Festival · Nine nights of the Goddess
Sharad Navratri 2027: date, tithi and muhurat
Sharad Navratri 2027 falls on Thursday, 30 September, on Shukla Pratipada of Ashwina. The times here are for Chandigarh; choose your city to see yours.
What Sharad Navratri is
Sharad Navratri, the autumn Navratri, is the nine-night festival of the Goddess that begins on Ashwina Shukla Pratipada, the first day after the new moon of Ashwina. Durga is worshipped in nine forms, from Shailaputri to Siddhidatri, one on each night. In the north the nights are for fasting and the Ramlila plays, in Gujarat for garba and dandiya, in Bengal for the build-up to Durga Puja, and in the south for the Golu display of dolls. The ninth day is Maha Navami and the tenth is Dussehra.
How the date is fixed
The first day is the one on which Pratipada is present at sunrise. The nine nights open with Ghatasthapana, the installation of the kalash, which the texts place in the first third of the daylight and which avoids Chitra nakshatra and Vaidhriti yoga. If neither is clear, the Abhijit muhurta, the midday window of about 48 minutes, is the accepted fallback.
Dates for 2026 to 2028
Sharad Navratri is on Sunday, 11 October in 2026, Thursday, 30 September in 2027 and Tuesday, 19 September in 2028. These dates are calculated from the sky for Chandigarh, not copied from a printed calendar. It falls on Shukla Pratipada of Ashwina.
| Year | Date | Tithi and month |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Sunday, 11 October | Shukla Pratipada · Ashwina |
| 2027 | Thursday, 30 September | Shukla Pratipada · Ashwina |
| 2028 | Tuesday, 19 September | Shukla Pratipada · Ashwina |
Muhurat for Sharad Navratri
For Chandigarh in 2027, the main time is the Ghatasthapana muhurat: 8:06 am – 10:14 am on Thursday, 30 September. Sunrise, sunset and the parts of the day move with the city, so the window, and sometimes the day itself, can change elsewhere. Choose your city below and the tables follow.
| Muhurat | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ghatasthapana muhurat | 11:46 am – 12:33 pm | 8:06 am – 10:14 am | 6:10 am – 10:14 am |
| First third of the daylight | 6:22 am – 10:14 am | 8:06 am – 10:14 am | 6:10 am – 10:14 am |
A kalash of water and mango leaves is set in a clean place, barley is sown in a small tray, and a lamp is lit that burns through the nine nights. Many people fast fully or take only fruit and milk, and some end the fast on Ashtami or Navami with Kanya Puja, feeding young girls.
Chaitra Navratri in spring has the same shape; this page is for the autumn one, called Shardiya after Sharad, the autumn season.
A share card for the Sharad Navratri muhurat is coming. Today the app has one for Diwali only.
Questions people ask
What is Ghatasthapana?
Ghatasthapana, also called Kalash Sthapana, is the installation of a pot (ghata) of water that stands for the Goddess through the nine days. It is the opening rite of the festival, so the texts give it a precise window.
What if the morning window is blocked?
The texts avoid beginning Ghatasthapana under Chitra nakshatra and Vaidhriti yoga. When these cover the first third of the day, the Abhijit muhurta, the midday window, is accepted instead, and the muhurat table here says which one applies in your city.
How many Navratris are there in a year?
Traditionally four: Chaitra, Ashadha, Sharad and Magha. Chaitra and Sharad are the two widely kept; Ashadha and Magha are the “Gupt” Navratris, observed by a smaller number of devotees.
When is Sharad Navratri in 2026, 2027 and 2028?
Sharad Navratri is on Sunday, 11 October 2026; Thursday, 30 September 2027; Tuesday, 19 September 2028, calculated for Chandigarh. In another city the day can differ by one when the tithi starts or ends close to the time of day the rule uses.
How does JYOTISH.info calculate Sharad Navratri?
From the sky, with the astronomy-engine library on the Lahiri sidereal zodiac: the lunar month from the Sun’s sign at the new moon, the tithi from the Moon–Sun angle, and the day part that the festival’s own rule asks for, at the city’s sunrise and sunset. Nothing is copied from a table. The rule is stated above and the full method is on the method page.
Every position on this page is calculated sidereal with the Lahiri ayanamsa from the astronomy-engine library (MIT licence). The classical texts describe tendencies; this page is for guidance and reflection, not a verdict, and no outcome is promised. How we calculate. This is the English page and the legal reference. The same page is available in Hindi. Checked October 2026.