Festival · Durga
Navratri begins
The first of nine nights of worship of Durga in her nine forms. A kalash, a sacred pot, is set up to invite the Goddess.
- Navratri begins 2027
- Thursday 30 September 2027
- New Delhi
For New Delhi, Thursday 30 September 2027
Shukla Pratipada tithi
- Begins
- 8:06 am
- Ends
- 5:36 am, 1 Oct
- Sunrise
- 6:13 am
- Sunset
- 6:09 pm
- Moonrise
- 6:19 am
- Moonset
- 6:00 pm
Worked out for your city. Panchangs can differ by a minute or so.
Full panchang for this day →Puja times
For New Delhi, Thursday 30 September 2027
Ghatasthapana
8:06 am to 10:12 am
- Or in Abhijit Muhurat
- 11:47 am to 12:35 pm
- Pratipada begins
- 8:06 am
- Pratipada ends
- 5:36 am, 1 Oct
Worked out for your city. Panchangs can differ by a minute or so.
How it is kept
Customs vary by region and family
- Set up the kalash (ghatasthapana)
- Fast or eat simple food during the nine days
- Join garba or dandiya in the evenings
What it remembers
Sharad Navratri, the autumn Navratri, begins on the first day of the bright fortnight of Ashvina. For nine nights Durga is worshipped in her nine forms, one each night, from Shailaputri to Siddhidatri; a kalash is set up on the first morning (Ghatasthapana), many fast, and the nights are given to garba, dandiya, the Durga pandals of Bengal and the Ram Lila of the north. The tenth day is Dussehra.
Ghatasthapana and the nine days
On the first morning the kalash is set up, in the first third of the day while Pratipada holds, or in Abhijit Muhurat. Families keep the nine days in many ways; follow your own tradition where it differs.
- Clean the home and the place of worship. On the first morning, at the Ghatasthapana time, spread clean soil in a wide clay dish and sow barley (jau) seeds in it.
- Set a kalash of water on it, with a coin, betel nut and rice inside, mango leaves at its mouth, and a coconut wrapped in red cloth on top. Tie a sacred thread around its neck.
- Place an image of Durga beside it, and light an akhand jyoti, a lamp kept burning for all nine days, if your family keeps one.
- Worship the day’s form of the Goddess each morning and evening with flowers, kumkum, and the aarti; read the Durga Saptashati or Durga Chalisa.
- Fast as your family keeps it: fruit and milk, or one meal without grain, with sendha namak, kuttu and singhara flour.
- In the evenings, join garba and dandiya, or visit the pandals.
- On Ashtami or Navami, honour nine young girls as the Goddess (kanya puja) with halwa, puri and chana, and gifts; then close the fast.
What you need
- A clay dish, clean soil and barley seeds
- A kalash, mango leaves, a coconut, red cloth and a sacred thread
- An image of Durga and a lamp for the akhand jyoti
- Flowers, kumkum, rice and incense
- The Durga Saptashati or Durga Chalisa to read from
Across India
Gujarat
Nine nights of garba and dandiya raas around the garbo, a lamp in a pierced pot, the image of the womb of the Goddess.
Bengal, Assam and Odisha
Durga Puja from the sixth day: the great pandals, dhunuchi dance, Sandhi Puja at the turn of Ashtami, and sindoor khela before the immersion.
North India
Ram Lila on stages in every town, fasting through the nine days, and kanya puja on Ashtami or Navami.
Karnataka
Mysuru Dasara: the palace lit every night, and the procession of Chamundeshwari on the tenth day.
Tamil Nadu, Andhra and Kerala
Golu, the steps of dolls, in Tamil homes; Bathukamma flower festivals in Telangana; Saraswati Puja and Vidyarambham in Kerala on the last days.
Himachal and Nepal
Kullu Dussehra begins as the rest of India’s ends; in Nepal, Dashain, the greatest festival of the year, with jamara (barley shoots) and tika from elders.
When it falls
Shukla Pratipada of Ashvina. Kept on the day this tithi holds at sunrise.
These are the usual rules. A few days can differ by a day in your tradition, so check with your temple.
Navratri begins in the coming years
New Delhi, India time
- 2027Thursday 30 September 2027
- 2028Tuesday 19 September 2028
Questions
When is Navratri in 2027?
Thursday 30 September 2027, in New Delhi. In a few places it can fall a day apart, so the date above is worked out for your city.
When does Navratri fall?
Shukla Pratipada of Ashvina. Kept on the day this tithi holds at sunrise.
How is Navratri kept?
Families set up the kalash (ghatasthapana), fast or eat simple food during the nine days and join garba or dandiya in the evenings. Customs vary by region and family.
Who is honoured on Navratri?
Durga. The first of nine nights of worship of Durga in her nine forms. A kalash, a sacred pot, is set up to invite the Goddess.
When is Ghatasthapana done?
In the first third of the day while Pratipada holds, the most auspicious time. If that is not open, in Abhijit Muhurat around midday. Chitra nakshatra and Vaidhriti yoga are avoided where they fall. The page shows the times for your city.
Why do some years have eight or ten days of Navratri?
Navratri follows the tithis, not the days of the week. When a tithi is skipped (it begins after one sunrise and ends before the next) or repeated (it holds at two sunrises), the nine tithis fit into eight or ten days. In 2027, Pratipada begins after sunrise on the first day and Ashtami holds at two sunrises.
What are the nine colours of Navratri?
A recent custom, especially in Maharashtra, assigns a colour to each day by the weekday it falls on, so the list changes every year. It is a way of celebrating together, not a scriptural rule.