🙏 Maa Durga (Nav Durga)

Sharad Navratri / Ghatasthapana

🗓️ Ashwin Shukla Pratipada (Sep–Oct)

The story behind Sharad Navratri / Ghatasthapana

Sharad Navratri begins on Ashwin Shukla Pratipada with Ghatasthapana — the installation of a consecrated kalash over a bed of sown barley, kept and watered through nine nights. Each night is given to one of the Nav Durga, from Shailaputri to Siddhidatri, and the nine culminate in Maa Durga's victory over Mahishasura. The barley sprouts, called jayanti, are read as a sign of the coming harvest and of what the observer's own effort will yield. Fasting, recitation of the Durga Saptashati and evening aarti mark the days across India.

Sharad Navratri / Ghatasthapana Puja Vidhi

  1. 1

    Ghatasthapana

    Sow barley in a clay tray, place the water-filled kalash over it in the north-east of the puja space, and install it within the prescribed pratipada muhurta.

  2. 2

    Akhand Deep & Sankalpa

    Light the akhand deep to be kept burning through all nine nights, and take the sankalpa for a nirjala, phalahari or single-meal fast according to capacity.

  3. 3

    Nava Durga Puja & Saptashati Path

    Worship the assigned form of the Devi each day with her prescribed flower and naivedya, and recite the Durga Saptashati or the Navarna mantra.

  4. 4

    Kanya Pujan

    On Ashtami or Navami, invite nine young girls as the living forms of the Nav Durga, wash their feet, and offer halwa, puri, chana and dakshina.

  5. 5

    Jayanti & Parana

    Offer the sprouted jayanti barley to the Devi, distribute it among the family, and break the fast after the Navami puja is complete.

Sharad Navratri / Ghatasthapana Mantra

ॐ ऐं ह्रीं क्लीं चामुण्डायै विच्चे॥

Meaning

The Navarna mantra of the Devi — invoking her as Mahasaraswati, Mahalakshmi and Mahakali in one, addressed as Chamunda.

How to chant

Chant 108 times before the akhand deep each of the nine evenings.

When is Sharad Navratri / Ghatasthapana?

YearDate
2025Monday, 22 September 2025
2026Sunday, 11 October 2026
2027Thursday, 30 September 2027
2028Tuesday, 19 September 2028
2029Monday, 8 October 2029

Dates are computed with the Drik (observational) method from real solar and lunar positions, using sunrise-to-sunrise Tithi assignment for New Delhi.

Does Sharad Navratri / Ghatasthapana fall on the same date everywhere?

Sharad Navratri / Ghatasthapana's date is decided by the astrological marker that is checked at sunrise. Sunrise happens at a different moment in each city, so Sharad Navratri / Ghatasthapana can fall on different calendar dates in different countries, even though everyone is observing the same astronomical event.

CityDate
New DelhiSun, 11 October
New YorkSun, October 11
LondonSun 11 October
TorontoSun, October 11
SydneySun 11 October
DubaiSun, 11 October
SingaporeSun, 11 October

These dates follow the panchang convention computed for each city's own coordinates — they are not a universal verdict. Some temples and communities shift observance to a weekend regardless of the computed date, and published panchang authorities recommend using your own city's panchang rather than a single worldwide date. Confirm with your local temple or community before treating a date as final.

Festivals around Sharad Navratri / Ghatasthapana

All Hindu festivals →See the full Vedic calendar →Today's Panchang & muhurtas →

Sharad Navratri / Ghatasthapana FAQs

Sharad Navratri / Ghatasthapana falls on 11 October 2026, based on Kaala's Drik Panchang calculation for the corresponding Tithi.

Sharad Navratri / Ghatasthapana is dated according to the lunar Tithi, not the fixed Gregorian calendar, so its Gregorian date shifts from year to year while its position in the lunar calendar stays consistent.

The astronomical event Sharad Navratri / Ghatasthapana marks happens at the same instant everywhere in the world, but which calendar day that instant falls on locally depends on each city's own timing — so cities in different countries can observe Sharad Navratri / Ghatasthapana a day apart.