Navratri Puja Vidhi — Step-by-Step Guide
This is a complete guide to performing Navratri puja at home, from Ghatasthapana on Day 1 through Navami Havan on the final day. Follow these steps to observe the nine-day worship of Goddess Durga with proper vidhi (procedure).
Ghatasthapana (Day 1) — Setting Up the Sacred Pot
Items Needed
Step-by-Step Procedure
Clean the puja area thoroughly. Sprinkle Ganga jal to purify. Lay a red cloth on a raised platform or chowki.
Place a layer of clean soil (2-3 inches) in the clay pot. Sow barley (jau) seeds evenly across the soil. These will sprout over 9 days, symbolizing prosperity.
Fill the kalash with holy water (Ganga jal or clean water). Add a betel nut, a coin, akshat (rice), and durva grass.
Place 5 or 7 mango leaves around the mouth of the kalash. Place a whole coconut with husk on top, with the tuft facing upwards.
Drape the kalash with a red cloth. Apply kumkum tilak and tie a mauli (red thread) around it.
Place Durga Ma's murti or photo behind the kalash. Light the akhand jyoti (this lamp should remain lit for all 9 days).
Invoke the Goddess with the mantra: "ॐ जयन्ती मङ्गला काली भद्रकाली कपालिनी। दुर्गा क्षमा शिवा धात्री स्वाहा स्वधा नमोऽस्तु ते॥" Offer flowers, akshat, and light the diya and dhoop.
Daily Puja Procedure (Days 1–9)
Wake before sunrise. Take a bath and wear clean clothes (preferably the day's Navratri colour).
Light or check the akhand jyoti (continuous lamp). If it has gone out, relight it with fresh ghee and a new wick. Pray for forgiveness if it went out.
Offer fresh flowers to the Goddess — red and yellow flowers are preferred. Remove the previous day's flowers.
Chant the mantra of the day's goddess 108 times using a rudraksha or tulsi mala. (Day 1: ॐ देवी शैलपुत्र्यै नमः, Day 2: ॐ देवी ब्रह्मचारिण्यै नमः, etc.)
Offer the specific bhog for the day (Day 1: Desi Ghee, Day 2: Sugar, Day 3: Milk, Day 4: Malpua, Day 5: Banana, Day 6: Honey, Day 7: Jaggery, Day 8: Coconut, Day 9: Sesame Seeds).
Read a chapter from the Durga Saptashati (Devi Mahatmya) or recite the Durga Chalisa. If time is limited, recite the Durga Kavach or Argala Stotram.
Perform the aarti — "Jai Ambe Gauri" is the traditional Navratri aarti. Circle the diya clockwise 3 times around the murti.
Sprinkle water on the barley sprouts in the Ghatasthapana pot. Healthy green sprouts by Day 9 are a sign of auspiciousness.
Ashtami Puja (Day 8) — Special Procedure
Ashtami is considered the most powerful day of Navratri. The puja on this day is more elaborate than the daily procedure, and includes Kanya Puja and Havan.
- •Elaborate Puja: Perform the full daily puja procedure with extra offerings — offer a new saree or red chunni to the Goddess, perform panchamrit abhishek on the murti.
- •Kanya Puja: Invite 9 young girls (ages 2–10) representing the Nava Durga. Wash their feet with warm water, apply tilak and haldi, offer them red chunni or new clothes, serve halwa-puri-chana as bhog, and give dakshina (money). Seek their blessings.
- •Havan: Light the havan kund using mango wood. Offer havan samagri, ghee, and samidhaa while chanting Durga Saptashati mantras. The smoke purifies the home.
- •Breaking the Fast: Many traditions break the Navratri fast on Ashtami after Kanya Puja. Others continue through Navami.
Navami Puja (Day 9) — Final Day
- •Final Prayers: Perform the complete puja for Goddess Siddhidatri. Offer sesame seeds (til) as bhog. Chant her mantra 108 times.
- •Navami Havan: If not done on Ashtami, perform the full havan on Navami. This is the concluding fire ritual of the nine-day worship.
- •Kalash Visarjan: Remove the coconut and mango leaves from the kalash. Pour the sacred water on a Tulsi plant or at the base of a peepal tree. The barley sprouts are distributed to family members — healthy sprouts indicate an auspicious outcome.
- •Kanya Puja (if not done on Ashtami): Some families perform Kanya Puja on Navami instead. The procedure is the same as described above.
Complete Puja Samagri (Items Needed)
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Navratri puja be done at home?
Yes, Navratri puja can be fully performed at home. In fact, Ghatasthapana (establishing the sacred pot) at home is the most common practice. You need a clean puja space, a kalash, Durga Ma's image or idol, and daily commitment to morning and evening prayers. The nine-day puja at home is considered equally sacred as temple worship.
What is Ghatasthapana?
Ghatasthapana literally means "establishing the pot." It is the ritual of setting up a sacred clay pot filled with water, covered with mango leaves and a coconut, on the first day (Pratipada) of Navratri. Barley seeds are sown in the soil beneath the pot. The pot represents the Goddess, and the growing barley sprouts symbolize the auspicious energy of the nine days. It must be done during an auspicious muhurat on Day 1.
How to do Kanya Puja?
Kanya Puja is performed on Ashtami (Day 8) or Navami (Day 9). Invite nine young girls (ages 2-10) representing the nine forms of Durga. Wash their feet, apply tilak and haldi on their foreheads, offer them new clothes or red chunni, serve them halwa-puri-chana as bhog, give dakshina (money), and seek their blessings by touching their feet. Never turn away a kanya once invited.