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Shardiya Navratri

Sharad Navratri 2026 Date: Sunday, 11 October 2026

Sharad Navratri 2026 is on Sunday, 11 October 2026, Shukla paksha Pratipada of Ashwin.

Updated 4 Oct 2026 · dates for New Delhi

Quick facts

Date
Sunday, 11 October 2026
Hindu date
Shukla paksha Pratipada
Ashwin
Tithi begins / ends
9:20 PM, 10 Oct → 9:31 PM
Tithi at sunrise
6:19 AM
Sunrise · Sunset (New Delhi)
6:19 AM · 5:56 PM
Vikram Samvat
2083 (Gujarati: 2082)

Dates

YearDateHindu date
2026Sunday, 11 October 2026Shukla paksha PratipadaOpen in calendar
2027Thursday, 30 September 2027Shukla paksha PratipadaOpen in calendar

Dates are for New Delhi. Dates that have already passed are not listed. Later years are added once they have been checked.

About Sharad Navratri

Sharad Navratri is the nine-night festival of the goddess Durga in the bright fortnight of Ashwin, in autumn. Each of the nine days is dedicated to one form of the goddess, and the festival ends with Dussehra on the tenth day. It is the most widely observed of the year’s Navratris.

Many devotees fast, or eat only simple fasting foods, through the nine days. In Gujarat the evenings are given to garba and dandiya, and in Bengal the same days are celebrated as Durga Puja.

How the date is decided

Navratri begins on Ashwin Shukla Pratipada, the first tithi of the bright fortnight, taken at sunrise. Ghatasthapana is done in the morning of that day, preferably before the first third of daylight has passed. When Pratipada is short or runs on to a second sunrise, calendars pick the day that holds it for the longer part of the morning.

How it is observed

Puja vidhi: how to do the puja

  1. On Pratipada morning, clean the puja place and sow barley (jau) in a clay pot of soil.
  2. Install the kalash (Ghatasthapana): fill it with water, a coin and supari, set mango leaves in its mouth and place on top a coconut wrapped in red cloth. Do it in the morning muhurat or in Abhijit, and avoid Chitra nakshatra and Vaidhriti yoga where you can.
  3. Light an akhand jyoti if your family keeps one, and keep it burning for the nine days.
  4. Each day worship the form of Durga for that day with red flowers, kumkum and bhog, and read the Durga Saptashati or the Durga Chalisa.
  5. Many keep a fast, eating only fruit and vrat food (phalahar).
  6. On Ashtami or Navami, perform Kanya pujan: wash the feet of nine young girls, feed them puri, chana and halwa, and give them gifts.
  7. Sing the aarti every morning and evening.

Puja samagri checklist

Tick things off as you gather them; your list is kept on this device.

Katha: Durga and Mahishasura

The buffalo demon Mahishasura had a boon that no man or god could kill him, and he drove the gods out of heaven. The gods gathered their powers into a single blazing form: Durga, riding a lion and carrying the weapons of every god.

She fought Mahishasura and his armies for nine nights and killed him on the tenth day, Vijayadashami. The nine nights honour her nine forms: Shailaputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandamata, Katyayani, Kalaratri, Mahagauri and Siddhidatri.

