Chaitra Navratri Calendar 1988
The Chaitra (spring) Navratri festival calendar - the nine nights from Gudi Padwa / Ugadi to Rama Navami, with the tithi for each day.
The Chaitra Navratri Calendar lists 6 dates in 1988, from Ugadi / Gudi Padwa / Chaitra Navratri on 18 March through Rama Navami on 26 March. March holds the most with 6 dates. The year runs through Vikram Samvat 2044 – 2045. 1988 carries an Adhik Maas (Jyeshtha (Adhik)), the extra lunar month that pushes several dates later than usual.
March 1988
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Ugadi / Gudi Padwa / Chaitra Navratri
Tithi 10:51 AM, Mar 17 – 7:32 AM, Mar 18
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 4:22 AM, Mar 19 – 1:24 AM, Mar 20
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 1:34 AM, Mar 20 – 11:09 PM, Mar 20
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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Ashokashtami
Tithi 9:30 PM, Mar 24 – 10:51 PM, Mar 25
On Chaitra Shukla Ashtami, Goddess Durga is worshipped and ashoka flower buds are taken to ward off grief.
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Rama Navami
Tithi 10:58 PM, Mar 25 – 12:54 AM, Mar 27
The birth of Lord Rama, celebrated with recitation of the Ramayana and temple processions.
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Basanti Puja
Tithi 10:58 PM, Mar 25 – 12:54 AM, Mar 27
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).
What happened in the sky in 1988
Beyond the dates the Chaitra Navratri Calendar lists, 1988 brought 4 eclipses - 2 solar and 2 lunar - of which 4 were above the horizon somewhere in India. The year also carried an Adhik Maas, the extra lunar month of Jyeshtha, running from 16 May 1988 to 14 June 1988. Ugadi / Gudi Padwa / Chaitra Navratri fell on 18 March, 11 days earlier in the year than in 1987 - a lunar year runs about eleven days short of a solar one.
Eclipses of 1988
| Date (IST) | Eclipse | Hindu date | Seen from India |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Mar 9:42 PM | Penumbral lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan) | Phalguna Purnima | Penumbral only |
| 18 Mar 7:28 AM | Total solar eclipse (Surya Grahan) on Ugadi / Gudi Padwa / Chaitra Navratri | Chaitra Amavasya | Yes - Sutak observed |
| 27 Aug 4:34 PM | Partial lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan) | Bhadrapada Purnima | Yes - Sutak observed |
| 11 Sep 10:13 AM | Annular solar eclipse (Surya Grahan) | Bhadrapada Amavasya | Yes - Sutak observed |
Sutak Kaal was observed for 3 of these. A penumbral (Upachhaya) eclipse is not counted as a grahan.
Guru and Shani in 1988
| Date | Graha | Sign change |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Feb 2:40 AM | Guru (Jupiter) | Meena → Mesha |
| 19 Jun 11:10 PM | Guru (Jupiter) | Mesha → Vrishabha |
Jupiter takes about a year to cross a sign, Saturn about two and a half. Rahu entered Kumbha on 6 March 1988, carrying the eclipse axis with it.
Related Calculators
Frequently asked questions about the Chaitra Navratri Calendar 1988
How many festivals and vrats does the Chaitra Navratri Calendar list in 1988?
The Chaitra Navratri Calendar lists 6 dates in 1988. The first is Ugadi / Gudi Padwa / Chaitra Navratri on Friday, 18 March 1988, and the last is Rama Navami on Saturday, 26 March 1988.
What are the main festival dates in the Chaitra Navratri Calendar for 1988?
The first major observances of 1988 are:
- Ugadi / Gudi Padwa / Chaitra Navratri - Friday, 18 March 1988
- Cheti Chand (Sindhi New Year) - Saturday, 19 March 1988
- Gangaur - Sunday, 20 March 1988
- Ashokashtami - Friday, 25 March 1988
- Basanti Puja - Saturday, 26 March 1988
- Rama Navami - Saturday, 26 March 1988
Which month of 1988 has the most observances in the Chaitra Navratri Calendar?
March 1988 is the fullest month with 6 dates, including Ugadi / Gudi Padwa / Chaitra Navratri, Cheti Chand (Sindhi New Year), Gangaur, Ashokashtami, Basanti Puja, Rama Navami.
Which traditional year does 1988 correspond to in the Chaitra Navratri Calendar?
The Gregorian year 1988 spans Vikram Samvat 2044 – 2045. The traditional year does not begin on 1 January, so one Gregorian year usually covers the end of one era year and the start of the next.
Did 1988 have an Adhik Maas?
Yes. 1988 carried an Adhik Maas (Jyeshtha (Adhik)), the extra lunar month inserted roughly every third year to keep the lunar calendar in step with the solar one. Festivals falling after it shift later in the Gregorian year, which is why 1988 dates can look out of place beside a neighbouring year.
Were there any eclipses in 1988?
1988 had 4 eclipses:
- 3 March 1988 - Penumbral lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan), penumbral only, so no Sutak was observed
- 18 March 1988 - Total solar eclipse (Surya Grahan), visible in India, so Sutak Kaal was observed
- 27 August 1988 - Partial lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan), visible in India, so Sutak Kaal was observed
- 11 September 1988 - Annular solar eclipse (Surya Grahan), visible in India, so Sutak Kaal was observed
Sutak Kaal is observed only for an eclipse actually visible where you are, so 3 of these were kept in India.
Did Guru or Shani change sign in 1988?
Yes - 2 sign changes among the slow grahas in 1988:
- Guru (Jupiter) entered Mesha on 3 February 1988
- Guru (Jupiter) entered Vrishabha on 19 June 1988
Jupiter takes about a year to cross one sign and Saturn about two and a half, so these transits colour the whole year rather than a single week.
Are these 1988 dates the same everywhere?
The dates follow the standard Indian sunrise-based calendar. Because a tithi begins and ends at a fixed moment rather than at midnight, an observance can fall a day earlier or later where sunrise differs - most noticeably outside India. Set your city in the box at the top to see the start and end times in your own local time, and check the daily Panchang for the exact window on the day.
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.
