Chaitra Navratri 2027: Ghatasthapana muhurat and date

When does Chaitra Navratri 2027 begin, and what is the Ghatasthapana time? Chaitra Navratri 2027 begins on Wednesday 7 April 2027. In New Delhi the Ghatasthapana muhurat is 6:06 AM to 7:25 AM. It is a short window, so it helps to have everything ready the night before.

Chaitra Navratri 2027 at a glance (New Delhi)

	New Delhi (IST)
Navratri begins	Wednesday 7 April 2027
Ghatasthapana muhurat	6:06 AM to 7:25 AM
Pratipada begins	5:21 AM, 7 April
Pratipada ends	4:29 AM, 8 April
Vaidhriti yoga begins	7:26 AM, 7 April

How the muhurat is chosen

Ghatasthapana, also called Kalash Sthapana, is the setting up of the sacred pot that invokes the Goddess at the start of Navratri. Drik Panchang's guidance is that it should be done:

• on Pratipada, the first day of the bright half of Chaitra;
• in the first third of the day after sunrise;
• avoiding Vaidhriti yoga and Chitra nakshatra where possible (Drik Panchang says they are advised against, though not prohibited).

In New Delhi on 7 April 2027, Pratipada has already begun before sunrise. The first third of the day would run until 10:17 AM, but Vaidhriti yoga begins at 7:26 AM. So the usable window is from sunrise at 6:06 AM to 7:25 AM.

Drik Panchang also says that it doesn't advise using Choghadiya to pick the Ghatasthapana time, as scriptures don't recommend it. If the morning window is not available to you, Drik Panchang names the Abhijit muhurat, around midday, as the alternative. The key point it stresses is that Ghatasthapana is done before Hindu midday while Pratipada is running, and never at night.

The nine days

Chaitra Navratri runs for nine nights in the spring month of Chaitra. In much of North India it ends with Ram Navami. Wikipedia's entry notes that it marks the first day of the Hindu lunisolar year, which is kept as Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra and Ugadi in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka. Each day is commonly linked to one of the nine forms of Durga, from Shailaputri on day one to Siddhidatri on day nine.

For all of 2027's festival dates, see our Hindu festival calendar 2027.

Ghatasthapana at home: the usual steps

Customs vary by family, so take this as a general outline:

1. Prepare the night before. Clean the puja space and keep the kalash, water, mango leaves, a coconut, red cloth and some clean soil ready.
2. Sow the grain. Spread a layer of soil in a wide clay pot and sow barley or other grain in it; it is watered through the nine days.
3. Set the kalash. Fill it with water, add a coin, rice or other items your family uses, place mango leaves at the mouth and put the coconut, wrapped in red cloth, on top.
4. Invoke the Goddess with a short prayer or the mantras your family uses, light a lamp, and offer flowers.
5. Keep the lamp going through the nine days if that is your custom (many families keep an akhand jyoti).

If you would like a pandit to perform the Navratri puja for you, see our Navratri Durga Puja page.

How these times were worked out

Every date and time in this article was computed by Proper Pandit's own panchang engine for New Delhi (28.61°N, 77.21°E, Indian Standard Time). We then checked each one against Drik Panchang's page for New Delhi on 31 October 2026. Where the two differ, it is by a minute or two, which comes from rounding and small differences in how sunrise and the Moon are calculated. We round the start of a window up and the end down, so a window shown here never runs past the one you would get from a more exact calculation.

Your own city will differ. Sunrise and sunset move with latitude and longitude, so look up your city on our panchang page, and if your family priest or temple follows a different timing, follow them.

Questions people ask

What is the Ghatasthapana time for Chaitra Navratri 2027? In New Delhi, 6:06 AM to 7:25 AM on Wednesday 7 April 2027.

Why is the window so short? Vaidhriti yoga begins at 7:26 AM. Drik Panchang advises avoiding it, which cuts the morning window short.

What if I can't do it in that window? Drik Panchang names the Abhijit muhurat, around midday, as the alternative. Ask your priest what your family follows.

When does Chaitra Navratri 2027 end? It runs nine nights. Ram Navami, which closes it in much of North India, falls on 15 April 2027 in New Delhi according to our festival calendar.