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Navratri · day 8

Durga Ashtami: Maa Mahagauri

Monday, 19 October 2026

Ashtami, Navami from late morning · Colour: Peacock Green

Edited by the SanatanBodh editorial teamLast updated: 5 sourcesDrafted with AI, checked against sourcesReport a mistake
A Mahagauri murti in white on a white bull, holding a trident and a damaru
Image: made with AI
In short

Durga Ashtami 2026 is on Monday, 19 October 2026, the day of Maa Mahagauri’s worship and Kanya Puja. In New Delhi the Ashtami tithi runs from 8:29 AM (18 October) to 10:53 AM, and Sandhi Puja is at 10:29–11:17 AM. Drik Panchang puts the Maha Navami puja on the same day.

Durga Ashtami and Maha Navami 2026: why both are on 19 October, and when to do Kanya Puja and the parana

Navratri 2026, Monday, 19 October 2026: colour Peacock Green, Maa Mahagauri
Save the day’s picture for your WhatsApp status. All 9 days

Maa Mahagauri’s dhyana verse

श्वेते वृषे समारूढा श्वेताम्बरधरा शुचिः।महागौरी शुभं दद्यान्महादेवप्रमोददा॥
May Mahagauri, pure, riding a white bull and dressed in white, the one who brings joy to Mahadeva, grant what is good.Dhyana verse, by tradition

Sandhi Puja time (19 October 2026)

10:29–11:17 AM

Sandhi Puja is held in the last 24 minutes of Ashtami and the first 24 minutes of Navami. The tithi changes at one moment, so in Indian Standard Time the window is the same across India. A minute or two from Drik Panchang (10:27 AM–11:15 AM) is normal.

Drik Panchang lists Kanya Puja on Ashtami; many families keep it on Navami. Follow your family’s custom.

Her form

  • Very fair in colour; she rides a white bull and wears white.
  • Four arms: a trident, a damaru, and the gestures of fearlessness and blessing.

How to worship

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

Coconut

By popular tradition, this is the bhog offered to Maa Mahagauri on the eighth day of Navratri. Coconut, or a coconut sweet. 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 coconut on Ashtami.

The bhog of all nine days, with dates →

Frequently asked questions

Which devi is worshipped on the eighth day of Navratri?

Maa Mahagauri. She is eighth in the order of the nine forms given in the Devi Kavach.

When is this day in 2026?

Monday, 19 October 2026.

What bhog is offered to Maa Mahagauri?

By popular tradition, coconut. Coconut, or a coconut sweet. If your family’s custom differs, follow it.

What is the colour of the day?

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

When is Sandhi Puja?

19 October 2026, 10:29–11:17 AM (all of India, IST): the last 24 minutes of Ashtami and the first 24 of Navami.

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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