Bengaluru led Ganesh Chaturthi orders on Instamart, while demand for eco-friendly clay idols surged across newer markets including Delhi, Kolkata and Noida
India’s Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations saw a notable shift towards eco-friendly idols and traditional sweets, with Instamart recording a 176 per cent year-on-year rise in demand for eco-friendly clay Ganpatis and a 145 per cent increase in orders for mawa-flavoured modaks.
According to Instamart, eco-friendly clay Ganpatis emerged as the fastest-growing category during the festival. Ready-to-place clay idols accounted for 90 per cent of demand, followed by paint-your-own eco-friendly idols.
Demand for eco-friendly Ganpatis also recorded sharp growth in markets beyond the traditional heartlands of the festival. Orders increased 1,718 per cent in Delhi, 1,305 per cent in Kolkata, 1,136 per cent in Noida and 1,132 per cent in Bhubaneswar.
Mawa Modaks Lead Festive Demand
Mawa emerged as the most-ordered modak flavour during Ganesh Chaturthi, with demand rising 145 per cent year-on-year. It was followed by classic, kesar, kaju, assorted and amba (mango) modaks.
Preferences varied considerably across cities. Mawa was the leading choice in Bengaluru, Mumbai and Hyderabad, while consumers in Delhi and Gurgaon preferred kesar. Classic modaks were the most popular in Pune, Chennai, Kolkata and Nagpur.
Central Goa stood apart from these markets, with kaju emerging as the preferred modak flavour.
Flowers Lead The Puja Rush
The data also offered a minute-by-minute picture of the festive shopping rush on September 14, the day of Ganesh Chaturthi.
Flowers recorded their highest demand at 7:42 am, when orders peaked at 868 a minute. Eco-friendly clay idols reached their peak at 8:48 am, as families brought Bappa home.
Puja essentials, including camphor, cotton wicks and agarbatti, recorded their highest order rate at 9:45 am. By 10:39 am, demand shifted towards festive offerings, with modak orders reaching their peak. Mawa led the modak orders, followed by kesar and classic varieties.
Bengaluru Leads Festive Orders
Bengaluru recorded the highest number of festive orders on Instamart, followed by Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai. Delhi, Pune, Kolkata, Gurgaon and Kochi were among the other cities recording significant festive activity.
The data was based on an analysis of Instamart orders placed between September 12 and 14, 2026, compared with orders between August 25 and 27, 2025. Instamart said all metrics are indexed or relative, and absolute order volumes have not been disclosed except for the flowers’ peak order rate.
Instamart, launched in August 2020, operates across more than 131 cities and uses Swiggy’s technology and dedicated delivery network to deliver groceries, daily essentials and other products.
