This year, the auspicious Hindu festival of Navratri will begin from October 17. The festival will end on Vijayadasami, on 25th of this month (October 25/26, depending upon timings).
Navratri, literally means ‘Nine Nights’, is a nine day long festival dedicated to Goddess Durga. During these nine nights and ten days, Goddess Durga is worshipped in her nine different forms, known as Navdurga. The tenth day is celebrated as Vijayadashami when idols of Goddess Durga are immersed into the water body.
According to the tradition, on the first day of Navratri, Goddess Durga is invoked into a Kalash with full Vedic rituals along with chanting of Mantras. The invocation and dwelling of Goddess Durga into the Kalash is known as Ghatasthapana or Kalashsthapana and is done at an appropriate time of the day.
In West Bengal Navratri is celebrated as Durga Puja. Goddess Durga is worshipped on the last three days of Navratri and these three days are famously known as Durga Saptami, Durga Ashtami and Durga Navami. It would be correct to say that Durga Puja in West Bengal is a smaller version of 9 days Navratri. Kalparambha and Bilva Nimantran during Durga Puja, which is done on the sixth day of Navratri, is symbolically same as Ghatasthapana or Kalashsthapana in other states.
Jyoti Kalash, Kumari Puja, Sandhi Puja, Navami Homa, Lalitha Vrat and Chandi Path are other famous rituals and events which are observed during 9 days Navratri.
The Ghatasthapana will be on Day 1 of the Navratri puja i.e on October 17, 2020, and Goddess Shailputri will be worshipped on this day.
Ashwina Ghatasthapana on Saturday, October 17, 2020
Ghatasthapana Muhurat – 06:23 AM to 10:12 AM
Duration – 03 Hours 49 Mins
Ghatasthapana Abhijit Muhurat – 11:43 AM to 12:29 PM
Duration – 00 Hours 46 Mins
Ghatasthapana Muhurta falls on Pratipada Tithi
Ghatasthapana Muhurta falls during prohibited Chitra Nakshatra
Pratipada Tithi Begins – 01:00 AM on Oct 17, 2020
Pratipada Tithi Ends – 09:08 PM on Oct 17, 2020
Chitra Nakshatra Begins – 02:58 PM on Oct 16, 2020
Chitra Nakshatra Ends – 11:52 AM on Oct 17, 2020
Complete Navratri 2020 day-wise schedule:
October 17, Day 1 – Pratipada, Ghatasthapana, Shailputri Puja
October 18, Day 2 – Dwitiya, Chandra Darshana, Brahmacharini Puja
October 19, Day 3 – Tritiya, Sindoor Tritiya, Chandraghanta Puja
October 20, Day 4 – Chaturthi, Kushmanda Puja, Vinayaka Chaturthi, Upang Lalita Vrat
October 21, Day 5 – Panchami, Skandamata Puja, Saraswati Avahan
October 22, Day 6 – Shashthi, Katyayani Puja, Saraswati Puja
October 23, Day 7 – Saptami, Kalaratri Puja
October 24, Day 8 – Ashtami, Durga Ashtami, Mahagauri Puja, Sandhi Puja, Maha Navami
Sandhi Puja begins at 06:34 AM
Sandhi Puja ends at 07:22 AM
October 25, Day 9 – Navami, Ayudha Puja, Navami Homa, Navratri Parana, Vijayadashami
October 26, Day 10 – Dashami, Durga Visarjan
(According to drikpanchang.com)
(Source: https://www.drikpanchang.com/navratri/durga-puja/durga-puja-calendar.html)
