Festivals · 2026

Sharad Navratri 2026: The Computed Date, Tithi and Muhurat

By Dr. R.P. Sharma, Vedic astrologer since 1979 · timings computed on real sidereal positions

Why 11 October: Ghatasthapana requires the pratipada at sunrise. The pratipada begins only at 21:20 IST on 10 October (the 10th is Amavasya all day) and prevails at sunrise on the 11th — so Sharad Navratri 2026 begins Sunday, 11 October, and Ghatasthapana is done that morning.

Sharad Navratri 2026 falls on Sunday, 11 October 2026. The governing tithi — the nine nights of the Devi beginning on Ashwina Shukla Pratipada — runs from 10-10-2026 21:20 IST to 11-10-2026 21:31 IST, computed from the ephemeris with the Lahiri ayanamsa, the way a Panchang actually derives it. The observance follows the sunrise-prevailing (udaya) tithi.

The nine nights run to 18 October, with Vijayadashami following — see Dussehra 2026.

Ghatasthapana 2026: muhurat for New Delhi

Times are computed with the Swiss Ephemeris; other Indian cities shift by a few minutes of sunrise. The kalash is established once, on this morning; the nine forms of the Devi are then worshipped tithi by tithi.

Navratri 2026 calendar: tithi at sunrise and the Navadurga form of each day

Navratri 2026 colours, day by day

Many families, especially in Maharashtra and Gujarat, wear one colour on each day of Navratri. The colour follows the weekday of each date, with purple and peacock green on the last two days, so for 2026 the list is:

The colours go by calendar date, while the Goddess worshipped each day follows the tithi table above; in 2026 Saptami holds two sunrises, so Kalaratri is worshipped on both 17 and 18 October.

Why Sharad Navratri is the principal Navratri

Four Navratris fall in a year; the Ashwina one, at the turn from the rains to autumn, is the one the whole country keeps openly, which is why it is simply called Navratri. It begins the morning after Sarva Pitru Amavasya closes the fortnight of the ancestors: the year turns from remembrance to the Devi's nine nights, and muhurat work, paused through Pitru Paksha, resumes with Ghatasthapana. The nine nights build to Durga's victory over Mahishasura on Vijayadashami, which is also Rama's victory in the northern telling of Dussehra.

How the nine nights are kept across India

• Gujarat and Maharashtra: garba and dandiya every night around the lit garbo; the Jagadamba is worshipped as the mother of the universe.
• Bengal, Odisha, Assam: Durga Puja from Shashthi (16 Oct) to Dashami, with Sandhi Puja at the junction of Ashtami and Navami and the immersion on Vijayadashami.
• Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra and Telangana: Golu (Bommai Golu, Bommala Koluvu) doll displays, with Saraswati Puja and Ayudha Puja on the closing days; Mysuru's royal Dasara procession on Vijayadashami.
• North India: the kalash and akhand jyoti at home, fasting, Kanya Puja on Ashtami or Navami, Ramlila through the nights and Ravana Dahan on Dussehra.
• Himachal: Kullu Dussehra begins on Vijayadashami and runs a week after everyone else has finished.

How the day is kept

Ghatasthapana is done while the Pratipada holds the morning — the kalash is established, and the nine nights unfold to Vijayadashami.

Why the tithi window matters more than the date

A Hindu festival is not a civil date; it is a tithi caught at a particular quality of time — the sunrise-prevailing (udaya) tithi here. When the tithi straddles two days, the rule decides the day, which is why two neighbouring calendars sometimes disagree while both cite the same sky. The window printed above is the actual astronomy; the rule applied to it is the tradition. Together they give you the answer the forwards never explain. For the method itself, see our muhurat & festivals guide.

See also: Navratri 2026 worldwide — Ghatasthapana time in your city · Pitru Paksha 2026 — dates and shradh vidhi.

See also: Surya Grahan 2027 In India Date And Time.