Navratri Puja Vidhi with Kalash Sthapana, Muhurta, Mantra

Navratri Puja Vidhi at Home

There are four Navaratri festivals come in a year, out of two are called Gupta Navaratri those are falls in Ashadha, Magh Months and, one is Sharadiya Navaratri falls on Margashrisha Month, and one is Chaitra Navaratri falls on Chaitra Month.

What is the Navaratri Puja Method?

Sharadiya Navaratri is very important and most the people celebrate in India. The worship and fasting during Navaratri have special significance. Below is a detailed method for Ghatasthapana and Navaratri puja, which can be easily performed at home: Items and Preparation for Puja

Required Puja Materials for Navaratri Puja

• Idol or picture of Goddess Durga
• Copper, silver, or clay pot (kalash)
• Ganges water, milk, curd, ghee, honey, and sugar (for Panchamrit) Red cloth, roli (vermilion), sandalwood paste, akshat (rice), and betel nut.
• Red flowers, garland, and durva grass
• Incense sticks, lamp, camphor, and agarbatti
• Barley, clay pot (for sowing barley)
• Coconut, betel leaf, and cloves
• Prasad (kheer, halwa, fruits, and sweets)
• Durga Saptashati or Durga Chalisa book

Select the Puja Place

Choose a clean and quiet place to install Puja Chowki. It is best to set up the puja platform in the northeast (Ishaan Corner) direction. If this is not convenient, you can set up the Chowki anywhere you like. Spread a red cloth on a wooden chowki or platform.

Required Purification

Take a bath and wear clean clothes. Purify the puja place with Ganges water.

॥ अथः मंत्र ॥

ॐ अपवित्रः पवित्रो वा सर्वावस्थां गतोऽपि वा।
यः स्मरेत् पुण्डरीकाक्षं स बाह्याभ्यन्तरः शुचिः।।
ॐ पुण्डरीकाक्षः पुनातु, ॐ पुण्डरीकाक्षः पुनातु ॐ पुण्डरीकाक्षः पुनातु।

Know the Method of Navaratri Puja

Sankalpa (Resolution)

For Sankalp mantra we have already mentioned in Diwali Puja, Shivaratri Puja and Janmashtami Puja you can follow to same.

Take a bath in the Brahma Muhurta (early morning) and wear clean clothes.

Make ready, holding Ganga water, rice grains, and flowers in your hand, make the following resolution. The original Sankalpa mantra is very long and difficult, so I have given you a shortened version here. There is no mistake or flaw in this; you can use it.

Sankalp in a Simple Process

“On this auspicious occasion of Navratri, in the year [mention the year, e.g., 2026, in this Jambu Dwipa, Bharat Khanda, in [your city or town], in your residential area, during the Shukla/ Krishna Paksha, on this mention the day, e.g., Wednesday or Thursday, I resolve to perform the worship and observe the fast of Goddess Durga and dedicate myself to the adoration of Goddess Durga for these 9 days of Navratri.”

Kalash Sthapana (Installation of the Kalash)

Take some soil or sand in an earthen pot, sow barley seeds in it, and place it on a platform.

Fill a copper or earthen pot (Kalash) with Ganga water, betel nut, cloves, and a coin.

Draw a Swastika on the Kalash and wrap it with a red cloth (chunari). Place a coconut on top of mango leaves. Then place a flower garland or flowers on top of the coconut.

Place the Kalash in the center of the pot containing the barley seeds.

Instal Kalash and recite with the following mantra as following to invite Lord Varuna Deva.

॥ अथः मंत्र ॥

ॐ भूरसि भूमिरस्यदितिरसि विश्व-धाया
विश्वस्य भुवनस्य धर्त्री।
पृथिवीं यच्छ पृथिवीं दृ ह पृथिवीं मा हि सीः॥

Then light the Akhand Jyot (eternal lamp) or a diya (oil lamp). Read the following mantra when you light up the lamp.

॥ अथः मंत्र ॥

शुभं करोति कल्याणं, आरोग्यं धन संपदाम्,
शत्रु बुद्धि विनाशाय, दीपं ज्योति नमोस्तुते॥

Invoke Goddess Durga and chant the mantra: “Om Namah Chandikayai Namah (ॐ नमः चण्डिकायै )” (108 times).

