Chaitra Navratri · Vasant Navratri, Hindu New Year, Gudi Padwa, Ugadi
Nine nights of Durga in spring, and the Hindu New Year.
In 163 days Chaitra Shukla PratipadaTimes for New Delhi (IST)
Date, muhurat and timings
Rule: Chaitra Shukla Pratipada to Navami
Chaitra Navratri timings, Wednesday, 7 April 2027, New Delhi
| Pratipada tithi begins | 5:21 am |
|---|---|
| Pratipada tithi ends | 4:29 am (8 Apr) |
| Ghatasthapana muhurat | 6:05 am – 10:17 am |
| Abhijit muhurat (alternative) | 11:58 am – 12:48 pm |
| Sunrise | 6:05 am |
| Sunset | 6:42 pm |
The time after that: Monday, 27 March 2028 – Tuesday, 4 April 2028
All times are for New Delhi, computed from the sidereal (Lahiri) panchang. They update themselves daily and roll over to the next date once the festival has passed. Today’s panchang for New Delhi
Chaitra Navratri is the spring Navratri: nine days of devotion to the nine forms of Goddess Durga, ending with Ram Navami. Its first day is the Hindu New Year (Vikram Samvat), celebrated as Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra and Ugadi in the Deccan. Here are this year’s dates and the ghatasthapana muhurat for your city.
Meaning and story of Chaitra Navratri
Navratri celebrates the Goddess as strength, care and wisdom. Each day honours one form: Shailaputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandamata, Katyayani, Kalaratri, Mahagauri and Siddhidatri.
Starting the year with these nine days gives the year a calm, disciplined beginning. Many people fast, read the Durga Saptashati and keep the home sattvic.
Puja vidhi, step by step
- On the first morning, perform ghatasthapana in the muhurat: a kalash with water, mango leaves and coconut on a bed of soil sown with barley.
- Light an akhand jyoti (continuous lamp) if your family keeps it.
- Each day, worship that day’s form of Durga with flowers, sweets and the Durga Chalisa or Saptashati.
- Keep a fast as your health allows (fruit, milk, kuttu, sabudana).
- On Ashtami or Navami, perform kanya puja: feed and honour young girls.
- On Navami, celebrate Ram Navami and conclude the Navratri.
What you will need
- Kalash, coconut and mango leaves
- Clay pot with soil and barley seeds
- Red chunri and flowers
- Ghee lamp
- Durga Saptashati or Chalisa
- Fruit and fasting foods
Do
- Do ghatasthapana in the morning window for your city.
- Water the barley daily and watch it grow.
- Eat light, sattvic food.
- Respect and support the girls and women around you all year, not just on kanya puja.
Avoid
- Avoid onion, garlic, alcohol and non-vegetarian food if keeping the vrat.
- Don’t leave the akhand jyoti unattended near fabric.
- Don’t fast in a way that harms your health.
- Avoid harsh words at home.
A small note for each rashi this Chaitra Navratri
Gentle, general suggestions for your Moon sign, not predictions. Every sign is welcome at every festival.
- Mesha Aries
Your gift: initiative, comfortable going first. Channel your courage into protecting and encouraging others today.
- Vrishabha Taurus
Your gift: patience and staying power. Courage for you looks like patience: keep going with the task you had paused.
- Mithuna Gemini
Your gift: fast learning and adaptability. Speak up kindly about something that matters to you.
- Karka Cancer
Your gift: empathy and emotional intelligence. Be gentle with yourself; quiet inner strength is still strength.
- Simha Leo
Your gift: natural authority and presence. Channel your courage into protecting and encouraging others today.
- Kanya Virgo
Your gift: analytical precision. Courage for you looks like patience: keep going with the task you had paused.
- Tula Libra
Your gift: diplomacy and tact. Speak up kindly about something that matters to you.
- Vrishchika Scorpio
Your gift: depth and focus. Be gentle with yourself; quiet inner strength is still strength.
- Dhanu Sagittarius
Your gift: optimism and faith. Channel your courage into protecting and encouraging others today.
- Makara Capricorn
Your gift: discipline and patience. Courage for you looks like patience: keep going with the task you had paused.
- Kumbha Aquarius
Your gift: original, independent thinking. Speak up kindly about something that matters to you.
- Meena Pisces
Your gift: compassion and kindness. Be gentle with yourself; quiet inner strength is still strength.
Questions about Chaitra Navratri
When is Chaitra Navratri?
The next Chaitra Navratri is on Wednesday, 7 April 2027 – Thursday, 15 April 2027: Chaitra Shukla Pratipada to Navami. For New Delhi, ghatasthapana muhurat: 6:05 am – 10:17 am. Times change by city; choose yours above.
What is ghatasthapana?
The installation of the sacred pot (kalash) that invites the Goddess on the first morning. It is done on Pratipada, preferably in the first third of the day; Abhijit muhurat is the alternative.
Is Chaitra Navratri the Hindu New Year?
Yes. Chaitra Shukla Pratipada starts the new Vikram Samvat year, and it is Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra and Ugadi in Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Can Navratri have eight or ten days?
Yes. Because tithis do not match calendar days, a tithi can be skipped or repeated, so Navratri occasionally spans eight or ten days.
What is kanya puja?
Honouring young girls as forms of the Goddess, usually on Ashtami or Navami, with a meal of puri, chana and halwa and a small gift.
How are these dates worked out?
Every festival is fixed by a rule: the lunar month, the paksha, the tithi, and the part of the day (such as pradosh, madhyahna or nishita) in which that tithi must fall. Our engine finds the next time that happens from the sidereal (Lahiri) Sun and Moon and computes the muhurat from your city’s sunrise and sunset. Dates are checked against Drik Panchang. Where traditions differ, such as Smarta and Vaishnava reckoning, we say so above; your family custom or local priest always comes first.
Pair the festival with your own chart
2027 Yearly Forecast (Varshphal): Month-by-month themes for 2027 from your solar-return chart, dasha and the year’s major transits.
The weekly letter, every Saturday
The week’s festivals and muhurats, an outlook for all 12 rashis, one transit and a small idea to keep. Free, one email a week.