Festival · 2026
Chaitra Navratri 2026 — Thursday, 19 March 2026
Chaitra Navratri is nine nights of worship of Durga that begin the Hindu lunar new year and end with Ram Navami.
In 2026
Thursday, 19 March 2026until 26 March 2026
- Tithi
- Shukla Pratipada (Shukla): 19 Mar, 6:53 AM – 20 Mar, 4:52 AM
- Lunar month
- Chaitra
- Sunrise / sunset
- 6:26 AM / 6:31 PM
| Ghatasthapana muhurat | 6:53 AM – 10:28 AM |
|---|---|
| Abhijit muhurat | 12:04 PM – 12:53 PM |
- Ram Navami: 26 March 2026
Rule: Begins on the Shukla Pratipada that touches the first third of the day (the ghatasthapana window); ends with Ram Navami.
In 2027
Wednesday, 7 April 2027until 15 April 2027
- Tithi
- Shukla Pratipada (Shukla): 7 Apr, 5:21 AM – 8 Apr, 4:29 AM
- Lunar month
- Chaitra
- Sunrise / sunset
- 6:04 AM / 6:42 PM
| Ghatasthapana muhurat | 6:04 AM – 10:17 AM |
|---|---|
| Abhijit muhurat | 11:58 AM – 12:48 PM |
- Ram Navami: 15 April 2027
Rule: Begins on the Shukla Pratipada that touches the first third of the day (the ghatasthapana window); ends with Ram Navami.
Times follow New Delhi’s sunrise and sunset. In other cities the muhurat shifts by some minutes, and occasionally the day by one. Full festival calendar
What is Chaitra Navratri?
Chaitra Navratri is the nine-night festival of the goddess Durga that opens the Hindu lunar new year. It begins on Chaitra Shukla Pratipada, the first day of the bright half of Chaitra, and ends with Ram Navami on the ninth. The same first day is celebrated as Ugadi in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, as Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra, and as the start of the new Vikram Samvat year in north India.
Each of the nine days is dedicated to one form of Durga, known together as the Navadurga, from Shailaputri on the first day to Siddhidatri on the ninth. Tradition holds that the nine forms stand for different strengths, from steadiness and austerity to wisdom and fulfilment. Because it falls in spring, it is also called Vasanta Navratri, the counterpart of the better-known Sharad Navratri in autumn.
For many households this is a season of discipline and renewal: fasting, prayer, simple food and reading of the Durga Saptashati. The festival begins with ghatasthapana, the installation of a sacred pot, and many families sow barley that sprouts over the nine days. On the eighth or ninth day, many homes hold kanya pujan, honouring young girls as forms of the goddess, and the festival closes with Ram Navami.
How it is observed
- Ghatasthapana on the first morning: installing a kalash with water, mango leaves and a coconut within the muhurat window.
- Sowing barley in a clay tray beside the kalash and watching it sprout over the nine days.
- Fasting for all nine days or on the first and last, with fruit, milk and foods such as kuttu, singhara and sabudana.
- Reciting the Durga Saptashati (Devi Mahatmya) and worshipping one form of Durga each day.
- Keeping a lamp (akhand jyoti) burning through the nine days in some homes.
- Kanya pujan on Ashtami or Navami, feeding and honouring young girls.
- Marking the new year with a gudi raised outside homes in Maharashtra and neem-jaggery pachadi at Ugadi.
How the date is fixed
Chaitra Navratri begins on Chaitra Shukla Pratipada, the first lunar day of the bright half of Chaitra. The first morning is set aside for ghatasthapana, which tradition prefers in the first third of the day after sunrise. Our calendar takes the day on which Pratipada touches that first third of the day. The festival then runs for nine days and ends with Ram Navami; because tithis can shrink or stretch, the count of calendar days occasionally differs from nine.
Where practice differs
In north India Chaitra Navratri is a major fast, and its first day is the Hindu new year (Nav Samvatsar). In Maharashtra the same day is Gudi Padwa, and in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana it is Ugadi, both new year festivals of the amanta calendar, in which Chaitra begins at the preceding new Moon. In Kashmir it is Navreh. The bright half of Chaitra has the same name in both the purnimanta and amanta reckonings, so there is no confusion over the month here.
Dates and times are computed by our own engine (sunrise, tithi and kalas for New Delhi, Lahiri ayanamsa). In another city, or in an almanac of another tradition, the day can differ by one — follow your family’s tradition.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between Chaitra Navratri and Sharad Navratri?
Both are nine nights devoted to Durga. Chaitra Navratri falls in spring and ends with Ram Navami, while Sharad Navratri falls in autumn, in Ashwin, and is followed by Dussehra.
When is ghatasthapana done in Chaitra Navratri?
Ghatasthapana is done on the first morning, and tradition prefers the first third of the day after sunrise. The date for this year is shown above.
Are Chaitra Navratri, Ugadi and Gudi Padwa on the same day?
Yes, all three begin on Chaitra Shukla Pratipada. Ugadi and Gudi Padwa celebrate the new year, while Navratri begins nine days of worship of Durga.