Saraswati Puja (Navratri) as it was kept in 2026.

Next date: 6 October 2027

Saraswati Puja (Navratri) 2026

Saturday, 17 October 2026, in Ahmedabad

ObservanceIndian · Hindu

Panchang on the day

October 2026Aso · Vikram 2082 Pingala

17

Saturday

Waxing Seventh

until 08:28 next day

Sagittarius

  • ભBha
  • ધDha
  • ફPha
Sunrise
06:36
Sunset
18:13
Moonrise
12:26
Nakshatra
Mula
until 09:46
Yoga
Atiganda
until 23:02
Karana
Gara
until 19:11
  • Rahu Kalam 09:30 to 10:57
  • Yamaganda 13:52 to 15:19
  • Abhijit muhurat 12:01 to 12:48

Why this date

Mula, while the sun is in Virgo

Runs from 16 Oct 06:47 IST to 17 Oct 09:46 IST.

In short

Saraswati Puja (Navratri) is a puja observed according to the Hindu calendar. Its date and customary practices can vary by region and local Panchang.

The story

Saraswati Puja during autumn Navratri honours the Goddess of learning, language, music and the arts. In many South Indian traditions families arrange books, musical instruments, tools and study materials respectfully before the deity in a ceremony often called Pooja Vaippu. The objects rest during the worship period, expressing gratitude for knowledge and for the discipline required to use it well. The observance is part of Navratri's worship of divine power, not a universally fixed event of Saraswati's historical birth.

Practices differ. In Kerala, the closing days of Navratri often include Pooja Vaippu, Saraswati worship and Pooja Eduppu, followed by Vidyarambham on Vijayadashami when children are introduced to letters. In Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, Ayudha Puja also honours tools, vehicles and instruments of livelihood. These traditions overlap but their exact ritual days and names are not identical.

The current festival record has no date rule, which is a genuine calendar gap. One single sunrise tithi will not necessarily capture the different regional dates of invocation, worship, removal of books and commencement of learning. Before adding rules, distinguish local school and temple practices from the separate Vasant Panchami Saraswati Puja.

Why it matters

Saraswati Puja (Navratri) is valued for devotion, family tradition and the spiritual or seasonal meaning attached to the day.

What people do

Pooja Vaippu, Saraswati worship, Pooja Eduppu and Vidyarambham or Ayudha Puja according to local tradition.

Told differently elsewhere

This app has no rule for it. It is fixed by a nakshatra inside a tithi window, and `RuleType.nakshatra` reads a star inside a solar month, so the entry carries no date rather than a wrong one.

Questions people ask

When is Saraswati Puja (Navratri) in 2026?
On Saturday, 17 October 2026 in India. Runs from 16 Oct 06:47 IST to 17 Oct 09:46 IST.
Why does the date change every year?
It is kept by the lunar calendar, so its day on the civil calendar moves from year to year.
Is the date the same everywhere?
Usually. Where sunrise falls at a different moment the day can differ by one, and the dates here are worked out for India.

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