Navratri: 9 Days, 9 Devis, Colours, Bhog and Mantras

What Navratri means

Navratri comes twice a year, Chaitra and Sharad.

Each day honours one form of Durga.

It ends with Dussehra or Ram Navami.

How to Navratri

Here is the simple traditional way families approach Navratri, step by step, so you can follow it at home without pressure.

1. Bathe and wear clean clothes
2. Light a lamp before the deity
3. Remember Ganesha first
4. Begin with attention
5. End with a prayer for forgiveness and share prasad

Navratri ke nau din

Nau din, nau devi, nau rang. Har din ek roop ki puja hoti hai. Ashtami ya Navami par kanya pujan karke vrat poora karte hain.

People phrase it many ways: navratri 9 devi names, navratri colours, navratri bhog, kanya pujan vidhi. All of these point to the same reading, and this page answers them together.

What you may be feeling about navratri

If you came to navratri hoping for good news, that hope deserves respect. Maybe you came here because you want your prayer, puja or fast to bring peace, a good marriage, health or progress for your family. Wanting a sign that life is about to open up is one of the oldest and most human feelings there is, and it is the reason families have looked at the sky for thousands of years.

If navratri is making you uneasy, that is valid too. Or maybe you are anxious that a wrong word, a missed item or an imperfect fast will undo your effort. You are not being silly or superstitious. When a word like this enters a family conversation, it is natural for the heart to tighten and for the mind to ask what it means for the people you love.

Our tradition takes both feelings seriously. The texts themselves answer this worry. Krishna says in the Gita that even a leaf or a drop of water offered with love is accepted, and every aarti ends by asking forgiveness for any mistake. So whatever you are feeling right now, our elders felt it too and wrote about it.

The same tradition then softens the first reaction. So your sincerity is the real offering. Mistakes are forgiven in the very words of the prayer, and devotion grows by doing, not by being perfect. A single factor in a chart, a calendar or a name describes a theme to work with, not a sentence that is already written. Effort, timing, good company and a calm mind shape how it unfolds.

So hold the feeling gently, and then look at the whole picture. That is where one word turns into a clear, hopeful direction, and it is exactly what a personal reading is for.

Why navratri still matter

Navratri comes twice a year, Chaitra and Sharad.

Each day honours one form of Durga.

It ends with Dussehra or Ram Navami.

• Navratri day 1: Maa Shailputri: day 1 of Navratri is for Maa Shailputri.
• Navratri day 2: Maa Brahmacharini: day 2 of Navratri is for Maa Brahmacharini.
• Navratri day 3: Maa Chandraghanta: day 3 of Navratri is for Maa Chandraghanta.
• Navratri day 4: Maa Kushmanda: day 4 of Navratri is for Maa Kushmanda.
• Navratri day 5: Maa Skandamata: day 5 of Navratri is for Maa Skandamata.
• Navratri day 6: Maa Katyayani: day 6 of Navratri is for Maa Katyayani.
• Navratri day 7: Maa Kalratri: day 7 of Navratri is for Maa Kalratri.
• Navratri day 8: Maa Mahagauri: day 8 of Navratri is for Maa Mahagauri.
• Navratri day 9: Maa Siddhidatri: day 9 of Navratri is for Maa Siddhidatri.
• Navratri day 1 colour and bhog: the colour for Navratri day 1 is yellow and the bhog for Maa Shailputri is ghee.
• Navratri day 2 colour and bhog: the colour for Navratri day 2 is green and the bhog for Maa Brahmacharini is sugar and fruit.
• Navratri day 3 colour and bhog: the colour for Navratri day 3 is grey and the bhog for Maa Chandraghanta is milk sweets.
• Navratri day 4 colour and bhog: the colour for Navratri day 4 is orange and the bhog for Maa Kushmanda is malpua.
• Navratri day 5 colour and bhog: the colour for Navratri day 5 is white and the bhog for Maa Skandamata is bananas.
• Navratri day 6 colour and bhog: the colour for Navratri day 6 is red and the bhog for Maa Katyayani is honey.
• Navratri day 7 colour and bhog: the colour for Navratri day 7 is royal blue and the bhog for Maa Kalratri is jaggery.
• Navratri day 8 colour and bhog: the colour for Navratri day 8 is pink and the bhog for Maa Mahagauri is coconut.
• Navratri day 9 colour and bhog: the colour for Navratri day 9 is purple and the bhog for Maa Siddhidatri is sesame and seasonal fruit.
• Maa Shailputri mantra: the mantra for Maa Shailputri is Om Devi Shailputryai Namah.
• Maa Brahmacharini mantra: the mantra for Maa Brahmacharini is Om Devi Brahmacharinyai Namah.
• Maa Chandraghanta mantra: the mantra for Maa Chandraghanta is Om Devi Chandraghantayai Namah.
• Maa Kushmanda mantra: the mantra for Maa Kushmanda is Om Devi Kushmandayai Namah.
• Maa Skandamata mantra: the mantra for Maa Skandamata is Om Devi Skandamatayai Namah.
• Maa Katyayani mantra: the mantra for Maa Katyayani is Om Devi Katyayanyai Namah.
• Maa Kalratri mantra: the mantra for Maa Kalratri is Om Devi Kalratryai Namah.
• Maa Mahagauri mantra: the mantra for Maa Mahagauri is Om Devi Mahagauryai Namah.
• Maa Siddhidatri mantra: the mantra for Maa Siddhidatri is Om Devi Siddhidatryai Namah.
• Navratri 9 devi names: the nine forms of Durga worshipped over Navratri, the Navadurga.
• Kanya pujan vidhi: how to do kanya pujan on Ashtami or Navami.
• Ghatasthapana vidhi: how to set up the Navratri kalash on day one.

