Festival · 2026

Durga Ashtami (Kanya Pujan) 2026 — Monday, 19 October 2026

Durga Ashtami, or Maha Ashtami, is the eighth day of Sharad Navratri, the day of Mahagauri and, in a great many homes, of Kanya Pujan, when young girls are honoured as the Goddess herself.

In 2026

Monday, 19 October 2026

Tithi: Shukla Ashtami: 18 Oct, 8:28 AM – 19 Oct, 10:52 AM
Lunar month: Ashvin
Sunrise / sunset: 6:24 AM / 5:47 PM

Rule: Ashvin Shukla Ashtami at sunrise; a kshaya Ashtami is kept on the day it begins.

In 2027

Thursday, 7 October 2027

Tithi: Shukla Ashtami: 7 Oct, 4:13 AM – 8 Oct, 6:27 AM
Lunar month: Ashvin
Sunrise / sunset: 6:17 AM / 6:00 PM

Rule: Ashvin Shukla Ashtami at sunrise; a kshaya Ashtami is kept on the day it begins.

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 Durga Ashtami (Kanya Pujan)?

Of all the days of Navratri, Ashtami carries the most weight in many families. It is called Maha Ashtami, the great eighth, and for households that do not fast all nine days it is often the one day on which they fast and worship with the greatest care. In many families the kuladevi, the family goddess, is worshipped on this day in particular.

The form of the Goddess for the eighth day is Mahagauri, the radiant, fair one. She is described as dressed in white, riding a bull, holding a trident and a damaru, with one hand raised in blessing and one granting fearlessness. A well-known account says that Parvati’s long tapas for Shiva left her body darkened by sun and dust, and that when Shiva bathed her in the waters of the Ganga she shone with a brilliant fairness. Mahagauri is therefore remembered as the fruit of long and patient effort, gentle and peaceful rather than fierce.

Kanya Pujan, also called kanjak or kanjika puja, is the most beloved rite of the day. Young girls, commonly nine of them and usually below the age of ten, are invited home and received as forms of the Goddess. Their feet are washed, they are seated with honour, a tilak is applied, a thread is tied on the wrist, and they are served halwa, puri and black chana before being given small gifts. Often a boy is included as Langur or Bhairav, the Goddess’s guardian. Whether this is done on Ashtami or on Navami depends on family custom.

The day closes, in the calendar of the Goddess, with the Sandhi Puja: the junction of Ashtami and Navami, the last 24 minutes of the one and the first 24 of the other, which is honoured as the most powerful moment of the whole festival. In Bengal it is performed with 108 lamps and 108 lotuses, and in many temples elsewhere with a special aarti.

How it is observed

Many who have not fasted all nine days fast on Ashtami, and the fast is often kept until the Kanya Pujan or the main puja is over.
Mahagauri is worshipped with white flowers, and coconut or sweets made of milk are commonly offered.
For Kanya Pujan, girls are welcomed, their feet washed, a tilak and thread given, and they are served halwa, puri and chana, then sent home with gifts.
The Durga Saptashati is recited, and in many homes and temples a havan is performed on Ashtami.
In Bengal, crowds offer pushpanjali in the morning, and in some places, such as the Ramakrishna Mission, a young girl is worshipped in the Kumari Puja.
The Sandhi Puja is done at the junction of Ashtami and Navami, whenever it falls in the day or night.

How the date is fixed

Durga Ashtami is kept on Ashvin Shukla Ashtami, on the day the Ashtami holds at sunrise. If the Ashtami is kshaya, beginning after one sunrise and ending before the next so that it touches no sunrise at all, it is kept on the day it begins. The Sandhi Puja time is taken from the moment Ashtami ends: 24 minutes before it and 24 minutes after. The date, the Ashtami’s times and the Sandhi window are shown above. Chaitra Navratri has its own Durga Ashtami, on Chaitra Shukla Ashtami, found by the same rule.

Where practice differs

In Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and much of the north, Kanya Pujan on Ashtami is a central family event, and many households call it simply Ashtami. Other families, in the same regions and elsewhere, do it on Navami instead, and neither is more correct. In Bengal the day is Maha Ashtami of Durga Puja, with pushpanjali, Kumari Puja and the Sandhi Puja. In the south the eighth day of Navratri is kept as part of Golu, and in Kerala books and tools are set aside for worship from the evening of Durgashtami in the puja veppu. Since this is the bright half, the month is Ashvin in both amanta and purnimanta calendars.

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

How many girls are invited for Kanya Pujan?

Nine is the most common number, for the nine forms of Durga, but families invite as many as they can, from one upward. What matters is the respect with which they are received.

What age should the girls be for Kanya Pujan?

Custom usually invites girls between about two and ten years old. Families follow their own practice, and girls from the neighbourhood are welcomed regardless of background.

Is Kanya Pujan on Ashtami or Navami?

Both are traditional. Some families always do it on Ashtami, others on Navami; follow your own family’s custom.

Which form of Durga is worshipped on Ashtami?

Mahagauri, the eighth of the Navadurga, radiant and peaceful, dressed in white and riding a bull.