Skip to main content

NAVRATRI 2025 THE NINE FORMS OF DURGA





SEPT 22 MON SHAILPUTRI - Corresponds to Ghatastapana/ NAVRATRI BEGINS

SEPT 23 TUE BRAHMCHARINI

SEPT 24 WED CHANDRAGHANTA

SEPT 25 THU KUSHMANDA

SEPT 26 FRI SKANDAMATA

SEPT 27 SAT KATYAYANI

SEPT 28 SUN KALARATRI

SEPT 29 MON MAHAGAURI

SEPT 30 TUES SIDDHIDATRI 


OCT 1 IS DASAMI AYUDHA PUJA/ BEGINNING OF DUSSEHRA CELEBRATION -note that Dasami is Oct 1, but Dusshera is on Oct 02 due to Panchang variation/ community practice


OCT 2 IS VIJAYADASAMI AND THE CONCLUSION OF SHARAD NAVRATRI


THE NINE FORMS OF MAA DURGA ARE ILLUSTRATED:


SHAILPUTRI

She is the daughter of the king of the mountains called Himvat and Menavati, or Menaka, who was the daughter of the forefathers or Pitru. Shailputri (Shaila means mountains) is the daughter of the mountains and is the reincarnation of Sati. 

Shailputri symbolises new beginnings that are bolstered by strength and purity. 

The first day of Navratri is devoted to her.

BRAHMACHARINI OR THE ONE WHO PRACTICES PENANCE

She is the symbol of devotion, penance, and spiritual knowledge; she undertook severe penance for centuries to win the favor of Lord Shiva. (Brahma means penance and Charini means devotee). 

CHANDRAGHANTA ONE WITH A HALF MOON, SHAPED LIKE A BELL

Having married Shiva, she is ready for battle. To her devotees, she offers courage, fearlessness, and protection from enemies. She has a half-moon on her forehead in the shape of a bell, that warns evil-doers. 

KUSHMANDAka

She is the creator of the cosmos, which she did with her smile! She resides in the sun, and she is married to Lord Shiva. She brings relief from sickness (the sun always heals), and brings abundance, joy, and wellness.

 SKANDAMATA

She is the fifth form of the Devi. Maa Parvati is a mother and the destroyer of evil. She is the mother of Skanda, also known as Kartikeya. 

DURGA PUJA DAY 1 IS CALLED PANCHAMI AND IS NAVRATRI DAY 5, OR SKANDAMATA POOJA. Maa Skandamata rides a lion; she has four arms and carries no weapons. She holds her baby in her lap, with a lotus flower in each of her upper arms. The lower left arm blesses her devotees. She may be seated on a lotus rather than a lion; if so, she is called Padmasana Devi. As a mother, she is associated with maternal love and compassion. 


KATYAYANI OR BORN TO SAGE KATYAYANA

She was born to Rishi Katyana, as she was destined to kill Mahisasura. She was born from the energies of all the gods - Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma and the lesser gods as well. She was raised by sage Katyayan, and hence her name Katyayani. Like a warrior, she symbolises strength and determination. 


KAALRATRI

DURGA POOJA DAY 3 IS CALLED SAPTAMI, NAVRATRA DAY 7, AND IS KALARATRI POOJA. Kaalratri Devi is ferocious, with dark, loose hair, and her appearance is in alignment with her mission to destroy evil. 


MAHAGAURI

DURGA PUJA DAY 4 IS CALLED ASHTAMI OR NAVRATRA DAY 8. IT IS ALSO CALLED KUMARI PUJA, SARASWATI POOJA, MAHA GAURI PUJA, SANDI PUJA, AND MAHA NAVAMI. Mahagauri Devi is milky white and luminous. She removes suffering and bestows peace due to her gift of spiritual wisdom. 


SIDDHIDHARTI

DURGA PUJA DAY 5 IS CALLED NAVAMI AND IS THE NINTH DAY OF NAVRATRI. THIS IS THE END OF THE DEVI PAKSHA. AYUDHA PUJA ORSHASHTRA PUJA IS CELEBRATED ON THIS DAY. DURGA PUJA DAY 6 IS CALLED DASAMI (DEVI DEPARTS) OR VIJAY DASHAMI, AND IS ALSO CALLED DURGA VISARJAN. THIS IS NAVRATRI DAY 10. LADIES APPLY SINDOOR ON EACH OTHER AS THEY TAKE LEAVE OF THE DEVI, CALLED SINDOOR KHELA. Siddidharti Devi bestows spiritual well-being, peace of mind, success, and prosperity. 

