Navratri · Worldwide 2026
Navratri 2026: One Date Worldwide — Your City's Ghatasthapana Time
Sharad Navratri 2026 begins on Sunday, 11 October in India. Pratipada runs from 9:20 PM on 10 October to 9:31 PM on the 11th, so the 11th is the day that holds it at sunrise. Abroad the date can differ by one: in North America the tithi governing India's 11th is still running on Saturday 10 October local time, so Ghatasthapana is kept then. Nobody is a day late — it is the same tithi in a different time zone.
The short answer
Sharad Navratri 2026 begins on Sunday, 11 October in India, running nine nights to Maha Navami on 19 October, with Dussehra on 20 October. For the USA, UK, Canada and Australia, Ghatasthapana is kept on your own local morning — which for North America usually falls on Saturday, 10 October, since the tithe governing India's 11th is still running there. Follow your local sunrise, not India's.
Sharad Navratri 2026 begins Sunday, 11 October — everywhere. The Ashwin pratipada spans every region's sunrise (10 October is Amavasya all day — the reason some calendars err). What differs city to city is only the Ghatasthapana window, which follows local sunrise; each is computed below from the ephemeris. Nine nights of garba and Durga Puja follow, closing with Vijayadashami on Tuesday 20 October.
By Dr. R.P. Sharma, Vedic astrologer since 1979.
When is Ghatasthapana in 2026? Date and Ghatasthapana muhurat (Delhi)
In India, Ghatasthapana (Kalash Sthapana) is on Sunday, 11 October 2026. The times below are computed with the Swiss Ephemeris for New Delhi; other Indian cities differ by a few minutes of sunrise only.
| Ghatasthapana 2026 | Time (IST, New Delhi) |
|---|---|
| Pratipada tithi | Sat 10 Oct 9:20 pm to Sun 11 Oct 9:31 pm |
| Sunrise on 11 Oct (earliest Ghatasthapana) | 6:20 am |
| Morning window as published in standard panchangs | 6:19 am to 10:12 am |
| Abhijit muhurat (fallback if the morning is missed) | 11:44 am to 12:30 pm |
The nine days of Navratri 2026, by tithi at sunrise (New Delhi)
| Day | Date | Tithi at sunrise |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Ghatasthapana | Sun 11 Oct | Pratipada |
| 2 | Mon 12 Oct | Dwitiya |
| 3 | Tue 13 Oct | Tritiya |
| 4 | Wed 14 Oct | Chaturthi |
| 5 | Thu 15 Oct | Panchami |
| 6 | Fri 16 Oct | Shashthi |
| 7 | Sat 17 Oct and Sun 18 Oct | Saptami on both mornings (the tithi runs long this year, so Navratri has ten dates) |
| 8 Durga Ashtami | Mon 19 Oct | Ashtami (tithi 18 Oct 8:28 am to 19 Oct 10:52 am) |
| 9 Maha Navami | Mon 19 Oct | Navami tithi begins 19 Oct 10:52 am, ends 20 Oct 12:50 pm |
| Vijayadashami (Dussehra) | Tue 20 Oct | Dashami tithi 20 Oct 12:50 pm to 21 Oct 2:12 pm; observed on the 20th by the aparahna rule |
Below, the same Pratipada tithi is converted to local sunrise for readers abroad: the tithi is one moment on Earth, so the date can be Saturday 10 October in North America and Sunday 11 October in India.
Navratri begins in New York (EDT)
Ghatasthapana in New York: after sunrise at 7:04 AM, Sunday 11 October 2026 — best in the morning hours. Here the pratipada prevails until 12:01 PM local time. Garba and Durga Puja evenings run from this night through Vijayadashami, 20 October · consult from New York.
Navratri begins in Chicago (CDT)
Ghatasthapana in Chicago: after sunrise at 7:00 AM, Sunday 11 October 2026 — best in the morning hours. Here the pratipada prevails until 11:01 AM local time. Garba and Durga Puja evenings run from this night through Vijayadashami, 20 October · consult from Chicago.
Navratri begins in Houston (CDT)
Ghatasthapana in Houston: after sunrise at 7:22 AM, Sunday 11 October 2026 — best in the morning hours. Here the pratipada prevails until 11:01 AM local time. Garba and Durga Puja evenings run from this night through Vijayadashami, 20 October · consult from Houston.
Navratri begins in San Francisco Bay Area (PDT)
Ghatasthapana in San Francisco Bay Area: after sunrise at 7:16 AM, Sunday 11 October 2026 — best in the morning hours. Here the pratipada prevails until 9:01 AM local time. Garba and Durga Puja evenings run from this night through Vijayadashami, 20 October · consult from San Francisco Bay Area.
Navratri begins in Toronto (EDT)
Ghatasthapana in Toronto: after sunrise at 7:28 AM, Sunday 11 October 2026 — best in the morning hours. Here the pratipada prevails until 12:01 PM local time. Garba and Durga Puja evenings run from this night through Vijayadashami, 20 October · consult from Toronto.
Navratri begins in Vancouver (PDT)
Ghatasthapana in Vancouver: after sunrise at 7:29 AM, Sunday 11 October 2026 — best in the morning hours. Here the pratipada prevails until 9:01 AM local time. Garba and Durga Puja evenings run from this night through Vijayadashami, 20 October · consult from Vancouver.
Navratri begins in London (BST)
Ghatasthapana in London: after sunrise at 7:19 AM, Sunday 11 October 2026 — best in the morning hours. Here the pratipada prevails until 5:01 PM local time. Garba and Durga Puja evenings run from this night through Vijayadashami, 20 October · consult from London.
