Kamal Ghorui
Navratri is the most prominent Hindu festival, which is celebrated with immense devotion and purity. Goddess Durga is worshipped during Navratri festival. Devotees worship nine forms of Maa Durga during Navratri. The sole purpose of Navratri is to honor Goddess Durga. The first day of Navratri is dedicated to worship Maa Shailputri. On the first da of Navratro, devotees do kalash sthapana and perform puja to Maa Shalputri, the first form of Maa Durga. The day falls on pratipada of shukla paksha in the month of Chaitra. This year, Chaitra Navratri begins today, on March 19, 2026.
Navratri 2026: How to perform Ghatsthapana?
Devotees perform Ghatasthapana on the first day of Navratri to receive Goddess Durga’s blessings. They clean the puja area and place an idol of Goddess Durga and place a kalash in front of the idol. After completing all the rituals, Goddess Shailputri is worshipped by reciting mantras, decorating their homes with flowers and diyas.
Navratri 2026: Significance
On the first day of the Navratri festival, Shailputri Mata, the daughter of Maina and Himalaya, is worshipped by the devotees. She is depicted as riding a Nandi bull with a flower in her left hand and a trident in her right. She is endowed with the divine powers of Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu, and Lord Shiva. The Moon planet is ruled by Maa Shailputri, who can be worshipped and blessed by anyone, who is affected by the Moon or suffers from mental health issues.
Navratri 2026: Story
In a previous incarnation, Maa Shailputri was Sati, the daughter of King Daksha. The Goddess wanted to marry King Daksha even though he was adamantly opposed to Lord Shiva. Goddess Sati was wedded to Lord Shiva. King Daksha once invited everyone but Lord Shiva to a grand yajna. Goddess Sati wanted to go, so she questioned Lord Shiva about it. He told her that going there without an invitation would be unlucky. King Daksha offended Lord Shiva since she had visited the Yajna in defiance of his denial. Despite her intense anger and remorse about Lord Shiva stopping her, she disregarded him and went to see her parents. Then, in order to re-marry Lord Shiva, she immediately surrendered herself to the flames, departed from her body, and reincarnated as the Himalayan daughter.
Navratri 2026: Puja Rituals
1. As soon as you wake up, take a holy bath.2. Clean your house, especially the area, where you wish to put up an altar and do puja over the next few days.3. Dress elegantly and neatly before starting the puja rites.4. Collect all of the puja samagri, such as flowers, fruits, kumkum or vermillion, paan, supari, elaichi, coconut, incense sticks, Gangajal, earthen diya, desi cow ghee, and shringaar items.5. After placing an idol of Goddess Durga on a wooden plank, cover it with gangajal.6. serve kumkum or vermillion, light a diya with desi ghee, decorate the idol with garlands and shringar objects, and serve paan with five types of seasonal fruits, including supari, laung, and elaichi.7. Arrange a coconut on top of a kalash that has been decorated with crimson Kalawa, a sacred thread, and mango leaves.8. Next, fill an earthen pot with dirt and add grain seeds (Jawar). Add another layer of dirt, cover it with a plate, and then add water.9. Recite the Durga Mata Mantras to summon the idol. Give Goddess Shailputri a lotus and hibiscus flower while reciting Durga Saptashati Paath.11. One must do Maa Durga’s aarti before breaking the fast.12. Devotees frequently break their fast with dishes like fried potatoes, sabudana tikki, and sama kheer.13. Some devotees only eat fruits to break their fast since they are said to purify the body, mind, and spirit.
Maa Shailaputri Mantra:
1.ॐ देवी शैलपुत्र्यै नमः॥Om Devi Shailaputryai Namah॥2. वन्दे वाञ्छितलाभाय चन्द्रार्ध कृतशेखराम् । वृषारूढाम् शूलधराम् शैलपुत्रीम् यशस्विनीम् ॥Vande Vanchhitalabhaya Chandrardhakritashekharam। Vrisharudham Shuladharam Shailaputrim Yashasvinim॥“I pay my obeisance to Devi Shailaputri, who bestows with the wish fulfilment. The Goddess who has crescent moon on her forehead. She is mounted on the bullock. She is Yashasvini.”
