Ashwina Navratri is the nine-night festival of Goddess Durga observed in the lunar month of Ashwin, the most widely celebrated of the four Navratris in the Hindu calendar. It is also called Sharad Navratri, because it falls in Sharad Ritu, the post-monsoon season, and Maha Navratri, because of how widely and elaborately it is observed compared to the other three. In 2026 it runs from Sunday 11 October to Tuesday 20 October.
If you came here for the day-by-day 2026 calendar, Ghatasthapana muhurat and colour chart, our full Navratri 2026 guide has the complete breakdown for Dubai. This page answers a different question: what makes Ashwina Navratri distinct from the Chaitra, Magha and Ashadha Navratris that most people outside India have never heard of.
The four Navratris
| Navratri | Season | How widely observed |
| Chaitra Navratri | Spring, around March-April | Public and widely observed - second only to Ashwina |
| Ashadha Navratri (Gupta) | Monsoon, around June-July | Private - kept mainly by Tantric and Shakti worshippers |
| Ashwina Navratri (Sharad) | Post-monsoon, around September-October | Public and the most widely celebrated of all four |
| Magha Navratri (Gupta) | Winter, around January-February | Private - kept mainly by Tantric and Shakti worshippers |
Every lunar year carries all four, but only two - Chaitra and Ashwina - are observed publicly with Ghatasthapana, Durga idols, Garba and the wider festival atmosphere most people associate with Navratri. The other two, in Ashadha and Magha, are called Gupta Navratri - "hidden" Navratri - and are kept quietly, mostly by those pursuing Tantric or Shakti sadhana rather than by the general public.
Why this Navratri has three names
Ashwina Navratri names it by the lunar month it falls in - Ashwin, the seventh month of the Hindu calendar.
Sharad Navratri names it by the season - Sharad Ritu, the short, clear season between the monsoon and winter. This is the name used most often in eastern and northern India.
Maha Navratri - "the great Navratri" - reflects its scale next to the other three. This is the Navratri with Durga Puja pandals in Kolkata, Garba nights in Gujarat, and Ramlila performances across North India. When someone simply says "Navratri" without specifying which one, they almost always mean this one.
All three names refer to the same nine nights. None is more correct than the others - they simply describe the festival by month, season, or scale.
Ashwina Navratri 2026 - the short version
Ghatasthapana is Sunday, 11 October 2026, and the festival closes with Vijayadashami on Tuesday, 20 October 2026. Durga Ashtami and Maha Navami fall on the same day this year, Monday 19 October, because the two tithis merge. For the full nine-day calendar with colours, Dubai-specific Ghatasthapana muhurat, and the nine forms of the Devi, see the complete 2026 Navratri guide.
How Ashwina Navratri differs from Chaitra Navratri
Both are public, both begin with Ghatasthapana, and both honour the same nine forms of Durga - the difference is less in the ritual and more in what surrounds it. Chaitra Navratri opens the Hindu new year in many regional calendars and closes with Ram Navami, Lord Rama's birthday, giving it a strong association with new beginnings. Ashwina Navratri closes with Vijayadashami and, twenty days later, Diwali - so it sits at the head of the year's biggest festival stretch rather than at the start of the calendar. In most households, Ashwina Navratri is also simply bigger: more elaborate pandals, longer Garba nights, and the version most people plan travel and time off around.
Ashwina Navratri in the UAE
For Indian families across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ajman, Ashwina Navratri is the Navratri that shapes the community calendar each year - the one with Garba nights at community halls, the one children ask about, and the one most home pooja setups are planned around. Chaitra Navratri passes more quietly here, usually marked at home without the same scale of public celebration.
Because UAE timings run about 90 minutes behind the Indian windows most panchang sites publish - tithi is calculated against local sunrise - it is worth checking Dubai-specific timings rather than an Indian one before fixing your Ghatasthapana time. Our UAE Hindu Calendar carries this for every day of the festival.
Related reads
Navratri 2026: Dates, Colours and Ghatasthapana Guide for UAE
Durga Ashtami 2026: Sandhi Puja Muhurat and Kanya Puja Guide for UAE
Vijayadashami / Dussehra 2026: Muhurat and Puja Guide for UAE
Q: What is Ashwina Navratri?
A: The nine-night festival of Goddess Durga observed in the lunar month of Ashwin, in the Sharad Ritu season. It is the most widely celebrated of the four Navratris, also called Sharad Navratri and Maha Navratri.
Q: What is the difference between Ashwina Navratri and Sharad Navratri?
A: None - they are the same festival. Ashwina names it by the lunar month, Sharad names it by the season. Both refer to the same nine nights in September-October.
Q: How many Navratris are there in a year?
A: Four - Chaitra (spring), Ashadha (monsoon), Ashwina (post-monsoon) and Magha (winter). Only Chaitra and Ashwina are observed publicly; Ashadha and Magha are called Gupta Navratri and kept privately, mainly by Tantric and Shakti worshippers.
Q: Why is Ashwina Navratri called Maha Navratri?
A: "Maha" means great, and this Navratri earns the name through scale - it is the most widely and elaborately celebrated of the four, with Durga Puja pandals, Garba nights and public festivities that the other three Navratris do not have on the same level.
Q: When is Ashwina Navratri 2026?
A: Sunday 11 October to Tuesday 20 October 2026. See our full 2026 Navratri guide for the day-by-day calendar and Dubai muhurat.
Q: Is Chaitra Navratri celebrated in the UAE too?
A: Yes, though more quietly. Most Indian households in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ajman mark Chaitra Navratri at home, while Ashwina Navratri is the one built around community Garba nights and larger gatherings.
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