Chaitra Navratri 2019: Durga Ashtami, Kanya Puja, vidhi, timings, muhurat, all you need to know about

The Chaitra Navratri festival that began with much fanfare on April 6 will finally culminate on Saturday with Durga Ashtami and Navami on the same day. The eighth day is dedicated to Goddess Mahagauri. The name Mahagauri means extremely fair, as she was white in colour and very beautiful. Maa Mahagauri is usually depicted with four hands, the hands holding a trident, lotus and drum, while the fourth is in a blessing gesture. The lotus is sometimes replaced with a rosary. She rides a white bull, usually shown wearing white clothes.

This year, Ashtami and Navami tithis are on both on April 13. Sandhi puja is done at a point of time when Ashtami tithi ends and Navami tithi starts. This puja has a special significance during the festival of Navratri.

On Ashtami and Navami Tithi, devotees invite nine girls who haven’t attained puberty (seen as forms of the Goddess) to worship and offer food and prasad and seeks their blessings. Navratri, which is one of the most important periods in Hinduism, witnesses this age-old tradition for hundreds of years. The hosts put red threads (moli) around their wrists before serving their guests delicious bhog is a mix of fluffy poori, kala chana, halwa and coconut.

This year there are three timings for the Kanya Pujan on April 13, 2019:

• 06:41 am to 08:13 am
• 11:56 to 12:47 am
• 02:28 to 03:19 pm

According to drikpanchang.com, the Navami Tithi will begin at 11:41 am on April 13 and end at 09:35 am on April 14.