Nine Nights, Nine Forms
October 11–20, 2026 — the festival of the nine forms of Maa Durga. Each form's story, puja, mantra and offerings, in its own dedicated article.
॥ Ya Devi Sarvabhuteshu Shakti-rupena Samsthita ॥
Navratri is the nine-night worship of Adi Shakti. During Shardiya Navratri, in the bright fortnight of Ashwin, the nine forms of the Devi — the Navdurga — are worshipped in sequence, beginning with Shailputri and culminating in Siddhidatri. The sequence follows the traditional enumeration of the Devi Kavacham, one form for each tithi from Pratipada to Navami.
Note that the 'nine days' count tithis (lunar days), not calendar dates. In 2026 the Saptami tithi lasts across two sunrises, so the festival spans ten civil days — and the Ashtami and Navami pujas fall on the same date (October 19). The verified calendar below follows the New Delhi / Drik Panchang convention; dates can shift slightly with your city and tradition.
The Navdurga — Nine Forms, Nine Articles
Maa ShailputriDaughter of the MountainPratipada · Sun, 11 Oct 2026
Maa BrahmachariniThe Great AsceticDwitiya · Mon, 12 Oct 2026
Maa ChandraghantaBearer of the Moon-BellTritiya · Tue, 13 Oct 2026
Maa KushmandaCreator of the CosmosChaturthi · Wed, 14 Oct 2026
Maa SkandamataMother of SkandaPanchami · Thu, 15 Oct 2026
Maa KatyayaniThe Warrior GoddessShashthi · Fri, 16 Oct 2026
Maa KalaratriThe Night of TimeSaptami · Sat, 17 Oct 2026
Maa MahagauriThe Radiant OneAshtami · Mon, 19 Oct 2026
Maa SiddhidatriGiver of SiddhisNavami · Mon–Tue, 19–20 Oct 2026
Shardiya Navratri 2026 Calendar
New Delhi · verified against the Drik Panchang convention
| Date | Tithi | Observance |
|---|---|---|
| Sun, 11 Oct | Pratipada | Ghatasthapana · Maa Shailputri Puja |
| Mon, 12 Oct | Dwitiya | Maa Brahmacharini Puja · Chandra Darshana |
| Tue, 13 Oct | Tritiya | Maa Chandraghanta Puja · Sindoor Tritiya |
| Wed, 14 Oct | Chaturthi | Maa Kushmanda Puja |
| Thu, 15 Oct | Panchami | Maa Skandamata Puja · Upang Lalita Vrat |
| Fri, 16 Oct | Shashthi | Maa Katyayani Puja · Saraswati Avahan |
| Sat, 17 Oct | Saptami | Maa Kalaratri Puja · Saraswati Puja |
| Sun, 18 Oct | Saptami (continues) | Saptami covers two sunrises — no separate form this day |
| Mon, 19 Oct | Ashtami → Navami | Durga Ashtami · Maa Mahagauri Puja · Sandhi Puja · Maha Navami (Maa Siddhidatri) |
| Tue, 20 Oct | Navami → Dashami | Navami Homa · Navratri Parana · Durga Visarjan · Vijayadashami |
Why ten days this year? A tithi follows the Moon, so it can run shorter or longer than one civil day. In 2026 Saptami touches two sunrises (October 17–18), while Ashtami ends at 10:51 AM on October 19 with Navami beginning that same moment — which is why Durga Ashtami, Sandhi Puja and Maha Navami share one date. Navami lasts until 12:50 PM on October 20, the day of Parana, Visarjan and Vijayadashami.
Regional conventions also differ: by the Bengal panjika rule Vijayadashami falls on October 21, and the garba nights of Gujarat follow their own tithi rhythm. Always confirm with a panchang set to your own city.
Ghatasthapana — How Navratri Begins
Navratri opens with Ghatasthapana (Kalash Sthapana) — a water-filled kalash, crowned with mango leaves and a coconut, into which the Devi is invoked. Barley (sapta dhanya) is sown in a bed of earth beneath it; the sprouts that rise over the nine days are read as the auspicious arrival of Shakti in the home. In 2026 the Ghatasthapana muhurta is Sunday, October 11, 6:19–10:12 AM (Abhijit muhurta 11:44 AM–12:31 PM, Delhi).
Once the kalash is established, the daily worship follows the same rhythm as any home puja — lamp, incense, flowers, bhog and aarti; the basics live in our Practices & Rituals section. For how a vrat is kept through a sacred stretch of the calendar, see our Shravan and Sawan Somvar vrat guide. And the fortnight just before Navratri is Pitru Paksha — the tradition's moving sequence from gratitude to the ancestors to the welcome of the Divine Mother.
Nine Nights · Nine Forms · One Adi Shakti
जय माता दी