Navratri Countdown
Navratri 2026: 11–19 October, the nine nights
Sharad Navratri 2026 starts on Sunday, 11 October with Ghatasthapana and runs nine nights to Monday, 19 October. Dussehra is on Tuesday, 20 October. If you only fast on one day, it's usually Ashtami. This year that's Monday the 19th, not Sunday the 18th, and Maha Navami falls on the same Monday.
Checked by the festcountdown team against Drik Ganit panchang, last verified 17 September 2026.
Navratri 2026 day by day
- 11 OctDay 1, ShailputriPratipada. Ghatasthapana. The kalash goes in and the barley is sown. The Delhi muhurat is 6:19–10:12 AM.
- 12 OctDay 2, BrahmachariniDwitiya. Brahmacharini, the goddess of penance and resolve.
- 13 OctDay 3, ChandraghantaTritiya. Chandraghanta, the warrior form, named for the bell-shaped moon on her forehead.
- 14 OctDay 4, KushmandaChaturthi. Kushmanda, who is said to have created the universe with a smile.
- 15 OctDay 5, SkandamataPanchami. Skandamata, the mother of Kartikeya.
- 16 OctDay 6, KatyayaniShashthi. Katyayani, the form born to destroy Mahishasura.
- 17 OctDay 7, KalaratriSaptami. Kalaratri, the fierce night form and the most intense of the nine.
- 18 OctDay 8, KalaratriSaptami, again. The tithi covers two sunrises this year, so the Kalaratri day repeats. Ashtami starts at 8:27 AM, but its fast is on Monday.
- 19 OctDay 9, MahagauriAshtami. Mahagauri. Durga Ashtami and kanya pujan. Sandhi Puja is 10:27–11:15 AM, then Navami begins. North Indian calendars keep Maha Navami today too.
- 20 OctDay 10, SiddhidatriNavami. Siddhidatri. The tithi ends at 12:50 PM. Navami homa and the Navratri parana (fast-breaking) are today, and so is Dussehra.
Muhurat & Choghadiya calculator
Sunday, 11 October 2026 · Ghatasthapana · pick your city to update the times
Ghatasthapana happens in the first third of the day, so sunrise is the number to watch. In New Delhi the muhurat is 6:19–10:12 AM. If your family doesn't have a fixed muhurat, pick a good Choghadiya slot from the table below.
Day Choghadiya
Night Choghadiya
Sunrise, sunset, Pradosh Kaal and Choghadiya are worked out for the city you pick. Lagna windows such as Vrishabha Kaal are New Delhi times.
Navratri 2026 kab hai? When does Navratri start?
नवरात्रि 2026 कब है? इस साल शारदीय नवरात्रि रविवार, 11 अक्टूबर से शुरू होकर सोमवार, 19 अक्टूबर तक चलेगी। विजयदशमी 20 अक्टूबर को है।
Sharad Navratri 2026 opens on Sunday, 11 October with Ghatasthapana on Ashwin Shukla Pratipada. The New Delhi muhurat is 6:19–10:12 AM. The ninth night is Monday, 19 October.
The nine nights follow lunar tithis, not calendar days. Some years a tithi is skipped or doubled, and Navratri runs eight or ten days. 2026 is a doubled year: Saptami is running at sunrise on both 17 and 18 October. That pushes the last tithis a day later. Ashtami and Navami share Monday the 19th, and Navami is still running on Dussehra morning, until 12:50 PM.
Ashtami, Navami and Sandhi Puja
Dedicated countdowns and guides: Durga Ashtami 2026 · Maha Navami 2026.
If you only keep part of Navratri, these are the days to keep. Durga Ashtami is Monday, 19 October 2026. Ashtami starts at 8:27 AM on Sunday and ends at 10:51 AM on Monday. Some calendars print Sunday the 18th. The fast belongs to the day Ashtami is running at sunrise, so plan around Monday.
It's the most widely fasted day, and the day of kanya pujan. Families invite nine young girls, wash their feet and serve them halwa, puri and black chana, honouring them as the nine forms of the goddess. Make the halwa the night before. You'll thank yourself at 8 AM.
Maha Navami is the same Monday in North Indian calendars. Sandhi Puja runs 10:27–11:15 AM. That's the 48 minutes where Ashtami ends and Navami begins, 24 minutes on each side. It isn't a round number and it can't be moved. It marks the moment Durga is said to have taken the Chamunda form.
In Bengal these days are the heart of Durga Puja. Maha Ashtami and Sandhi Puja are on Monday there too, but Bengali calendars keep Maha Navami on Tuesday the 20th. Bijoya Dashami, with the immersions, is Wednesday the 21st. Everywhere else, Dussehra is Tuesday, 20 October.
Why this one is called Sharad Navratri
The Hindu year has four Navratris, and they're different festivals, not repeats. Sharad Navratri, in the month of Ashwin, is the autumn one and by far the biggest. When nobody says which Navratri, they mean this one. Chaitra Navratri comes in March or April and ends with Rama Navami instead of Dussehra.
The other two, in Magha and Ashadha, are Gupta Navratri, "hidden". Tantric practitioners keep them, and most households don't. So if your calendar shows a Navratri in January or July and you weren't expecting one, that's what it is.
Navratri 2026 FAQ
Is Durga Ashtami 2026 on 18 or 19 October?
Monday, 19 October. Ashtami starts at 8:27 AM on Sunday the 18th, after sunrise, and ends at 10:51 AM on Monday. The fast goes on the day Ashtami is running at sunrise, so plan around the 19th. Some calendars still print the 18th.
What is Ghatasthapana?
It's the ritual that opens Navratri. A kalash (a pot of water) is set on a bed of soil sown with barley, and a lamp is lit that's meant to burn for all nine nights. It's done in the first third of the day. In New Delhi on 11 October 2026 the muhurat is 6:19–10:12 AM. If you miss it, the Abhijit Muhurat, 11:44 AM–12:31 PM, is the usual backup.
What is Sandhi Puja?
Sandhi Puja is the 48 minutes where Ashtami meets Navami: the last 24 minutes of the eighth tithi and the first 24 of the ninth. In 2026 it runs 10:27–11:15 AM IST on Monday, 19 October. In Bengal it's the most important moment of Durga Puja, when Durga is said to have become Chamunda to kill Chanda and Munda.