Chaitra Navratri Calendar
The Chaitra (spring) Navratri festival calendar - the nine nights from Gudi Padwa / Ugadi to Rama Navami, with the tithi for each day.
March 2026
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Ugadi / Gudi Padwa / Chaitra Navratri
Tithi 8:40 AM, Mar 18 – 6:53 AM, Mar 19
The lunar new year of the Deccan and Maharashtra; the nine nights of Chaitra Navratri begin.
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Cheti Chand (Sindhi New Year)
Tithi 4:52 AM, Mar 20 – 2:39 AM, Mar 21
On Chaitra Shukla Dwitiya, the day after Gudi Padwa, Sindhis welcome the new year and the birth (Avataran) of their patron saint Jhulelal — Uderolal, the incarnation of Varun the water god — with Behrana Sahib processions to a river or lake.
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Gangaur
Tithi 2:31 AM, Mar 21 – 12:00 AM, Mar 22
The climax of an eighteen-day Rajasthani festival to Gauri (Parvati) on Chaitra Shukla Tritiya; married women pray for their husbands and unmarried girls for a good groom, with grand processions of Gauri and Isar (Shiva) idols in Jaipur and Udaipur.
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Rama Navami
Tithi 1:45 PM, Mar 25 – 11:48 AM, Mar 26
The birth of Lord Rama, celebrated with recitation of the Ramayana and temple processions.
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Ashokashtami
Tithi 1:45 PM, Mar 25 – 11:48 AM, Mar 26
On Chaitra Shukla Ashtami, Goddess Durga is worshipped and ashoka flower buds are taken to ward off grief.
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Basanti Puja
Tithi 1:45 PM, Mar 25 – 11:48 AM, Mar 26
The springtime Durga Puja of Chaitra — the original worship of Durga — culminating on Maha Navami.
Tithi start and end times are shown in your local time. Festival dates follow the standard Indian (sunrise) calendar and may vary by a day in other regions, and may differ slightly from regional almanacs (especially around an Adhik Maas).
Frequently asked questions about Chaitra Navratri Calendar
When is Chaitra Navratri?
The nine nights of Chaitra Shukla Paksha, from Gudi Padwa and Ugadi to Rama Navami - usually late March or April. It is also called Vasant Navratri.
Why does it begin the new year in several traditions?
Because Chaitra Shukla Pratipada is the lunar new year for Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra, Telangana, Kashmir and the Sindhi community - Gudi Padwa, Yugadi, Ugadi, Navreh and Cheti Chand are all the same tithi under different names.
What is observed on Rama Navami?
The ninth day, Rama's birth, kept with a fast till noon, the reading of the Ramcharitmanas or Rama Raksha Stotram, and the Ram Chalisa. It closes the nine nights.
Is the fast the same as in autumn?
Yes - phalahar, one to nine days, with the kalash and akhand jyot for those who keep them. The Navratri vrat vidhi applies to both.
Which is the more important Navratri?
Neither, in the texts - both are equally prescribed. In practice the autumn Shardiya Navratri is the larger public festival, and Chaitra is kept more as a household observance.
About the Chaitra Navratri Calendar
The Chaitra (spring) Navratri festival calendar - the nine nights from Gudi Padwa / Ugadi to Rama Navami, with the tithi for each day.
Each entry lists the festival or vrat with its date, the prevailing tithi, and a short note on the observance. Use the year links to plan ahead into the coming years or to look up a date from the archive.
This list is the festival dates, not the daily five limbs. For sunrise, Rahu Kalam and the day's yoga, open the Panchang. Other calendars are on the Calendars index. The story of a fast is under Vrat Katha.
