Navratri · Sharad Navratri, Durga Puja
Nine nights of the Goddess: Durga, garba and Durga Puja.
In 339 days Ashwin Shukla PratipadaTimes for New Delhi (IST)
Date, muhurat and timings
Rule: Ashwin Shukla Pratipada to Navami
Navratri timings, Thursday, 30 September 2027, New Delhi
| Pratipada tithi begins | 8:06 am |
|---|---|
| Pratipada tithi ends | 5:36 am (1 Oct) |
| Ghatasthapana muhurat | 8:06 am – 10:11 am |
| Abhijit muhurat (alternative) | 11:47 am – 12:34 pm |
| Sunrise | 6:13 am |
| Sunset | 6:08 pm |
The time after that: Tuesday, 19 September 2028 – Wednesday, 27 September 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
Sharad Navratri is the great autumn festival of the Goddess. Nine nights of worship, fasting, garba and dandiya, and Durga Puja in Bengal, end with Dussehra. Here are this year’s dates and the ghatasthapana muhurat for your city.
Meaning and story of Navratri
Navratri celebrates Goddess Durga’s nine-day battle with the buffalo demon Mahishasura and her victory on the tenth day. Each night honours one of her nine forms, from Shailaputri to Siddhidatri.
It is also a festival of community: garba circles in Gujarat, pandals in Bengal, golu dolls in the south and Ramlila in the north.
Puja vidhi, step by step
- On Pratipada morning, perform ghatasthapana in the muhurat and sow barley in a clay pot.
- Light an akhand jyoti if your family keeps it.
- Worship the day’s form of Durga with flowers, sweets and the Durga Saptashati or Chalisa.
- Keep a fast as your health allows.
- Perform kanya puja on Ashtami or Navami.
- Celebrate Dussehra on Dashami.
What you will need
- Kalash, coconut and mango leaves
- Clay pot, soil and barley
- Red chunri and flowers
- Ghee lamp
- Durga Saptashati
- Fasting foods
Do
- Do ghatasthapana in the morning window for your city.
- Join community garba or a pandal visit with family.
- Eat light, sattvic food.
- Support the women and girls in your life every day.
Avoid
- Avoid onion, garlic, alcohol and meat if keeping the vrat.
- Don’t leave lamps unattended.
- Don’t fast in a way that harms your health.
- Avoid very loud music late at night.
A small note for each rashi this 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 Navratri
When is Navratri?
The next Navratri is on Thursday, 30 September 2027 – Friday, 8 October 2027: Ashwin Shukla Pratipada to Navami. For New Delhi, ghatasthapana muhurat: 8:06 am – 10:11 am. Times change by city; choose yours above.
What is ghatasthapana?
The installation of the sacred pot on the first morning, preferably in the first third of the day while Pratipada is current; Abhijit muhurat is the alternative.
Why are there sometimes eight or ten days?
Tithis do not match calendar days exactly, so a tithi can be skipped or repeated.
What is Durga Puja?
The Bengali celebration of the same days, with pandals and idols, especially from Shashthi to Dashami.
What are the colours of Navratri?
Many people wear a different colour each day. The colours vary between lists, so choose what feels joyful.
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.