Ganesh Chaturthi in Los Angeles falls on Monday, September 14, 2026, and if you're planning to welcome Ganpati Bappa at home this year, you'll want a few things ready: rice flour and jaggery for modak, ghee, fresh coconut, a little green cardamom, and — for the mandap itself — an idol and a bit of puja. We stock all of it at Anoras Cash N Carry, our Indian and international grocery at 567 S Fairfax Ave in the Fairfax District, and we deliver across a 10-mile radius of LA. Here's exactly what to buy and how to use it.

When is Ganesh Chaturthi in 2026?

Ganesh Chaturthi 2026 begins on Monday, September 14. It marks the birth of Lord Ganesha, the remover of obstacles, and it's one of the most joyful festivals of the late-summer calendar — especially for Maharashtrian and Gujarati families. Many households keep the idol for a day and a half, five days, or the full ten days, then carry it out for visarjan on Anant Chaturdashi (around September 23, per Drik Panchang's 2026 calendar). With the date about three weeks out, now's the time to sort your modak and puja shopping before the last-minute rush.

Takeaway: mark September 14, and plan your grocery run for the weekend before.

What do you need to make modak at home?

Modak is Ganesha's favorite sweet — the naivedya no Ganpati celebration is complete without. The classic Maharashtrian version, ukdiche modak, is a soft steamed dumpling with a delicate rice-flour shell and a warm filling of grated coconut and jaggery, scented with cardamom. The fried version, talniche modak, uses a wheat-flour shell and keeps longer. Traditionally you offer 21.

Here's the short shopping list, and what we carry for each:

• Rice flour for the shell — the fine chawal ka atta that steams into a smooth, pliable dough. You'll find rice flour and every other milled staple in our Flour & Atta collection.
• Jaggery (gud) for the filling — melt it down with the coconut until it's glossy. Laxmi Punjabi Gud (2 lb) is unrefined, dark and caramel-rich at $6.60, and does the job beautifully.
• Coconut — the heart of the filling. Deep Coconut Slices (200 g, $7.05) are naturally sweet and easy to grate or pulse fine.
• Green cardamom (elaichi) — a pinch of freshly crushed seeds lifts the whole thing. Our whole Green Cardamom (100 g, $14.30) is fragrant and worth grinding fresh.
• Ghee — for greasing the modak mould, for the fried version, and for the shine. Browse the Oil & Ghee collection for pure desi ghee in a size that suits you.

Takeaway: shell = rice flour; filling = coconut + jaggery + cardamom; ghee ties it together.

What sweets and prasad can you offer if you're short on time?

Not everyone has an afternoon to steam 21 modak, and that's completely fine — a heartfelt store-bought thali is a long tradition too. For an easy, festive prasad spread we'd reach for:

• Bikano Desi Ghee Soan Papdi (250 g, $4.95) — flaky, melt-in-the-mouth, and always a crowd-pleaser.
• Deep Kesar Mohanthal (340 g, $15.40) — a rich saffron-and-cardamom gram-flour fudge, ready to thaw and serve.
• More barfi, peda and boxed mithai in our Sweets & Chocolates collection.

For the naivedya plate itself, dried fruits and phool makhana are traditional, satvik offerings — Houschefs Phool Makhana (200 g, $9.45) roasts up light in ghee, and there's plenty more in our Dry Fruits & Nuts collection. If you'd rather make a quick sooji sheera (rava kesari) to offer warm, Laxmi Roasted Sooji (4 lb, $8.80) is pre-roasted and ready to go.

Takeaway: a good soan papdi, a mohanthal, some makhana and dry fruits make a complete prasad thali in minutes.

Where can you buy a Ganesha idol and puja items in Los Angeles?

You don't have to drive to Artesia for the murti. We carry eco-friendly and decorative Ganesha idols in a range of sizes in our Ganesh Ji Idol collection — pick one that fits your mandap and your table. For the rest of the setup — incense, diyas, dhoop, camphor, agarbatti and puja sundries — see our Pooja & Incense collection. Between the two, you can put together your whole aarti corner in a single order.

Takeaway: idol from the Ganesh Ji collection, everything around it from Pooja & Incense.

Where can you buy Ganesh Chaturthi essentials in Los Angeles?

At Anoras Cash N Carry, 567 S Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036 — right in the Fairfax District, minutes from Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Mid-Wilshire and Koreatown. We're open daily from 10 AM to 9 PM, so you can come in the weekend before the festival and get everything in one trip. Prefer to stay home while you cook and clean for guests? We deliver within a 10-mile radius from 10 AM to 8 PM, with a $35.97 minimum order and a $7.98 delivery fee — and delivery is free on orders over $99, which a festival shop clears easily. Call us at 323-272-3617 if you're hunting for something specific.

Takeaway: shop in store 10–9 daily, or get it delivered free over $99 within 10 miles.

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