Angarki Sankashti Chaturthi
Also called: Angarika Chaturthi, Angaraki Sankashti
Angarki Chaturthi is considered the most sacred of all Sankashti observances. It is not an additional month, but a special weekday designation that occurs when Sankashti Chaturthi falls on Tuesday (Mangalwar). According to the Ganesha Purana, observing a single Angarki Chaturthi yields the spiritual merit of an entire year of monthly Sankashti fasts.
Key facts
- Paksha
- Krishna Paksha
- Lunar month
- Occurs whenever Krishna Chaturthi falls on a Tuesday
- Observed on
- Tuesday (Mangalwar) coinciding with Krishna Chaturthi
- Deities
- Lord Ganesha, Angaraka (Mars), Chandra Dev
The story
According to the Ganesha Purana, Angaraka (the son of Sage Bharadwaja and Mother Earth, identified with the planet Mars) travelled to the banks of the Narmada River and performed rigorous penance for a thousand years, fasting and reciting sacred Ganesha mantras. On a Tuesday that coincided with Krishna Chaturthi in Magha month, Lord Ganesha appeared before him. Pleased by his unyielding devotion, Ganesha granted him three boons: he was elevated to the status of a celestial planetary ruler (Graha), named 'Mangala' (the auspicious one), and promised that any devotee who fasts on a Tuesday Chaturthi would have their sincere obstacles removed and their prayers fulfilled.
Practices
- Taking a sacred bath before sunrise and wearing clean red or saffron clothes
- Offering red hibiscus flowers, red sandalwood paste, and 21 blades of durva grass
- Offering modaks, jaggery, and sesame sweets
- Chanting the Angaraka Ganesha Stotra and Ganapati Atharvashirsha
- Breaking the fast only after moonrise Arghya with family
Regional variations
- Enormous pilgrimages take place at major Ganesha temples such as Shree Siddhivinayak in Mumbai, Ganpatipule in Konkan, and the Ashtavinayak temples of Maharashtra
Common questions
- How often does Angarki Chaturthi occur?
- Because it requires a Tuesday to coincide with Krishna Chaturthi, it occurs approximately one to three times per year.
- Why is Angarki Chaturthi considered so powerful?
- Puranic scriptures state that Lord Ganesha personally blessed this specific weekday conjunction after Angaraka's penance, making its spiritual rewards equivalent to twelve monthly fasts.
Types of Sankashti Chaturthi
- Lambodara Sankashti ChaturthiKrishna Chaturthi of Pausha/Magha
- Dwijapriya Sankashti ChaturthiMagha (Amanta); Phalguna (Purnimanta)
- Bhalachandra Sankashti ChaturthiPhalguna (Amanta); Chaitra (Purnimanta)
- Vikata Sankashti ChaturthiChaitra (Amanta); Vaishakha (Purnimanta)
- Ekadanta Sankashti ChaturthiVaishakha (Amanta); Jyeshtha (Purnimanta)
- Vibhuvana Sankashti ChaturthiAdhik Maas (only in years with an extra lunar month)
- Krishnapingala Sankashti ChaturthiJyeshtha (Amanta); Ashadha (Purnimanta)
- Gajanana Sankashti ChaturthiAshadha (Amanta); Shravana (Purnimanta)
- Heramba Sankashti ChaturthiShravana (Amanta); Bhadrapada (Purnimanta)
- Vighnaraja Sankashti ChaturthiBhadrapada (Amanta); Ashwin (Purnimanta)
- Vakratunda Sankashti ChaturthiAshwin (Amanta); Kartik (Purnimanta)
- Ganadhipa Sankashti ChaturthiKartik (Amanta); Margashirsha (Purnimanta)
- Akhuratha Sankashti ChaturthiMargashirsha (Amanta); Pausha (Purnimanta)
- Angarki Sankashti ChaturthiTuesday (Mangalwar) coinciding with Krishna Chaturthi