Navratri 2026
Durga Ashtami 2026: 18 or 19 October?
Answered for your city, worked out from where the Sun and Moon actually are.
Pick your city
In Delhi, Durga Ashtami is
Monday, 19 October
- Kanya pujan
- After sunrise (6:24 AM), before Ashtami ends at 10:52 AM
- Sandhi puja
- 10:28 AM – 11:16 AM
Why calendars disagree
- A tithi is a stretch of the Moon's journey, not a calendar day. Ashtami runs from Sun 18 Oct, 8:29 AM to Mon 19 Oct, 10:52 AM.
- A day takes its name from the tithi in force at its sunrise. Whichever sunrise falls inside Ashtami is Durga Ashtami.
- Calendars that say the 18th either count the day Ashtami begins, or are set for the Americas and Britain, where sunrise on the 18th already falls in Ashtami.
Maha Navami
Tuesday, 20 October
Navami begins at 10:52 AM on Ashtami itself, so many families do Navami puja and kanya pujan that afternoon.
Dussehra
Tuesday, 20 October
Bijoya Dashami by the sunrise rule, as Bengali calendars keep it: Wednesday, 21 October.
Questions
Is Durga Ashtami 2026 on 18 or 19 October?
In India, Durga Ashtami is on Monday, 19 October. Ashtami tithi runs from 8:29 AM, Sunday, 18 October to 10:52 AM, Monday, 19 October, and a day takes the tithi in force at its sunrise: at sunrise on the 18th it is still Saptami, at sunrise on the 19th it is Ashtami. In the US, Canada and the UK it falls on 18 October.
What is the Sandhi puja time?
Sandhi puja covers the last 24 minutes of Ashtami and the first 24 of Navami: in India, 10:28 AM to 11:16 AM on Monday, 19 October.
When is Maha Navami?
By the sunrise rule, Maha Navami is on Tuesday, 20 October. Navami tithi begins at 10:52 AM, Monday, 19 October, so in much of North India families do Navami puja and kanya pujan that afternoon.
When is Dussehra 2026?
Dussehra (Vijayadashami) is on Tuesday, 20 October, the day Dashami is in force in the afternoon.
How this is worked out: the positions of the Sun and Moon (astronomy-engine), one tithi for every 12° the Moon gains on the Sun; each day named by the tithi at your city's sunrise; Dussehra by Dashami in the afternoon. Local traditions can differ.