Start with Ganesh Pujan

First, invoke Lord Ganesha. Lord Ganesha is worshipped before any other deity. Offer vermilion, sandalwood paste, naivedyam janeu, Bilvapatra, Durva Grass, and flowers to Lord Ganesha. Chant the Ganesh mantra: “Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha (ॐ गं गणपतये नमः)” at least 21 times.

Invocation of Goddess Durga

Then, place the idol or picture of Goddess Durga on the puja seat or chowki.

Take some rice grains and flowers in your hands and invoke Mother Durga. After the invocation, release the rice grains onto the idol or picture and offer pranam to Mahadevi. Offer a red color dupatta, flowers, and a garland to the Goddess, while continuously chanting the mantra: “Om Aim Hreem Kleem Chamundaye Vichche”.

Finally, offer your respects to the Goddess, saying, "O Mother, I am ignorant and lacking in wisdom, I do not know the proper worship rituals of yours. I am performing your worship to the best of my ability; please accept it."

Then offer flowers, rice grains, vermilion, sacred thread, betel nut, and betel leaf to the Goddess. Offer ornaments, clothes, and 16 items of adornment (Sholah Srinagar) to the Goddess.

After that, show incense and a ghee lamp (Deep) to the Goddess. Then offer Naivedya (food offering). In the Naivedya those should be with satvik like sweets, kheer (rice pudding), 5 seasonal fruits, and dry fruits.

After that, offer water to the Goddess for Achman (purification). Then offer Tambula (betel leaf, betel nut, and catechu) to the Goddess.

Then you can recite the Sri Durga Chalisa, or Sri Durga Saptashati, or any other mantra of the Goddess.

After the recitation or chanting, perform the Aarti of the Goddess with pure camphor and cow ghee.

After that, offer some Dakshina (loose currency) to the Goddess. Then offer apology, Hey Mahadevi! apologize to the Goddess, saying that if any mistake or oversight occurred during the puja, please forgive me.

What are the Rules for Navratri Fasting?

1. Fasting

Devotees can observe a fast for 2, 7, or 9 days according to their capacity. Don't forget to mention the number of days you will be fasting in your Sankalp (vow). You can consume fruits (potatoes, any fruits, sago, peanuts, dry fruits, milk, buckwheat puris).

2. Satvik Food

If you are unable to keep whole day fast, at least avoid Tamasic food (meat, fish, garlic, onion) during the Navaratri period.

3. Purity

Take a bath early in the morning, wear clean clothes, and keep the puja area pure with Ganga water.

4. Avoid Negativity

Stay away from anger, criticism, and lies, and abstain from sexual activity. If you are keep fasting till 9 days it is good to sleep on the bhumi.

5. Bhumi Shayan

Agar khali bhumi pe nahi so sakte to Kush ya phir ek kapde bicha kar uske upar so sakte hai, but pillow aur kuch use nhi karna hai.

6. Breaking the Fast

If you have observed a seven day fast, you can break the fast on Mahashtami. If you want to fast until Durga Ashtami, then you can break the fast on Maha Navami or on the tenth day, which is on Dussehra.

7. Kanya Pujan

After completing the Navratri fast, on the eighth or ninth day, you should perform Kanya Pujan (worship of young girls) by inviting five, seven, nine, or eleven young girls their age should be not more than 2 to 10 years.

Feed them sweets such as puris, halwa, and kheer, touch their feet as a sign of respect, and give them gifts along with some money as a Dakshina of appreciation. After doing this, your Navratri fast will be considered complete, and you will surely receive its blessings.

Moreover, I would like to say “Sharadiya Navratri” is a sacred occasion for devotion and worship of Goddess Durga's power. Performing Ghata Sthapana and daily puja at the right auspicious time brings the blessings of Goddess Durga, which brings happiness, prosperity, and peace into life.

Worship different forms of the Goddess each day, recite the Durga Saptashati, and conclude the festival with Kanya Pujan.

We wish this Navratri, may Goddess Durga remove all your troubles and illuminate in your life. Jai Matadi!