Where navratri leads on KismatAstro

This page gathers every Navratri guide on KismatAstro. Start with Navratri day 1: Maa Shailputri, Navratri day 2: Maa Brahmacharini, Navratri day 3: Maa Chandraghanta, then follow the links inside each story.

All nine forms are forms of Goddess Durga. Many read the Durga Chalisa every day of Navratri. For a little festive joy, spin the Kismat Chakra once a day.

Stories like this are why families still look for a good day before a new step. You can see today's timings in the free moon sign (chandra rashi) calculator, and plan ahead with Sharad Navratri 2027.

What the old texts and scholars say

Our retelling follows the Devi Mahatmya and the Devi Kavach. Versions differ by region and family, and every one of them is treated with respect here.

If you would like to read further, Britannica's article on Navratri gives a clear, well sourced overview: Britannica's article on Navratri.

For a second view, see Britannica's entry on the goddess Durga.

A gentle seven day practice inspired by navratri

You do not need a big ritual. These small steps keep the story alive in daily life, and none of them cost money.

1. Day 1: read the meaning slowly
2. Day 2: do it once with family
3. Day 3: learn the first line by heart
4. Day 4: light a lamp at dusk
5. Day 5: share prasad or help someone
6. Day 6: read the linked story
7. Day 7: note how you feel

When and how to keep Navratri

Navratri honours nine forms of Durga over nine nights. Here is each day's devi, colour, bhog and mantra, with ghatasthapana and kanya pujan vidhi. Families usually keep it the day's morning puja, with ghatasthapana in the first day's muhurat. There is no single correct clock time in the old texts; what matters is a calm mind, a clean place and attention. If you are new to it, start with the short version and add more as it becomes a habit.

Many readers ask whether they must follow every step exactly. Tradition answers kindly: navratri comes twice a year, Chaitra and Sharad. A sincere attempt done with love is complete, and a missed detail is never a cause for fear. Elders often say that the practice shapes the person more than the person perfects the practice.

Common worries about Navratri, answered gently

These are the questions families send us most often. Each worry is real, and each has a calm, traditional answer.

• I mispronounced a word in the Navratri guide. Tradition says the feeling reaches before the sound. Learn slowly; the effort itself is devotion.
• I missed a day of the Navratri guide. Begin again the next day. No missed day erases earlier devotion, and no god is angered by a busy life.
• I do not have every item. Use what you have. A lamp, water and a flower are enough, the texts say so themselves.
• I am not sure I believe fully. Doubt is human. Many find that the practice brings calm first and faith later. Go at your own pace.
• Something bad happened after I started. Hard times come to everyone and are not a punishment for prayer. Keep the practice as a support, and seek practical help too.

Navratri across India

In North India the Navratri puja is usually in Hindi or Awadhi, sung with a bell and a ghee lamp. In Maharashtra and Gujarat local language versions are common. In South India Sanskrit and Tamil, Telugu or Kannada forms are used with nadaswaram music.

Bengal and Odisha add conch shells and ululation. Punjab and Himachal homes often sing together after dinner. Overseas families in Dubai, London or Toronto keep the same words with a small home altar.

Whichever version your family follows, it is valid. KismatAstro tells the commonly shared form and respects every regional and family custom.

Navratri and your rashi

Every rashi can keep Navratri. Astrology (jyotish) adds only a gentle flavour, a way to make the practice feel more personal. If you know your Moon sign (chandra rashi), find it below. If not, the free moon sign (chandra rashi) calculator tells you in a minute.

• Mesh: your rashi brings fire and quick devotion; keep it short and heartfelt.
• Vrishabh: your rashi loves steady ritual; the same time each day suits you.
• Mithun: your rashi connects through words; reading the meaning aloud helps.
• Kark: your rashi feels it deeply; doing it with family comforts you.
• Simha: your rashi shines with confidence; lead the family in it.
• Kanya: your rashi values precision; the step by step order calms you.
• Tula: your rashi seeks balance; doing it with your partner suits you.
• Vrishchik: your rashi goes deep; quiet evening practice suits you.
• Dhanu: your rashi loves wisdom; read the story behind it.
• Makar: your rashi values discipline; a fixed weekly day works best.
• Kumbh: your rashi thinks of others; share prasad or help someone after.
• Meen: your rashi is naturally devotional; music and lamps lift you.

Taking Navratri one step further

Devotion often brings a personal question to the surface: a marriage that is taking time, a job, a child's future or simple peace at home. That is a natural moment to look at your own chart. Prayer brings calm; a reading of your own chart can show the timing of the change you are praying for, so you can plan with hope rather than worry.

Begin free with the Ask Tara free. If you would like a personal reading written from your own birth details, our reports and prices explains what each report covers, and the offer below this page shows the current price. The free content above stays free, always.

Carrying Navratri into your own life

Navratri is not a test you can fail. It is a story that has comforted families for centuries, and it asks only for attention and a kind heart.

If something in it touched a hope or a worry in your own life, a marriage, a child, money or health, that is a good moment to look at your own chart calmly. The free kundli (muft janam kundli) shows it, and a personal written reading is there if you want more depth.