According to the Devi Mahatmya, the battle between Durga Devi and Mahisasura lasted 9 days (hence Navratri), and on the 10th day or Dasami, she slew him. Hence, this day is celebrated as Vijayadasami. The Visarjan ceremony is the return of Durga Devi to her husband. 



                                                  ***************************

THE FIRST THREE DAYS OF Navratri are devoted TO DURGA AS WELL AS MAHAKALI TO DESTROY EVIL.

THE SECOND PHASE OF THE NEXT THREE DAYS IS A TIME WHEN THE DEVI IS REGARDED AS GIVING SPIRITUAL WEALTH. THIS IS DONE BY MAHALAKSHMI.

THE THIRD PHASE OF THE LAST THREE DAYS IS THE WORSHIP OF THE GODDESS OF WISDOM OR MAHASARASWATI. 

                                              *******************************


YEAR 2025 DURGA POOJA CALENDAR MAIN EVENTS SEPT 28 TO OCT 2


MAHALAYA AMAVASYA is on September 21, 2025, and is the end of the 14 days called Pitru Paksha. One honors one’s ancestors on this day, and homage is paid by prayer, charitable acts, and feeding crows.


Mahalaya (meaning the great temple or ashram) is of significance to the people of eastern India and the Bengali community. The day begins at 430 am by tuning in to All India Radio, to listen to the late Birendra Krishna Bhadra’s booming voice reciting Sanskrit shlokas from Mahisasuramardini. 


The morning of Mahalaya is devoted to the invocation of the Devi (aavahan) or requesting the Goddess to descend to earth, leaning behind her husband, Lord Shiva, and Nandi at Mount Kailash. 

 

A significant activity of Mahalaya is the act of Chokku Dan, or the drawing of the eyes on the already constructed idol of Durga Devi. This is done in a specific sequence - first the third eye or Trinaya, the left eye, and the right eye. Hymns that praise Devi are chanted all the while. 

The formal festivities of Puja start on “Maha Sashthi,” the sixth day, highlighted by the grand unveiling of Durga’s idol to the public amid the vibrant beats of “dhakis” playing the traditional “dhak” drum, a staple of the puja and Bengali tradition.


The next day, “Maha Saptami,” begins with the early morning ritual of immersing a banana tree in water, symbolically transforming it into the “Kola Bou” (Banana Bride), dressed in a saree with a red border and placed beside Lord Ganesha. The “Kola Bou” is interpreted by some as Ganesha’s bride, while others see it as a representation of Goddess Durga herself or a sacred assembly of nine plants embodying the goddess’s plant form.


“Maha Ashtami,” the eighth day, is crucial as it commemorates Durga’s triumph over Mahishasura. This day is filled with devotees offering prayers with “Anjali” and enjoying festive meals like khichdi. 


The following day, “Maha Navami,” commences after the “Sandhi Puja,” culminating in the grand “Maha Aarti,” drawing large crowds for participation. Ayudha Puja is performed on Navami, the day before Dusshera. Shastra Puja, or the worship of weapons, is performed on the same day as Navami.   


The festivities conclude on “Maha Dashami,” the tenth day, with the immersion of Durga and other deities’ idols in the river Ganges, a ceremony known as “Visarjan.” Before this immersion, married women partake in “Sindoor Khela,” applying vermilion to each other’s faces. The day wraps up with processions and joy, and the tradition of visiting relatives to exchange “Bijoya Dashami” greetings signals the end of Durga Puja.

Arguably, the grandest end to Navratri is on Dusshera, which is on the 2nd of October. In Mysore, it is said that the goddess Chamundeshwari, who is Durga, slew the demon Mahasiasura on this day. The Maharaja of Mysore, mounted on a magnificent elephant, leads a grand procession of decorated jumbos from the Mysore Palace to the Bannimantap Grounds, where a torchlight procession takes place, marking an end to the celebrations.


How do Navratri and Durga Puja align with the slaying of Ravana at the hands of Lord Rama? Actually, there is no friction at all. The Vaishnava tradition has Lord Rama, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, fighting to destroy the forces of evil. So, Dasami, the day when Durga Devi finally slays Mahisasura, is the day when Lord Rama destroys Ravana. On this day, effigies of Ravana, Meghnath, and Kumbhakarna are burnt to symbolise the victory of good over evil, and the destruction of ego and arrogance. 


