When are Navratri 2026 and Durga Puja? Find the complete dates, nine forms of Goddess Durga, rituals, significance and Dussehra details

New Delhi: Sharad Navratri 2026 begins on Sunday, October 11, and continues through Monday, October 19. Also known as Shardiya or Maha Navratri, the nine-night festival honours Goddess Durga and her different forms. The celebrations then lead into Vijayadashami, or Dussehra, on Tuesday, October 20. Across India, families mark the season through prayer, fasting, music, dance and community celebrations.

When is Sharad Navratri 2026?

Sharad Navratri runs from October 11 to October 19, 2026. The festival follows the Hindu lunar calendar, beginning with Ashwin Shukla Pratipada and continuing through Navami.

Vijayadashami or Dussehra follows on Tuesday, October 20. These dates come from lunar tithi calculations, so the observed date or ritual timing can vary slightly from one city to another because of local sunrise and tithi boundaries.

The festival season also overlaps with Durga Puja in eastern India, although the two traditions follow their own ritual calendars. A local panchang remains the best source for exact timings in your city.

What Ghatasthapana means, and when to do it this year

Ghatasthapana, also called Kalash Sthapana, formally begins Navratri. During the ritual, devotees establish a sacred kalash, usually filled with water and topped with mango leaves and a coconut. Many families also sow barley or other grains in soil beside the kalash and watch them grow during the nine days.

Ghatasthapana falls on Sunday, October 11, 2026. Traditionally, devotees perform it during the morning Pratipada tithi while avoiding Rahu Kaal. Several 2026 panchangs note that the early morning period in many locations overlaps with Chitra Nakshatra and Vaidhriti Yog, which some traditions avoid for this ritual.

For this reason, the Madhyahna, or midday, period becomes an important option in several places. In New Delhi, for example, the indicative Madhyahna window is around 10:58 AM to 1:18 PM IST. This is only a city-specific example, not a universal muhurat. Devotees should check their local panchang or temple before performing the ritual.

The Pratipada tithi begins on the evening of October 10 and continues through much of October 11.

The nine nights, day by day: forms and colours

Navratri honours the Navadurga, the nine forms of Goddess Durga. Many families associate each day with a particular colour and wear it during prayers or celebrations. Colour traditions can differ between regions and panchangs.

• October 11, Sunday: Ghatasthapana and Maa Shailaputri — grey or orange
• October 12, Monday: Maa Brahmacharini — white
• October 13, Tuesday: Maa Chandraghanta — red
• October 14, Wednesday: Maa Kushmanda — royal blue
• October 15, Thursday: Maa Skandamata — yellow
• October 16, Friday: Maa Katyayani — green
• October 17, Saturday: Maa Kalaratri — grey
• October 18, Sunday: Maa Mahagauri — purple; Durga Ashtami observances begin in many calendars
• October 19, Monday: Maa Siddhidatri — peacock green; Maha Navami

Some regional panchangs place Durga Ashtami on October 19 instead of October 18. This happens because the Ashtami tithi can begin or end at different local times. Such differences are a normal part of lunar-calendar calculations.

Vijayadashami: how the nine nights conclude

Vijayadashami, or Dussehra, falls on October 20, 2026. It marks the culmination of the Navratri period and celebrates the victory of dharma over adharma.

In many parts of India, people connect Dussehra with Lord Rama’s victory over Ravana. Communities stage Ramlila performances and burn Ravana, Kumbhakarna and Meghnad effigies as part of public celebrations.

The day also carries different regional traditions. Families may perform prayers, honour tools or vehicles, visit relatives and share festive food. In this way, the reflective nine nights move into a day of public celebration and renewal.

Durga Puja: the eastern India celebration that overlaps Navratri

In West Bengal, Assam, Odisha, Bihar and other parts of eastern India, the same festive season takes the form of Durga Puja. The celebration centres on Goddess Durga’s victory over Mahishasura, the buffalo demon described in the Devi Mahatmya.

The season begins with Mahalaya, which marks the beginning of Devi Paksha and includes traditions connected with remembering ancestors. In 2026, Mahalaya falls around October 10, just before Sharad Navratri begins.

The major Durga Puja days follow approximately as:

• Maha Shashthi: around October 16–17, including Bodhon, the invocation of the goddess
• Maha Saptami: around October 17–18, featuring Navapatrika and Kolabou rituals
• Maha Ashtami: around October 18–19, including Sandhi Puja and Kumari Puja
• Maha Navami: around October 19–20
• Vijaya Dashami/Bijoya: around October 20–21, including idol immersion or visarjan and, in some communities, Sindoor Khela

These dates are approximate because Durga Puja observances can vary by region, local panchang and immersion schedules set by local authorities.

The story behind the festival

Navratri means “nine nights” and celebrates the many forms of Shakti, or divine feminine power. The festival’s central story comes from the Devi Mahatmya, where Goddess Durga battles Mahishasura after the gods call upon her to defeat the powerful demon.

The nine forms of Durga represent different expressions of divine energy, from courage and discipline to protection and wisdom. Her victory over Mahishasura represents the triumph of dharma over adharma.

The season also carries the story of Rama’s victory over Ravana, which gives Dussehra its significance in many parts of India. These traditions meet around the same festive period while retaining their own rituals and regional expressions.

Why the dates can shift slightly by city

Hindu festivals follow tithis, or lunar days, rather than a fixed solar calendar. A tithi does not always begin at midnight, and its timing depends on astronomical calculations. Local sunrise also affects how people assign a tithi to a particular civil date.

That is why a festival observance can sometimes fall on a different date in another city. The difference usually does not mean that one calendar is wrong. It reflects the local calculation of the lunar day. For rituals such as Ghatasthapana, Ashtami and Navami prayers, devotees should therefore check a reliable local panchang.

How people observe the festival, from fasting to Garba

People observe Navratri in many different ways. Some devotees keep a strict fast, while others eat simple vrat-friendly meals, fruits, milk or specific grains. Families may light a diya, offer flowers and prayers, perform aarti and read the Durga Saptashati or Devi Mahatmya during the nine nights.

The evenings bring a different energy in many parts of India. Gujarat and western India become especially lively with Garba and Dandiya, as people gather in colourful traditional clothes to dance in large circles. Communities in other regions organise bhajans, cultural programmes and local fairs.

In eastern India, elaborate Durga Puja pandals, artistic idols and cultural events become the centre of neighbourhood life. Some families also organise Kanya Puja, inviting young girls for a ceremonial meal and offering them respect as symbolic forms of the goddess.

From a quiet prayer at home to a crowded Garba ground or a beautifully decorated Durga Puja pandal, every tradition gives the nine nights its own character.

As the lamps are lit and each day brings a new form of the goddess, Navratri creates a season of devotion, colour and togetherness. For many families, the festival is also a chance to pause, reconnect with loved ones and welcome the festive days ahead.