Sharad Navratri 2027शरद नवरात्रि

When is Sharad Navratri?

Observed on Shukla Pratipada to Navami, Ashwin month. Dates follow the Panchang for New Delhi and can differ by a day in other places — check the Panchang for your city.

What Sharad Navratri means

Sharad Navratri — 'the nine nights of autumn' — begins on the first day of the bright half of Ashvin and is the most widely celebrated of the year's Navratris. For nine nights the Divine Mother is worshipped in her nine forms, the Navadurga, and on the tenth day, Vijayadashami, her victory is celebrated.

The Devi Mahatmya (Durga Saptashati) tells how the gods, defeated by the buffalo-demon Mahishasura, poured their combined radiance into one blazing form — Durga — and armed her with their weapons. Navratri relives that victory, and is also read inwardly: the first three nights are often dedicated to Durga, who destroys our impurities, the next three to Lakshmi, who gives inner wealth, and the last three to Saraswati, who gives knowledge.

India keeps the festival in many ways. Homes set up the kalash (ghatasthapana) and sow barley (jau); devotees fast and read the Saptashati; Gujarat dances garba and dandiya through the night; Bengal worships Durga in grand pandals from Shashthi to Dashami; Tamil Nadu arranges Golu dolls; and North India stages the Ramlila, which ends with Ravana's effigy burning on Dussehra.

The story of Sharad Navratri

Mahishasura, son of the asura Rambha and a buffalo, won the heavens and drove out Indra and the devas. Later tradition says he had won a boon that no man or god could kill him. The gods went to Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, and from their anger — and from the anger of every god — a great light streamed out and became the Devi. Shiva gave her a trident, Vishnu a discus, Varuna a conch, Agni a spear, Vayu a bow, Indra a thunderbolt, and Himavan a lion to ride.

The Devi Mahatmya describes her battle with Mahishasura's generals and his armies, and then with the demon himself, who kept changing form — buffalo, lion, man with a sword, elephant — until, as he was emerging from his buffalo form, she pinned him with her foot, pierced him with her trident and cut off his head. The gods sang her praises in the hymn that includes 'Ya Devi sarvabhuteshu'.

Tradition holds that the battle lasted nine days and nights and that the Devi won on the tenth, Vijayadashami. Another story links Navratri to Rama, who is said to have worshipped the Devi before his battle with Ravana — the 'akal bodhan', untimely awakening, of Bengal's autumn Durga Puja.

Sharad Navratri puja vidhi, step by step

A simple Navratri observance for home with ghatasthapana. Families differ greatly — some keep a full fast, some fast on the first and last days, some read the Saptashati daily — follow your own tradition.

What you need

• A clay or copper kalash with water, mango leaves, a coconut wrapped in red cloth, and red thread (mauli)
• A wide clay pot with clean soil and barley (jau) seeds to sow beside the kalash
• An image of Durga, red cloth, a red chunari, sindoor, kumkum, akshat, red flowers and a garland
• An akhand jyoti (a ghee lamp kept burning through the nine days) if your family keeps it
• The Durga Saptashati or Durga Chalisa for daily reading
• Fasting foods: fruit, milk, makhana, sabudana, kuttu and singhara flour, sendha namak

When to do the puja

In 2027 Sharad Navratri begins on Thursday, 30 September. Pratipada starts that morning after Amavasya ends, so ghatasthapana is done on 30 September once Pratipada has begun, in the morning or at Abhijit muhurat. Vijayadashami is on 9 October. Because the Ashtami and Navami tithis fall unevenly this year, calendars may differ on the days of Durga Ashtami and Maha Navami — check your local Panchang. See the Panchang for your city.

Steps

1. Ghatasthapana (day 1). Sow barley in the clay pot, set the kalash with water, mango leaves and the coconut on it, tie mauli, and invoke the Devi. Light the akhand jyoti if you keep one.
2. Daily puja. Each day, worship that day's form of the Navadurga — Shailaputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandamata, Katyayani, Kalaratri, Mahagauri, Siddhidatri — with flowers, a diya and naivedya, and water the barley.
3. Daily reading. Read the Durga Saptashati, either in full or a portion each day (with the Kavach, Argala and Keelak), or the Durga Chalisa and 'Ya Devi sarvabhuteshu'.
4. Fast. Keep the fast your family follows — fruit and milk, one sattvic meal, or fasting on the first and eighth days — without grains, onion or garlic.
5. Kanya puja (Ashtami or Navami). Invite nine young girls (and often one boy as Bhairav or Langur), wash their feet, apply tilak, feed them puri, chana and halwa, and give them gifts — honouring them as the Devi.
6. Conclusion. Do a havan on Navami if it is your custom, then on Dashami offer the barley shoots, immerse the kalash water and the shoots, and break the fast.

Offerings & food: Day-by-day colours and bhogs. Puri, chana, halwa on Ashtami/Navami. Kheer, singhade ki kadhi, sabudana khichdi during fast

Mantras for Sharad Navratri

Sharad Navratri across India

Durga Puja in Bengal (massive, Sashti-Dashami), Garba-Dandiya in Gujarat, Golu doll display in Tamil Nadu, Mysore Dasara in Karnataka (royal procession), Ramlila in North India

West Bengal, Assam, Odisha and Tripura

Durga Puja: Durga with Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha and Kartikeya is worshipped in pandals from Shashthi to Dashami, with Sandhi Puja at the junction of Ashtami and Navami, and sindoor khela and immersion on Dashami.

Gujarat

Nine nights of garba and dandiya raas around a garbo, the lamp-lit pot that stands for the womb of the Devi; Ambaji and Pavagadh draw pilgrims.

Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra

Golu (Bombe Habba): steps of dolls are arranged at home and women visit one another; Saraswati Puja and Ayudha Puja fall on Navami; in Telangana women celebrate Bathukamma with flower stacks.

Karnataka (Mysuru)

Mysuru Dasara: the palace is lit every evening, and on Vijayadashami the golden howdah of Chamundeshwari is carried on an elephant in the Jamboo Savari.

North India

Ramlila is staged every night, kanya puja is done on Ashtami or Navami, and pilgrims climb to Vaishno Devi and other Devi shrines; the festival ends with Ravan Dahan on Dussehra.

Kerala

Books and tools are placed for worship on Durgashtami (Pooja Vaypu) and taken back on Vijayadashami, when young children are initiated into writing (Vidyarambham).

Prayers to recite

Do’s and don’ts

Temples to visit for Sharad Navratri

Vaishno Devi MandirKatra, Jammu and KashmirKamakhya TempleGuwahati, AssamChamunda Devi MysoreMysuru, KarnatakaKalighat TempleKolkata, West Bengal

Frequently asked questions