Tithi

Date

Rituals



MAHALAYA

SEPT 21 


PRATIPADA

SEPT 22

MONDAY


DWATIYA OR DAY 2

TUESDAY SEPT 23


TRITHIYA OR

DAY 3

WEDNESDAY

SEPT 24


CHATURTI OR DAY 4, SEPT 25

THURSDAY


PANCHAMI OR DAY 5, SEPT 26

FRIDAY

        

 

SHE Goddess Durga idol is invoked (CALL ON A DEITY IN PRAYER)/ Start of Devi paksha/ Chandi Pth recitation/ Painting of the eyes of Maa Durga. It is called CHOKKU DAAN



First day of the nine-night festival of Navratri. The key ritual is Ghatasthapana or Kalash Stapana. She is Shailputri



SHE IS BRAHMACHARINI 



CHANDRAGHANTA MAA PUJA



MAA KUSHMANDA PUJA IS DONE



MAA SKANDAMATA PUJA


Sashti Tithi

SEPT 27 SATURDAY



Akaal Bodhan will be celebrated/Kalparambha/ Goddess installed BEGINNING OF DURGA POOJA SHE IS KATYAYANI MAA and is so worshipped



Saptami Tithi, Sept 29 SUNDAY


, 

Kola Bou Puja is performed/Navapatrika, an assembly of 9 sacred plants. KAALRATRI PUJA IS DONE


Ashtami Tithi

Sept 29 MONDAY


, 

Kumari Puja and Sandhi Puja will be done MAHAGAURI PUJA


Navami Tithi

SEPT 30 TUESDAY

MAHANAVMI



Durga Balidaan/ Navmi Puja/Saraswati Puja/ Sandhi Puja/ 

Siddidharti Puja



Dashami Tithi


OCT1

WED



VIJAYADASAMI

OCT 2

THURSDAY

DUSSHERA


Bengali Durga Visa

rjan, Sindoor Khela

Farewell to Maa

DUSSHERA


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

SOME THOUGHTS ON THE RELEVANCE OF THE MAHATMA IN TODAY’S WORLD

October 02 or Gandhi Jayanti celebrates the birth of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi or Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation. That day is celebrated globally as the International Day of Non-Violence as well. It stirs the question of the relevance of Gandhian ideas in a world beset by wars, authoritarianism, religious intolerance, pollution, climate change, and racism, all issues that plague our times. This is despite his devastatingly brutal demise on 30 January 1948, aged 78 at Birla House, New Delhi. Gandhi’s ideas are based on his vision of a just and equitable society and are worth a re-look. NON-VIOLENCE. Many would consider the Gandhian idea of non-violence or  Ahimsa  as redundant in a world armed to the teeth with chemical, biological, nuclear, and conventional weapons.  Ahimsa , first propounded by the 24th Jain  Tirthankara  and ascetic Mahavira in the 6th century BCE, was a method employed by Gandhi to achieve political and social change. Gandhi believ...
Post a Comment
Read more

DEVI AND NAVRATRI

Hinduism, staunchly rooted in polytheism, envisages the Divine in both male and female forms. The Divine Devi takes many forms: as Parvati, She is married to Shiva and this union is held as the ideal. She is a benevolent Mother, devoted to her husband and her children. As Lakshmi, She is the wife of Vishnu and the Goddess of fortune. She is Saraswati, the wife of Brahma, and the Goddess of learning and music. Devi is manifest in all other Goddesses, as well as in village deities. As such Devi can be a generic name for any goddess, and to some she is known as The Great Goddess or Mahadevi. This is the female counterpart of Mahadeva. When the Devi manifests in Her gentle maternal manner called saumya, She becomes the ideal of all women. She is the Mother or Maa. It does not permit the Devi an identity separate from her husband.  The unmarried form of Devi leads to an independent, fiercely untamed, and angry embodiment called the ugra form that battles the forces of evil. In doing so ...
Post a Comment
Read more

JANMASHTAMI AND THE BHAGAVAD GITA

The cardinal figure in both the festival of Janmashtami and the Gita is the 8th avtar of Bhagwan Vishnu who is known to us as Lord Krishna; Janamashtami is a pan India festival that celebrates the birth of the Lord. The mythology behind Janmashtami is well known. Krishna, the eighth son of Devaki and Vasudev was born in prison, in Mathura. Its ruler, Kansa, had learnt that he would die at the hands of Devaki’s child. To obviate this, he imprisoned her and her husband, and their children were killed immediately after birth. On the night of the birth of Krishna, the prison guards fell asleep and Vasudev carried the divine baby across the Yamuna River to Vrindavan and left him in the care of Yashoda and Nanda. Krishna grew up as a cowherd and returned to Mathura to eliminate Kansa. The death of the powerful, but wicked Kansa signifies the triumph of righteousness over evil.  Janmashtami is always celebrated with fervor and enthusiasm in the entire country. Temples and houses are decor...
Post a Comment
Read more