Chaitra Navratri 2027: Dates, Rituals and Fasting Rules

Chaitra Navratri 2027 begins on Wednesday, 7 April and ends with Ram Navami on Thursday, 15 April. It is the spring Navratri, also called Vasant Navratri, and it opens the Hindu lunar new year.

The same nine forms of Durga are worshipped as in the autumn Navratri, but the mood is different. Sharad Navratri is loud, public and full of garba. Chaitra Navratri is quieter and more household based, built around fasting, daily puja and new beginnings, and it ends with the birth of Rama rather than with Dussehra.

Chaitra Navratri 2027 day wise calendar

Day	Date (2027)	Goddess	What is observed
Day 1	Wed, 7 April	Shailaputri	Ghatasthapana. Also Gudi Padwa, Ugadi and Cheti Chand
Day 2	Thu, 8 April	Brahmacharini	Fasting and daily puja
Day 3	Fri, 9 April	Chandraghanta	Gauri Puja in some regions
Day 4	Sat, 10 April	Kushmanda	Vinayaka Chaturthi
Day 5	Sun, 11 April	Skandamata	Naag Panchami in some traditions
Day 6	Mon, 12 April	Katyayani	Yamuna Chhath, Skanda Shashthi
Day 7	Tue, 13 April	Kalaratri	Saraswati and Mahalakshmi worship begins in some homes
Day 8	Wed, 14 April	Mahagauri	Durga Ashtami, Kanya Pujan. Also Baisakhi, Vishu and Bihu
Day 9	Thu, 15 April	Siddhidatri	Ram Navami and Maha Navami. Havan and fast breaking

Note the pile up on 14 April. Baisakhi, Vishu, Puthandu and Bohag Bihu all fall on Wednesday, 14 April 2027, alongside Durga Ashtami, which makes it one of the busiest festival dates in the Indian calendar that year.

Ghatasthapana on 7 April 2027

Ghatasthapana marks the start. It is performed in the first third of the day during Pratipada, and is traditionally avoided during Amavasya and during the Rahu Kaal window. If the morning slot is not available, the Abhijit Muhurat around midday is the accepted alternative.

1.      Clean the puja space and lay a bed of soil in a wide clay pot.

2.      Sow barley seeds in the soil and sprinkle water.

3.      Fill a kalash with water, add a coin, supari, akshata and durva, and place five mango leaves around the rim.

4.      Set a coconut wrapped in red cloth on top of the kalash and place it in the centre of the soil pot.

5.      Invoke Durga into the kalash, light the lamp, and if your family keeps an akhand jyoti it stays lit for all nine days.

Chaitra Navratri fasting rules

Fasting practice varies a lot between families. Some keep a full nine day fast, some fast only on the first and last day, and some simply eat vegetarian.

What is usually avoided

•       Grains such as wheat, rice, semolina, maida and besan

•       Onion and garlic

•       Common table salt, replaced with sendha namak, meaning rock salt

•       Non vegetarian food and eggs

•       Alcohol

What is usually eaten

•       Kuttu, buckwheat flour, and singhara, water chestnut flour, for rotis and puris

•       Sabudana, used for khichdi, vada and kheer

•       Samak rice, barnyard millet, cooked like a pulao

•       Potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, bottle gourd and colocasia

•       Milk, curd, paneer, makhana and dry fruits

•       Fruit, and fresh juice

A practical note. Nine days of fried sabudana and potato is heavy going. Keep fluids up, lean on fruit, curd and makhana, and if you have diabetes, low blood pressure, are pregnant, or are on medication that needs food, speak to your doctor before committing to a full fast rather than after.

Chaitra Navratri and Sharad Navratri compared

	Chaitra Navratri	Sharad Navratri
When in 2026 to 2027	7 to 15 April 2027	11 to 19 October 2026
Season	Spring, start of the Hindu new year	Autumn, after the monsoon
Ends with	Ram Navami	Vijaya Dashami, Dussehra
Character	Home based, fasting and puja	Public, garba, pandals, Durga Puja
Strongest in	North and West India, Vaishnavite communities	Gujarat, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Karnataka
Also called	Vasant Navratri, Rama Navratri	Shardiya Navratri, Maha Navratri

Kanya Pujan on Ashtami

On Durga Ashtami, Wednesday 14 April 2027, many households invite nine young girls, and usually one boy representing Bhairav, and serve them as forms of the goddess. Their feet are washed, a tilak applied, and they are given halwa, puri and kala chana along with a small gift and dakshina. Some families do this on Navami instead. Either is correct.

Frequently asked questions about Chaitra Navratri 2027

Q. When is Chaitra Navratri 2027?

A. Wednesday, 7 April to Thursday, 15 April 2027. Ghatasthapana is on 7 April and Ram Navami on 15 April.

Q. What is the difference between Chaitra and Sharad Navratri?

A. Chaitra Navratri is the spring Navratri that opens the Hindu new year and ends with Ram Navami. Sharad Navratri is the autumn one that ends with Dussehra and carries the garba and Durga Puja celebrations.

Q. Is Chaitra Navratri the same as Gudi Padwa and Ugadi?

A. They start on the same day. Gudi Padwa, Ugadi and Cheti Chand all fall on 7 April 2027, which is also day one of Chaitra Navratri, because all four mark Chaitra Shukla Pratipada.

Q. Can I eat rice during Chaitra Navratri fasting?

A. Ordinary rice is a grain and is usually avoided. Samak rice, which is barnyard millet rather than true rice, is permitted and widely used.

Q. When is Durga Ashtami in Chaitra Navratri 2027?

A. Wednesday, 14 April 2027. Kanya Pujan is done on this day or on Navami, 15 April.

Q. Why is Chaitra Navratri also called Rama Navratri?

A. Because the ninth day is Ram Navami, the birth of Rama, so the whole nine day period is associated with him in North India.

Q. How many Navratris are there in a year?

A. Four. Chaitra and Sharad are the two widely celebrated ones. The other two, Magha and Ashadha, are called Gupt Navratri and are observed mainly by tantric practitioners.