Archive · 15 Sep 2026
Shardiya Navratri 2026 Begins October 11, Ashtami Navami Coincide
Shardiya Navratri is a Hindu festival for worshipping Goddess Durga.
It lasts for nine days.
Each day honors a different form of Goddess Shakti.
In 2026, the festival will start on October 11.
People may fast, pray and recite sacred texts during this time.
Some devotees also perform a ceremony called Kanya Pujan.
The festival ends with Dussehra, also called Vijaya Dashami.
In 2026, Ashtami and Navami will be observed on the same day because of the lunar calendar sequence.
Shardiya Navratri will begin on October 11, 2026.
The festival is dedicated to worshipping Goddess Durga and nine forms of Goddess Shakti.
Devotees observe fasts, offer prayers, recite the Durga Saptashati and perform Kanya Pujan.
Navratri occurs during the lunar month of Ashwin in the Sharad Ritu season.
Because of a change in the lunar-date sequence, Ashtami and Navami will fall on the same day in 2026.
- Who
- Hindu devotees worshipping Goddess Durga and the nine forms of Goddess Shakti.
- What
- Shardiya Navratri, a nine-day festival involving prayers, fasting and religious rituals.
- When
- It begins on October 11, 2026, and culminates on the tenth day with Dussehra or Vijaya Dashami.
- Where
- The article does not specify a location; it describes the festival within Hindu religious practice.
- Why
- The festival is observed to worship Goddess Durga and the nine forms of Goddess Shakti.
- Start date
- October 11, 2026
- Festival duration
- Nine days, followed by the tenth-day observance of Dussehra or Vijaya Dashami
- Lunar month
- Ashwin
- Season
- Sharad Ritu
- Religious focus
- Worship of Goddess Durga and nine forms of Goddess Shakti
- 2026 calendar note
- Ashtami and Navami will fall on the same day
- Common observances
- Fasting, prayer, recitation of the Durga Saptashati and Kanya Pujan