Ask four families how long they keep Ganpati and you will get four answers, each delivered with certainty. They are all right. Length was always a household decision, tied to how much a family could host rather than to scripture.
Where the lengths came from
Ten days is the public form, the one Lokmanya Tilak amplified in the 1890s to turn private worship into something a neighbourhood could gather around. Five and one-and-a-half days are the older domestic patterns — shaped by who could feed guests, and for how long.
Visarjan is what closes the observance, not the count of days. Whichever day you dissolve the idol, the sequence is the same.
What changes, what doesn't
Across all three lengths:
- Sthapana, aavahan and pran pratishtha happen once, on day one.
- Aarti happens twice a day for as long as you keep the idol.
- Naivedya changes with what the house is cooking — it does not need to be modak every day.
- Visarjan is identical whether it falls on day two or day ten.
Choosing your length
Pick the one you can finish well. A day and a half done with attention reads better than ten days that turn into a chore by day four. You can lengthen next year.