Major Festival · Select a year for the Gregorian date
Chaitra Navratri: Hindu New Year, Gudi Padwa, Ugadi and Ghatasthapana
Chaitra Shukla Pratipada opens the Vikram Samvat year and nine days of Navadurga worship. Select a year for Ghatasthapana date.
चैत्र नवरात्रि / उगादि / गुड़ी पड़वा · · Shukla Pratipada
- Muhurat (2026)
- 06:24 AM to 10:24 AM
- Hindu month
- Chaitra
- Regions
- Pan-India, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh
- Deity
- Navadurga (nine forms of Goddess Durga)
Chaitra Navratri (Vasant Navratri) is the spring counterpart of Sharad Navratri. It begins on Chaitra Shukla Pratipada — the same tithi that Maharashtrians celebrate as Gudi Padwa, that Telugu and Kannada families celebrate as Ugadi, and that many North Indian calendars treat as the start of a new Vikram Samvat year. For nine days devotees install a kalash, recite Durga Saptashati or simple Durga aarti, and keep a satvik diet. Ram Navami, the birth of Rama, falls on the ninth lunar day of this same bright fortnight and is covered on its own dedicated page. Regional new-year foods — neem-jaggery (bevu-bella), puran poli, and shrikhand — belong to this same Pratipada morning.
When does Chaitra Navratri start?
Chaitra Navratri begins on Thursday, 19 March, 2026, Chaitra Shukla Pratipada. Ghatasthapana (kalash sthapana) should be done in the morning muhurat (06:24 AM to 10:24 AM), avoiding Rahu Kalam if it overlaps the start of your ritual. The nine nights run through Ram Navami. Use the year selector to see any other calendar. Kashmiri Pandits observe Navreh on this Pratipada; Sindhis observe Cheti Chand on the same lunar day in honour of Jhulelal. Always install the kalash after local sunrise on Pratipada.
- Start date: Thursday, 19 March, 2026.
- Ghatasthapana muhurat: 06:24 AM to 10:24 AM IST.
- Vikram Samvat begins on this Pratipada in many North Indian calendars.
Gudi Padwa, Ugadi and the Hindu New Year
The same sunrise that opens Navratri is a civil and cultural new year in large parts of India. In Maharashtra a gudi (bright cloth, copper or silver pot, neem and sugar garland) is hoisted at the entrance. In Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka, Ugadi pachadi mixes six tastes to acknowledge that the year will hold bitter and sweet events. Punjab’s Nanakshahi and Tamil Puthandu fall on other solar dates; do not conflate them with Chaitra Pratipada. Traders may open new ledgers. It is an auspicious day for satvik beginnings — study, household cleaning, and charitable giving — rather than for heavy tamasic celebration.
| Name | Region | Typical day |
|---|---|---|
| Chaitra Navratri Ghatasthapana | Pan-India | 19 March |
| Gudi Padwa | Maharashtra, Goa | 19 March |
| Ugadi | Andhra, Telangana, Karnataka | 19 March |
| Navreh / Cheti Chand | Kashmiri Pandit / Sindhi | 19 March |
| Ram Navami (day 9) | Pan-India | 27 March |
Nine days of Navadurga worship
Each lunar day is associated with a form of Durga (Shailaputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandamata, Katyayani, Kalaratri, Mahagauri, Siddhidatri). Recite the corresponding names if you follow that paddhati; otherwise a daily Durga aarti and kumari or kanya puja on Ashtami/Navami is sufficient. Keep the kalash water fresh, offer barley or wheat seedlings (jayanti) in a clay dish where that custom exists, and visarga (immersion or visarjan of the kalash water) on Navami or Dashami according to family practice. Fasting is optional and should be nutritious: fruit, milk, kuttu or samak rice where used, and adequate salt and water.
Key sacred rituals
- Ghatasthapana (Kalash Sthapana) in morning
- Hoisting Gudi flag at house entrance in Maharashtra
- Eating Bevu-Bella (neem and jaggery mix) symbolizing life's sweet and bitter phases
- Nine days of Durga Saptashati recitation and fasts
Frequently asked questions
When does Chaitra Navratri start?
Chaitra Navratri starts on Thursday, 19 March (Chaitra Shukla Pratipada). Ghatasthapana muhurat is 06:18 AM to 10:10 AM IST.
Is Gudi Padwa the same day as Ugadi?
Yes. Both are observed on Chaitra Shukla Pratipada, which is 19 March. Rituals differ by region but share the same tithi.
Which Vikram Samvat year begins?
Many North Indian Panchangs begin Vikram Samvat 2083 on Chaitra Shukla Pratipada, 19 March.
When is Ram Navami during this Navratri?
Ram Navami is on Friday, 27 March, the Navami of the same bright fortnight. See the dedicated Ram Navami page for madhyahna muhurat.
Can I start Ghatasthapana in the evening?
Morning on Pratipada is preferred. If you miss the stated muhurat, consult a local Panchang for the afternoon Abhijit window; do not install the kalash during night-time on Pratipada if your tradition forbids it.
Muhurat times are indicative for IST and may vary by city sunrise and tithi. Confirm with Today's Panchang.