Navratri

Navratri is celebrated to honour Durga, the Divine Mother, and her victory over the buffalo-demon Mahishasura, as recounted in the Devi Mahatmya. Its nine nights mark the triumph of good over evil and the protective power of the feminine divine, worshipping the goddess in her nine forms, the Navadurga.

When the demon Mahishasura, protected by a boon that no man or god could kill him, drove the gods from heaven, they merged their radiance into a single goddess, Durga. Riding a lion and armed by every god, she battled him across nine nights and slew him, restoring the heavens.

Devotees keep fasts, install a sacred pot at Ghatasthapana, and worship a different form of Durga on each of the nine nights, often reciting the Durga Saptashati. Gujarat is known for its Garba and Dandiya dances, while Bengal's Durga Puja fills grand pandals. The festival ends with Vijayadashami and Kanya Puja.

Navratri worships Durga, the Divine Mother, in nine forms known as the Navadurga, one for each night: Shailaputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandamata, Katyayani, Kalaratri, Mahagauri and Siddhidatri. Named in the Devi Kavacha, these forms move from the gentle daughter of the mountains to the giver of all accomplishments.

Sharad, or autumn, Navratri in 2026 runs across the nine tithis from Ashwin Shukla Pratipada to Navami, beginning with Ghatasthapana on 11 October 2026. The nine nights of Durga worship are followed by Vijayadashami, also called Dussehra, on 20 October, marking the goddess's victory over Mahishasura.

The nine forms, the Navadurga, are Shailaputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandamata, Katyayani, Kalaratri, Mahagauri and Siddhidatri, each honoured on one night in the order set by the Devi Kavacha. Together they trace the Mother's journey from mountain daughter to fierce demon-slayer and finally bestower of perfection.

They overlap in time but differ in emphasis. Navratri is a pan-Indian nine-night worship of Durga in her nine forms, often marked by fasting and dance. Durga Puja, centred in Bengal, focuses on the goddess as Mahishasuramardini across the final days, with elaborate clay images and public pandals, ending in immersion.

Ghatasthapana is the opening ritual on the first day of Navratri, performed while Ashwin Shukla Pratipada is active. Devotees install a consecrated pot, often with sown barley seeds, inviting the goddess to reside there for the nine days. It marks the formal beginning of Durga's worship and is considered highly auspicious.