Festival calendar
Navratri 2026 - Chaitra and Sharada dates
Navratri is a nine-day festival of the Goddess. Two Navratris are widely observed each year - Chaitra Navratri in the spring and Sharada (Shardiya) Navratri in the autumn. Each runs for nine nights from Pratipada through Navami, and is followed by a culminating tenth day - Rama Navami for Chaitra, Vijayadashami (Dussehra) for Sharada.
Chaitra Navratri 2026 (Spring)
19 to 27 March 2026.
| Date | Day | Observance |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Mar 2026 | Thursday | Day 1 - Ghatasthapana (Pratipada, start of Navratri) |
| 26 Mar 2026 | Thursday | Day 8 - Durga Ashtami |
| 27 Mar 2026 | Friday | Day 9 - Rama Navami / Parana |
Chaitra Navratri begins on the first day of the bright fortnight of Chaitra and culminates on Rama Navami - the celebration of Sri Rama's birth.
Sharada Navratri 2026 (Autumn)
11 to 20 October 2026.
| Date | Day | Observance |
|---|---|---|
| 11 Oct 2026 | Sunday | Day 1 - Ghatasthapana (start of Sharada Navratri) |
| 19 Oct 2026 | Monday | Maha Ashtami / Maha Navami (both on the same day in 2026) |
| 20 Oct 2026 | Tuesday | Vijayadashami / Dussehra |
In 2026 Maha Ashtami and Maha Navami fall on the same calendar day - the Ashtami tithi transitions to Navami over the course of 19 October. Some traditions observe the Maha Navami puja on the morning of 20 October instead; check your community's calendar.
What fixes the Ghatasthapana day
The kalash is installed in the morning while Pratipada prevails - the window is the first third of the day from sunrise, so it follows local sunrise and sunset and differs by city. The table below gives it for each. If the morning window is missed, the Abhijit muhurat around midday is the traditional alternative. Ghatasthapana is not done after midday, at night, or while Amavasya is running.
Sharada Navratri is the more widely observed of the two and culminates in Vijayadashami, also called Dussehra, marking Rama's victory over Ravana.
Today's Panchang for these days
For the full Panchang of any specific day:
- Chaitra Navratri start (19 Mar): Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi
- Sharada Navratri start (11 Oct):
- India: Delhi | Mumbai | Bengaluru | Chennai | Kolkata | Hyderabad
- Outside India: London | New York | Singapore | Dubai
- Or pick any city and date from the home page.
A note on naming and regional traditions
- Sharada Navratri is also called Shardiya Navratri, Maha Navratri, or simply "Navratri" in many parts of North India.
- In Bengal, the same period (Sharada) is observed as Durga Puja, with major public observances on Saptami, Ashtami, Navami and Vijaya Dashami.
- In Gujarat, both Navratris involve garba and dandiya raas.
- In South India, Sharada Navratri is called Dasara; Vijayadashami is the final day.
Ashwin Shukla Pratipada by city
The tithi begins and ends at a single moment worldwide. What differs is the local clock, so it can fall on a different date in your city.
| City | Begins | Ends |
|---|---|---|
| Delhi | 21:20 on Sat, 10 Oct | 21:31 on Sun, 11 Oct |
| Mumbai | 21:20 on Sat, 10 Oct | 21:31 on Sun, 11 Oct |
| Bengaluru | 21:20 on Sat, 10 Oct | 21:31 on Sun, 11 Oct |
| Chennai | 21:20 on Sat, 10 Oct | 21:31 on Sun, 11 Oct |
| Kolkata | 21:20 on Sat, 10 Oct | 21:31 on Sun, 11 Oct |
| Hyderabad | 21:20 on Sat, 10 Oct | 21:31 on Sun, 11 Oct |
| London | 16:50 on Sat, 10 Oct | 17:01 on Sun, 11 Oct |
| New York | 11:50 on Sat, 10 Oct | 12:01 on Sun, 11 Oct |
| Singapore | 23:50 on Sat, 10 Oct | 00:01 on Mon, 12 Oct |
| Dubai | 19:50 on Sat, 10 Oct | 20:01 on Sun, 11 Oct |
Ghatasthapana: reference times by city
Computed for Sunday, 11 October 2026 from each city’s own sunrise and sunset. Times are local to that city.
These are complete time windows and local rise/set times. A festival's rules can require only part of a window, or a different local date. Compare the tithi span and the observance rule before selecting a puja time.
| City | Ghatasthapana | Abhijit Muhurat | Sunrise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delhi | 06:19 – 10:11 | 11:44 – 12:30 | 06:19 |
| Mumbai | 06:31 – 10:27 | 12:01 – 12:48 | 06:31 |
| Bengaluru | 06:09 – 10:07 | 11:42 – 12:30 | 06:09 |
| Chennai | 05:58 – 09:56 | 11:31 – 12:19 | 05:58 |
| Kolkata | 05:31 – 09:25 | 10:59 – 11:46 | 05:31 |
| Hyderabad | 06:08 – 10:04 | 11:39 – 12:26 | 06:08 |
| London | 07:17 – 10:57 | 12:24 – 13:08 | 07:17 |
| New York | 07:02 – 10:49 | 12:19 – 13:05 | 07:02 |
| Singapore | 06:48 – 10:50 | 12:27 – 13:15 | 06:48 |
| Dubai | 06:15 – 10:08 | 11:42 – 12:28 | 06:15 |
A dash means the window does not occur in that city on this date. Abhijit is absent on Wednesdays, and a moonrise can fall outside the civil day.