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Navratri · day 7

Navratri day 7: Maa Kalaratri

Saturday, 17 October 2026

Saptami · Colour: Grey

Edited by the SanatanBodh editorial teamLast updated: 5 sourcesDrafted with AI, checked against sourcesReport a mistake
A dark Kalaratri murti seated on a donkey in a temple, with a hibiscus garland
Image: made with AI
In short

The seventh day of Navratri 2026 is Saturday, 17 October 2026 (Saptami), when Maa Kalaratri is worshipped. The colour of the day (a modern custom) is Grey.

This year Saptami also holds at sunrise on 18 October. Drik Panchang names no separate devi for 18 October; Ashtami begins that morning and Maa Mahagauri is worshipped on 19 October.

Navratri 2026, Saturday, 17 October 2026: colour Grey, Maa Kalaratri
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Maa Kalaratri’s dhyana verse

एकवेणी जपाकर्णपूरा नग्ना खरास्थिता।लम्बोष्ठी कर्णिकाकर्णी तैलाभ्यक्तशरीरिणी॥वामपादोल्लसल्लोहलताकण्टकभूषणा।वर्धन्मूर्धध्वजा कृष्णा कालरात्रिर्भयङ्करी॥
In meditation Kalaratri appears like this: a single braid, hibiscus flowers at her ears, unclothed, seated on a donkey; long lips, ear ornaments and a body anointed with oil; a shining ornament like a thorny iron creeper on her left foot; a banner-like crest rising on her head (the exact sense of this word is unclear); dark in colour and terrifying.Dhyana verse, by tradition

Variant: In the last line the Gita Press “Nava Durga” booklet prints “vardhanamūrdhadhvajā” and Kalyan’s Shakti Ank “vardhanmūrdhadhvajā”.

Her form

  • Her colour is dark as deep night; her mount is a donkey.
  • Her form is fearsome, but she is held to bring good, so she is also called Shubhankari.

How to worship

  1. After bathing, worship the kalash and the Devi: water, roli, rice, flowers and a lamp.
  2. Recite Maa Kalaratri’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.

Maa Kalaratri’s bhog

Jaggery (gur)

By popular tradition, this is the bhog offered to Maa Kalaratri on the seventh day of Navratri. Jaggery, or a sweet made with it. 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 jaggery (guḍa) on Saptami.

The bhog of all nine days, with dates →

Frequently asked questions

Which devi is worshipped on the seventh day of Navratri?

Maa Kalaratri. She is seventh in the order of the nine forms given in the Devi Kavach.

When is this day in 2026?

Saturday, 17 October 2026.

What bhog is offered to Maa Kalaratri?

By popular tradition, jaggery (gur). Jaggery, or a sweet made with it. If your family’s custom differs, follow it.

What is the colour of the day?

Grey. 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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