The Devī Bhāgavata and the Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa speak of four Navarātris in the year. Two are public, in Caitra and Āśvina, and two are Gupta or hidden, in Māgha and Āṣāḍha, when worship of the Daśa Mahāvidyās, the ten tantric forms of the Devī, is held to be most fruitful. South Indian pañcāṅgas name the Āṣāḍha window for Varāhī, the boar-faced Mātṛkā who in Śrīvidyā leads Lalitā Tripurasundarī's army as Daṇḍanāthā. As the śakti of Varāha, who raised the earth, she guards soil, harvest and home, and the month that opens the monsoon is thought fitting for her. How the days are fixed: The nine days run from Āṣāḍha Śukla Pratipadā through Navamī, each tithi counted from local sunrise. The first day falls on the day after the Āṣāḍha new moon. Keep in mind: Because each tithi is read at local sunrise, the start can differ by a day from place to place. North Indian pañcāṅgas call the same nine days Āṣāḍha Gupta Navarātri, and the name changes while the tithis stay the same. This year: The 2026 date shown here is worked out from sunrise at the place you chose, so in another city the same day can fall a day earlier or later. Worship at home: Śākta households and sādhakas light a lamp, recite the Durgā Saptaśatī, chant the mantra given by their guru and often keep a fast or a single meal through the nine days. There is no golu, pandal or procession, since the worship is meant to be inward. Temples of Varāhī: The Varāhī shrine in the Bṛhadīśvara temple at Thanjavur holds an Āṣāḍha Navarātri festival in these days. The old Varāhī temple at Chaurasi in Odisha's Puri district is also well known. Worth remembering: Varāhī Navarātri is separate from Śāradā Navarātri in Āśvina and Vasanta Navarātri in Caitra. The Māgha Gupta Navarātri, kept for Mātaṅgī, is a separate observance as well. Varāhī Navarātri is chiefly the practice of Śrīvidyā and Śākta households, and many families do not keep it at all. What is recited, which mantra is chanted and whether a fast is kept depend on the guru's instruction and the custom of the house. Where there is no such lineage, it is best to follow the elders of one's own house rather than take up tantric rites alone.
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