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Sharad Navratri Ashtami 2026

calendar18th Oct 2026
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Sharad Navratri Ashtami
Day eight is Durga Ashtami, dedicated to Mahagauri — fair, serene, dressed in white, riding a bull, holding a trident and a small hand drum. Coconut is offered as bhog, and purple is worn today. This is also when Sandhi Puja is held, at the brief junction between Ashtami and Navami, worshipped as the fierce Chamunda who conquered evil.
Sharad Navratri Ashtami 2026 falls on 18th October 2026.
Panchanga
Panchanga For 18th Oct 2026
Upcoming Dates For Sharad Navratri Ashtami
18th Oct 2026
Sunday
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7th Oct 2027
Thursday
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About
Parvati is said to have undertaken severe penance after Shiva once remarked on her dark complexion, and after bathing in the Ganga her skin turned radiant and fair, earning her the name Mahagauri, the supremely fair one. Some traditions place this transformation at Gauri Kund near Kedarnath, still a pilgrimage stop today. Her guardian planet is said to be Jupiter (Guru). At the sacred Sandhikal, the exact 48-minute window bridging Ashtami and Navami, the fierce Chamunda form of the goddess is worshipped with 108 lamps and 108 lotuses for defeating the demons Chanda and Munda at that precise moment.
PRARTHANA FOR SHARAD NAVRATRI ASHTAMI
Ya Devi Sarvabhuteshu
1. Ya Devi Sarvabhuteshu
Mahagauri Mantra
2. Mahagauri Mantra
Prarthanas & mantras for Sharad Navratri AshtamiListen to devotional prarthanas and chants for Hindu festivals

Festival Pooja & Pandit Booking

Want a Pandit-led pooja for this festival at home, or online if you live abroad? Dharmayana connects you with verified Pandits for all major Hindu festivals — Diwali, Navratri, Shivratri, Janmashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi and more.

You can book:

  • Festival pooja at home with a verified Pandit
  • Online / virtual pooja with live video and digital prasad
  • Same-day sankalp for time-sensitive festivals

Bookings, samagri lists and Pandit assignment are all handled inside the Dharmayana app — choose the festival, pick a date and the rest is taken care of.

Prarthana, Mantras & Vrat Katha

Every festival has its own prarthanas, stotras and vrat kathas. Reading or listening to them on the festival day is the simplest way to observe the tradition at home.

Inside the Dharmayana app you can listen to:

  • 1000+ prarthanas, mantras and stotras with clear audio
  • Festival-specific kathas — Lakshmi, Durga, Shiva, Ganesha, Krishna
  • Multilingual versions: Sanskrit, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and more

Browse the full collection of prarthanas or get the app to play them on the festival morning without ads.

Festival Date, Tithi & Muhurat

Hindu festivals are tied to a specific Tithi, not a fixed date — so the day shifts every year and even varies slightly across cities.

Open the Panchanga for the festival day to see the exact Tithi, Nakshatra, Yoga, Karana and Shubh Muhurat for pooja in your location.

The Dharmayana app keeps track of all upcoming festivals on the Hindu calendar and reminds you in advance.

Personalised Astrology Around Festivals

Festivals are also a good time to look at your kundali — many families plan sankalp, donations or new beginnings around them.

Inside the app you can:

  • Generate your personal Vedic kundali
  • Talk to a Jyotisha for guidance around career, relationships or health
  • Run kundali matching before fixing a marriage during the festival season

All of this is available inside the Dharmayana app — no fixed schedule, use it whenever you need it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Hindu festivals — like Diwali, Navratri, Mahashivaratri, Holi and Janmashtami — mark sacred moments tied to deities, seasons and lunar/solar cycles. Each festival has its own story, vrat, prarthana and rituals, and is timed using the Panchanga so the date moves slightly every year against the Gregorian calendar.

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