Navratri 2026: Nine Nights, Nine Forms of the Devi

Navratri 2026 at a glance

Sharad Navratri 2026 begins with Ghatasthapana — the setting up of the kalash — on Sunday, 11 October, and closes with Vijayadashami (Dussehra) on Tuesday, 20 October. Each night is given to one form of the Devi, and together the nine are called the Navadurga. Exactly which calendar day carries Ashtami and Navami this year depends on your panchang, so follow your family's or your temple's for those two.

Why nine nights

Navratri means simply nine nights. Its best-known story is the Devi's battle with the buffalo demon Mahishasura, told in the Durga Saptashati: the gods, unable to defeat him, pooled their powers into one radiant form of the Mother, and she fought him through the nights until his defeat. The tenth day, Vijayadashami, is the day of victory. Through the nine nights the Saptashati is read in temples and homes, and the Mother is worshipped in a different form each night.

The nine forms at a glance

Night 1: Shailaputri (शैलपुत्री) — Daughter of the mountain

The daughter of Himavat, king of the mountains — the Mother as Parvati in her first form. She rides the bull Nandi, a trident in one hand and a lotus in the other.

What she stands for: Steadiness. The first night is the foundation: the kalash is set up, the sankalp is taken, and the practice begins.

Night 2: Brahmacharini (ब्रह्मचारिणी) — The one who walks in tapas

The Mother in long austerity, walking barefoot with a japa mala in one hand and a water pot (kamandalu) in the other.

What she stands for: Discipline that is chosen. The second day is when the first day's enthusiasm has to become a habit — the mala in her hand is the one in yours.

Night 3: Chandraghanta (चन्द्रघण्टा) — She of the bell-shaped moon

Named for the half-moon shaped like a bell on her forehead. Ten-armed, riding a lion, ready for battle and calm towards her devotees.

What she stands for: Fearlessness. The sound of her bell is said to drive fear away.

Night 4: Kushmanda (कूष्माण्डा) — She who smiled the universe into being

Eight-armed and riding a lion. Tradition says that when there was only darkness, her smile brought the cosmic egg — the universe — into being.

What she stands for: Light and warmth: the creative force at the source of everything.

Night 5: Skandamata (स्कन्दमाता) — Mother of Skanda

Four-armed, holding the child Skanda (Kartikeya) on her lap, often shown seated on a lotus.

What she stands for: Tenderness. The form many families feel closest to — the Devi as a mother holding her child.

Night 6: Katyayani (कात्यायनी) — Daughter of the sage Katyayana

Born, the story goes, in the ashram of the sage Katyayana. Four-armed, with a sword and a lotus, riding a lion — the warrior form who rose to face the buffalo demon Mahishasura.

What she stands for: Courage taken up on behalf of others.

Night 7: Kalaratri (कालरात्रि) — The dark night

The darkest and most fearsome of the nine: dark-skinned, hair unbound, riding a donkey. She is also called Shubhankari, the one who does good.

What she stands for: The end of fear. She looks terrifying and is worshipped as auspicious — what she destroys is darkness itself.

Night 8: Mahagauri (महागौरी) — The radiant white one

Radiant and white, dressed in white, riding a white bull, with a trident and a damaru — the Mother after her long penance.

What she stands for: Purity and calm. Her day is usually Durga Ashtami, when many households perform kanya puja.

Night 9: Siddhidatri (सिद्धिदात्री) — Giver of fulfilment

Four-armed, seated on a lotus, the giver of siddhis — of every kind of accomplishment and fulfilment.

What she stands for: Completion. The last of the nine, worshipped on Navami, the eve of Vijayadashami.

Vijayadashami: the tenth day

Vijayadashami — Dussehra — falls on Tuesday, 20 October 2026. It marks the Devi's victory over Mahishasura and, across much of India, Rama's victory over Ravana. In many homes it is the day the kalash is honoured and the Navratri observance is closed, and the day on which a sankalp taken on the first day is completed and offered.

One practice for all nine nights

The forms change night by night; the Mother does not. That is why one mantra is traditionally kept through all nine: the Navarna Mantra, ॐ ऐं ह्रीं क्लीं चामुण्डायै विच्चे (Om Aim Hreem Kleem Chamundayai Vichche), which names her as wisdom, prosperity and power together.

• Choose one fixed time each day — after the evening aarti works for most homes.
• Chant one mala of 108 (about eleven minutes), or three if you have the time.
• Keep the same count every day; on the tenth, offer it together.