Navratri begins in Dubai (GST)
Ghatasthapana in Dubai: after sunrise at 6:16 AM, Sunday 11 October 2026 — best in the morning hours. Here the pratipada prevails until 8:01 PM local time. Garba and Durga Puja evenings run from this night through Vijayadashami, 20 October · consult from Dubai.
Navratri begins in Singapore (SGT)
Ghatasthapana in Singapore: after sunrise at 6:50 AM, Sunday 11 October 2026 — best in the morning hours. Here the pratipada prevails through the whole local morning (ending 12:01 AM on 12 Oct). Garba and Durga Puja evenings run from this night through Vijayadashami, 20 October · consult from Singapore.
Navratri begins in Sydney (AEDT)
Ghatasthapana in Sydney: after sunrise at 6:21 AM, Sunday 11 October 2026 — best in the morning hours. Here the pratipada prevails through the whole local morning (ending 3:01 AM on 12 Oct). Garba and Durga Puja evenings run from this night through Vijayadashami, 20 October · consult from Sydney.
Navratri begins in Melbourne (AEDT)
Ghatasthapana in Melbourne: after sunrise at 6:42 AM, Sunday 11 October 2026 — best in the morning hours. Here the pratipada prevails through the whole local morning (ending 3:01 AM on 12 Oct). Garba and Durga Puja evenings run from this night through Vijayadashami, 20 October · consult from Melbourne.
Navratri begins in Auckland (NZDT)
Ghatasthapana in Auckland: after sunrise at 6:44 AM, Sunday 11 October 2026 — best in the morning hours. Here the pratipada prevails through the whole local morning (ending 5:01 AM on 12 Oct). Garba and Durga Puja evenings run from this night through Vijayadashami, 20 October · consult from Auckland.
Navratri begins in Amsterdam / Amstelveen (CEST)
Ghatasthapana in Amsterdam / Amstelveen: after sunrise at 8:00 AM, Sunday 11 October 2026 — best in the morning hours. Here the pratipada prevails until 6:01 PM local time. Garba and Durga Puja evenings run from this night through Vijayadashami, 20 October · consult from Amsterdam / Amstelveen.
Navratri begins in Delhi NCR, India (IST)
Ghatasthapana in Delhi NCR, India: after sunrise at 6:20 AM, Sunday 11 October 2026 — best in the morning hours. Here the pratipada prevails until 9:31 PM local time. Garba and Durga Puja evenings run from this night through Vijayadashami, 20 October.
Ghatasthapana samagri and vidhi, step by step
Ghatasthapana (kalash sthapana) invites Goddess Durga into a sacred pot on Pratipada, the first morning of Navratri; tradition does it while Pratipada prevails, in the morning muhurat for your city given above.
Samagri: a wide clay pot with clean soil and barley (jau) seeds; a kalash of copper, brass or clay filled with water; five mango or ashoka leaves; a coconut wrapped in red cloth and tied with mauli; a coin, a betel nut and unbroken rice (akshat); roli or kumkum, flowers and a ghee lamp; a red chunri and an image of the Goddess.
- Bathe, clean the puja place and take the sankalp (the intention) for the nine days.
- Spread the soil in the clay pot and sow the barley seeds.
- Fill the kalash with water; add the coin, betel nut and a little akshat; arrange the mango leaves at the mouth and set the coconut on top.
- Place the kalash on or beside the barley pot and invoke the Goddess into it.
- Light the lamp (the akhand jyoti, if you keep one through all nine days) and offer flowers, roli and akshat.
- Read the Durga Saptashati or a Durga mantra, and water the barley a little every day.
For the nine days, each day's goddess and colour, and the Ashtami and Navami rules, see Navratri 2026.
Frequently asked questions
When is Ghatasthapana in 2026 in India?
Sunday, 11 October 2026. Pratipada tithi runs from 9:20 pm on 10 October to 9:31 pm on 11 October (IST); Ghatasthapana is done in the morning of the 11th, from sunrise (6:20 am in New Delhi), with Abhijit muhurat 11:44 am to 12:30 pm as the fallback.
When does Navratri 2026 start in the USA?
Sunday, 11 October 2026 — the same date as India. The Ashwin pratipada prevails at sunrise across the USA that morning, so Ghatasthapana is done after local sunrise on the 11th.
Is the Navratri 2026 date the same worldwide?
Yes. Unlike Rakhi 2026, the pratipada spans every region's sunrise on 11 October, so the whole world begins Navratri the same day; only the local Ghatasthapana window differs, following each city's sunrise.
When is Ghatasthapana in New York?
After sunrise on Sunday 11 October — ideally in the morning hours while the pratipada prevails; the computed local window is given above.
When are Durga Ashtami and Vijayadashami 2026?
Ashtami falls on 19 October, and Vijayadashami (Dussehra) on Tuesday, 20 October 2026 — see the Dussehra guide for the aparahna rule behind that date.
Nine nights, read for your chart
Navratri is the year's great window for remedial worship — which form, which night and which mantra suit you best follows your own chart. Dr. R.P. Sharma consults online worldwide at a flat fee of ₹5,100; see also the Navratri 2026 (India) guide.
Want the timing read against your own kundli — wherever you live? Dr. R.P. Sharma reads the full kundli personally — one flat fee of ₹5,100. WhatsApp✦ Book Now
Chandra Grahan 28 August 2026 Time in India: 06:54 AM IST
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