Aarti: Jai Ambe Gauri

जय अम्बे गौरी, मैया जय श्यामा गौरी। तुमको निशदिन ध्यावत, हरि ब्रह्मा शिवरी॥ जय अम्बे गौरी॥ मांग सिंदूर विराजत, टीको मृगमद को। उज्ज्वल से दोउ नैना, चंद्रवदन नीको॥ जय अम्बे गौरी॥ कनक समान कलेवर, रक्ताम्बर राजै। रक्तपुष्प गल माला, कंठन पर साजै॥ जय अम्बे गौरी॥ केहरि वाहन राजत, खड्ग खप्पर धारी। सुर-नर-मुनिजन सेवत, तिनके दुखहारी॥ जय अम्बे गौरी॥ कानन कुण्डल शोभित, नासाग्रे मोती। कोटिक चंद्र दिवाकर, सम राजत ज्योति॥ जय अम्बे गौरी॥ शुंभ-निशुंभ बिदारे, महिषासुर घाती। धूम्र विलोचन नैना, निशदिन मदमाती॥ जय अम्बे गौरी॥ चण्ड-मुण्ड संहारे, शोणित बीज हरे। मधु-कैटभ दोउ मारे, सुर भयहीन करे॥ जय अम्बे गौरी॥ ब्रह्माणी, रूद्राणी, तुम कमला रानी। आगम निगम बखानी, तुम शिव पटरानी॥ जय अम्बे गौरी॥ चौंसठ योगिनी गावत, नृत्य करत भैरों। बाजत ताल मृदंगा, अरू बाजत डमरू॥ जय अम्बे गौरी॥ तुम ही जग की माता, तुम ही हो भरता। भक्तन की दुख हरता, सुख संपति करता॥ जय अम्बे गौरी॥ भुजा चार अति शोभित, वर मुद्रा धारी। मनवांछित फल पावत, सेवत नर नारी॥ जय अम्बे गौरी॥ कंचन थाल विराजत, अगर कपूर बाती। श्रीमालकेतु में राजत, कोटि रतन ज्योति॥ जय अम्बे गौरी॥ श्री अंबेजी की आरती, जो कोई नर गावै। कहत शिवानंद स्वामी, सुख-संपति पावै॥ जय अम्बे गौरी॥
Read it in Roman letters
Jay ambe gauri, maiya jay shyama gauri Tumko nishdin dhyavat, hari brahma shivri jay ambe gauri Mang sindur virajat, tiko mrigmad ko Ujjval se dou naina, chandravdan niko jay ambe gauri Kanak saman kalevar, raktambar rajai Raktapushpa gal mala, kanthan par sajai jay ambe gauri Kehri vahan rajat, khadga khappar dhari Sur-nar-munijan sevat, tinke dukhhari jay ambe gauri Kanan kundal shobhit, nasagre moti Kotik chandra divakar, sam rajat jyoti jay ambe gauri Shumbh-nishumbh bidare, mahishasur ghati Dhumra vilochan naina, nishdin madmati jay ambe gauri Chanda-munda sanhare, shonit bij hare Madhu-kaitabh dou mare, sur bhayhin kare jay ambe gauri Brahmani, rudrani, tum kamla rani Agam nigam bakhani, tum shiv patrani jay ambe gauri Chaunsath yogini gavat, nritya karat bhairon Bajat tal mridanga, aru bajat damru jay ambe gauri Tum hi jag ki mata, tum hi ho bharta Bhaktan ki dukh harta, sukh sampti karta jay ambe gauri Bhuja char ati shobhit, var mudra dhari Manvanchhit phal pavat, sevat nar nari jay ambe gauri Kanchan thal virajat, agar kapur bati Shrimalketu men rajat, koti ratan jyoti jay ambe gauri Shri ambeji ki arti, jo koi nar gavai Kahat shivanand swami, sukh-sampti pavai jay ambe gauri

The Durga aarti sung morning and evening through Navratri. Words vary slightly between families.

Sharad Navratri 2026 in other cities

CityDateCompared with New Delhi
New DelhiSunday, 11 October 2026same as New Delhi
LondonSunday, 11 October 2026same as New Delhi
New YorkSunday, 11 October 2026same as New Delhi
TorontoSunday, 11 October 2026same as New Delhi
SydneySunday, 11 October 2026same as New Delhi
DubaiSunday, 11 October 2026same as New Delhi
SingaporeSunday, 11 October 2026same as New Delhi
JohannesburgSunday, 11 October 2026same as New Delhi
Add to your calendar. Download (.ics) · Subscribe — works with Google Calendar, Apple Calendar and Outlook. Dates are for New Delhi.

Frequently asked questions

When is Sharad Navratri in 2026?

Sharad Navratri 2026 falls on Sunday, 11 October 2026 (New Delhi). The tithi runs from 9:20 PM, 10 Oct to 9:31 PM.

When is Sharad Navratri in 2027?

Sharad Navratri 2027 falls on Thursday, 30 September 2027 (New Delhi).

Why does the date of Sharad Navratri change every year?

Sharad Navratri follows the Hindu lunisolar calendar. It is tied to Shukla paksha Pratipada of the month of Ashwin, not to a fixed Gregorian date. A lunar year is about eleven days shorter than a solar year, so the date moves earlier by roughly that much each year, until a leap month (Adhik Maas) is added and it jumps back.

Is Sharad Navratri on the same day everywhere?

For the cities checked (New Delhi, London, New York, Toronto, Sydney, Dubai, Singapore, Johannesburg) the date is the same. Dates can still differ in other places, because tithis are read at local sunrise or sunset.

See it in the calendar. Open the Vikram Samvat calendar for October 2026 and change the city to get dates for your own sunrise.

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