Festival · 2026

Maha Navami 2026 — Monday, 19 October 2026

Maha Navami is the ninth and last day of Sharad Navratri, the day of Siddhidatri, of the closing havan and, in the south, of Ayudha Puja, the worship of tools and instruments.

In 2026

Monday, 19 October 2026

Tithi: Shukla Navami: 19 Oct, 10:52 AM – 20 Oct, 12:50 PM
Lunar month: Ashvin
Sunrise / sunset: 6:24 AM / 5:47 PM

Rule: Ashvin Shukla Navami prevailing at aparahna; if on both days, the first (Navami joined with Ashtami is preferred).

In 2027

Friday, 8 October 2027

Tithi: Shukla Navami: 8 Oct, 6:27 AM – 9 Oct, 9:02 AM
Lunar month: Ashvin
Sunrise / sunset: 6:17 AM / 5:59 PM

Rule: Ashvin Shukla Navami prevailing at aparahna; if on both days, the first (Navami joined with Ashtami is preferred).

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 Maha Navami?

Maha Navami brings the nine nights of the Goddess to a close. It is kept on Ashvin Shukla Navami, the day before Vijayadashami, and it gathers up the whole of Navratri: the fast, the recitations and the daily worship end in a final havan, and families prepare to break the fast they have kept.

The ninth form of the Goddess is Siddhidatri, she who grants siddhi, accomplishment and spiritual power. She is described as seated on a lotus or riding a lion, with four arms holding a discus, a conch, a mace and a lotus. A popular account says that Shiva himself received his powers by worshipping her, and that it was through her grace that half his body became the Goddess, as Ardhanarishvara. In the order of the Navadurga she comes last as the fulfilment of the whole path.

In much of south India the day is Ayudha Puja. Tools, instruments, machines, vehicles, weapons, musical instruments and account books are cleaned, set before the Goddess and worshipped, and in many homes and shops work stops for the day. The idea is that the means by which one earns and learns are themselves sacred. In Tamil Nadu and Kerala the day is also Saraswati Puja: books are placed before the Goddess of learning and left untouched until Vijayadashami, when they are taken up again.

In Bengal, Maha Navami is the last full day of Durga Puja, the day of the great homa and a lavish bhog. There is a bittersweet feeling to the evening: it is the last night of the Goddess’s stay, and the farewell of Dashami is only a day away.

How it is observed

Siddhidatri is worshipped, and the Durga Saptashati recitation of the nine days is completed.
A havan closes Navratri in many homes and temples, with offerings made into the fire as the recitation ends.
Families who keep Kanya Pujan on Navami invite young girls, honour them and serve them halwa, puri and chana.
The Navratri fast is broken with parana, after the havan or Kanya Pujan on Navami in some families, and on Dashami morning in others.
In the south, tools, vehicles, instruments and books are cleaned, decorated and worshipped for Ayudha Puja and Saraswati Puja.
In Mysuru, the royal Ayudha Puja is performed at the palace on this day, ahead of the Dasara procession.

How the date is fixed

Maha Navami is kept on Ashvin Shukla Navami, on the day the Navami prevails at aparahna, the fourth of five equal parts of the daylight. If the Navami covers aparahna on both days, we take the first, because a Navami joined with Ashtami is preferred for the worship of the Goddess over one joined with Dashami. This is the day the Navratri parana is linked to. The date and the aparahna window are shown above.

Where practice differs

In the north, Maha Navami is above all the day of the closing havan and, for many families, of Kanya Pujan and the breaking of the fast. In Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana it is Ayudha Puja, and in Tamil Nadu and Kerala also Saraswati Puja, with the Golu dolls still on display. In Bengal and the east it is the last full day of Durga Puja. When the tithis fall unevenly, Ashtami and Navami can be kept on the same civil day, and some almanacs then list both together. Maha Navami belongs to the waxing fortnight, and so both amanta and purnimanta calendars name its month Ashvin.

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

When should the Navratri fast be broken?

Families differ. Many break it on Navami after the havan or Kanya Pujan; others wait until Dashami morning. Follow your family’s custom, keeping in mind the times shown above.

What is Ayudha Puja?

The worship of tools, instruments, machines, vehicles and books on Navami, mainly in south India. They are cleaned, decorated and placed before the Goddess, and usually rested for the day.

Which form of Durga is worshipped on Navami?

Siddhidatri, the ninth of the Navadurga, the giver of accomplishment, seated on a lotus or riding a lion.

Why are Ashtami and Navami sometimes on the same day?

Tithis do not match calendar days exactly. When Ashtami ends early in the day, Navami can prevail at aparahna on the same day, so both are observed together.