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Navratri · day 1

Navratri day 1: Maa Shailputri

Sunday, 11 October 2026

Pratipada · Colour: Orange

Edited by the SanatanBodh editorial teamLast updated: 5 sourcesDrafted with AI, checked against sourcesReport a mistake
A Shailputri murti seated on a bull in a Navratri pandal, holding a trident and a lotus
Image: made with AI
In short

The first day of Navratri 2026 is Sunday, 11 October 2026 (Pratipada), when Maa Shailputri is worshipped. The colour of the day (a modern custom) is Orange.

Navratri 2026, Sunday, 11 October 2026: colour Orange, Maa Shailputri
Save the day’s picture for your WhatsApp status. All 9 days

Maa Shailputri’s dhyana verse

वन्दे वाञ्छितलाभाय चन्द्रार्धकृतशेखराम्।वृषारूढां शूलधरां शैलपुत्रीं यशस्विनीम्॥
To gain what I long for, I bow to the glorious Shailaputri, who wears the half-moon on her head, rides a bull and holds a trident.Dhyana verse, by tradition

Her form

  • Daughter of Himalaya, king of the mountains, hence the name Shailaputri.
  • She rides a bull, holds a trident in her right hand and a lotus in her left, with a half-moon on her head.

How to worship

  1. After bathing, worship the kalash and the Devi: water, roli, rice, flowers and a lamp.
  2. Recite Maa Shailputri’s dhyana verse and meditate on her form.
  3. Read the Durga Saptashati, the Durga Chalisa or your family’s text.
  4. End with the Durga aarti; offer bhog as your family does.

This is the usual order of the daily Navratri puja; follow your purohit or family custom where it differs.

Many homes light an akhand jyoti on the first day: how it is kept for nine days

Maa Shailputri’s bhog

Ghee

By popular tradition, this is the bhog offered to Maa Shailputri on the first day of Navratri. Pure ghee, or something made with it, such as halwa. If your family’s custom differs, follow it.

The Devi Bhagavata Purana (book 8, chapter 24) gives the Devi’s offerings by tithi, not by the names of the nine forms. For this day’s tithi it gives ghee on Pratipada.

The bhog of all nine days, with dates →

The nine forms in the Devi Kavach

प्रथमं शैलपुत्री च द्वितीयं ब्रह्मचारिणी।तृतीयं चन्द्रघण्टेति कूष्माण्डेति चतुर्थकम्॥पञ्चमं स्कन्दमातेति षष्ठं कात्यायनीति च।सप्तमं कालरात्रीति महागौरीति चाष्टमम्॥नवमं सिद्धिदात्री च नवदुर्गाः प्रकीर्तिताः।
First Shailaputri, second Brahmacharini, third Chandraghanta, fourth Kushmanda, fifth Skandamata, sixth Katyayani, seventh Kalaratri, eighth Mahagauri and ninth Siddhidatri: these are called the nine Durgas.Devi Kavach, verses 3–5 (read before the Durga Saptashati)

Frequently asked questions

Which devi is worshipped on the first day of Navratri?

Maa Shailputri. She is first in the order of the nine forms given in the Devi Kavach.

When is this day in 2026?

Sunday, 11 October 2026.

What bhog is offered to Maa Shailputri?

By popular tradition, ghee. Pure ghee, or something made with it, such as halwa. If your family’s custom differs, follow it.

What is the colour of the day?

Orange. Wearing the colour of the day is a modern custom, not a scriptural rule.

Sources

  1. Dhyana verse: by tradition; compared with Gita Press “Nava Durga” and Kalyan “Shakti Ank” (p. 642)
  2. Order of the nine forms: the Devi Kavach read before the Durga Saptashati, verses 3–5
  3. Form: Gita Press “Nava Durga”, Drik Panchang (Navadurga)
  4. Date, tithi and colour: Drik Panchang, Sharad Navratri 2026 (New Delhi); SanatanBodh panchang calculation
  5. Bhog: popular tradition, compared with the lists of Webdunia, Amar Ujala, Punjab Kesari, ETV Bharat and the Free Press Journal; offering of the tithi: Devi Bhagavata Purana, book 8, chapter 24

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