The tradition spread across Maharashtra and eventually to the rest of India. In Bengal, it arrived in the 20th century and has been gaining momentum since the 1990s. Today, Kolkata's Ganesh pandals — concentrated in areas like Bagbazar, Shyambazar, and parts of Howrah — have developed their own aesthetic identity, different from the Maharashtra style. Bengali pandal makers bring the same creativity to Ganesh idols that they bring to Durga Puja — experimental themes, elaborate backdrops, conceptual installations.

In the Bengali religious tradition, Ganesha has an older, quieter role. He is the son of Durga — always positioned to her right during the Durga Puja idol. His presence in every major puja as the first deity invoked is non-negotiable. The Chaturthi festival is the one day the spotlight turns to him alone.

One important ritual note: there is a well-known taboo against looking at the moon on the night of Ganesh Chaturthi. The story behind it involves Ganesha riding his mouse vehicle, tripping, and the moon laughing at him — for which Ganesha cursed the moon, saying anyone who sees it on this night will face false accusations. Whether or not one takes the curse literally, most traditional families in Bengal avoid looking at the night sky on Chaturthi evening.

For those performing the puja at home, the Pratishtha (installation) of the idol is done in the morning, with a formal welcome (Shodashopachara puja — sixteen-step worship) followed by offerings of Modak, Durva grass, and red hibiscus. The Ganapati Atharvashirsha — a Vedic text specifically dedicated to Ganesha — is recited. Families who install the idol for multiple days perform daily puja and keep the idol in a clean, decorated space until Visarjan.