Navami 2026: Maa Siddhidatri worshipped today as Navratri ends; tithi timings

Maha Navami, the ninth and final day of Sharadiya Navratri, is being observed on Monday, 19 October 2026, when devotees worship Maa Siddhidatri, the last of the nine forms of Goddess Durga. According to panchang listings for New Delhi, the Navami tithi begins at about 10:51 am on 19 October and ends at about 12:50 pm on 20 October, which is why some families, especially those who follow the tithi at sunrise, will complete Navami rituals on Tuesday morning before Vijayadashami (Dussehra) is celebrated later that day. Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand have declared public holidays for Maha Navami on 19 October.

Navratri ends as it began, with devotion to the Mother Goddess, but Navami carries its own meaning. Siddhidatri, whose name means "giver of accomplishment", is understood as the form of Durga who grants spiritual attainment. Devotional accounts describe her as the goddess who bestows the siddhis, the spiritual powers listed in the tradition, which range from the ability to become as small as an atom to complete mastery. Worshipping her on the last day is seen as a way to complete the nine-day observance and seek the fruit of the whole festival.

She is commonly shown seated on a lotus, sometimes with a lion, with four arms holding a discus, a conch, a mace and a lotus, though descriptions of which hand holds what vary between sources. That variety is typical of living traditions, where regional practice and family custom shape how a goddess is pictured and worshipped.

For families, Navami is also a day of practical decisions. Because the tithi straddles two days this year, some will hold the havan and Kanya Pujan on Monday afternoon, after Navami begins, while others will wait for Tuesday morning. Those who have kept the nine-day fast usually break it, a step called parana, after the rituals; panchang guidance this year places parana on 20 October. Local priests and family custom decide which timing a household follows.

The day also sits at the meeting point of two great festivals. In much of north and west India, Navami closes Navratri and leads straight into Dussehra on 20 October, when effigies of Ravana are burned. In the eastern states, the final days of Durga Puja are under way, and in parts of the south, Ayudha Puja, the worship of tools, books and vehicles, is observed on Navami.

Short-term: Temples and pandals will see large crowds on Monday, and offices and schools are closed in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Many families will hold havan and Kanya Pujan at home.

Long-term: The observance keeps alive a long-standing devotional calendar in which the nine forms of Durga are worshipped in turn, passing on stories, rituals and family customs to the next generation.

Who is affected: Devotees observing Navratri; families holding Kanya Pujan; temple committees and pandal organisers; and offices and schools in states that have declared a holiday.

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