How to Do Navratri Puja at Home: A Simple Step-by-Step Guide (2025)

How to Do Navratri Puja at Home:: The navratri rituals at home bring us closer to this divine energy, uniting family and friends in a beautiful practice of devotion. According to the Hindu calendar, Navratri occurs twice a year – once in the Chaitra month to celebrate the Hindu new year and again in the Ashwin month to celebrate Dussehra. In fact, in Kolkata, it’s also known as Durga Puja, where it’s celebrated with great enthusiasm for four days.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through the navratri puja vidhi at home with simple, easy-to-follow steps. Whether you’re observing this festival for the first time or looking to enhance how you celebrate navratri at home, we’ve got you covered with everything from the essential puja items to the proper rituals and fasting practices.

How to Do Navratri Puja at Home

Navratri Puja Samagri: What You’ll Need

Preparing for navratri rituals at home starts with gathering all the necessary items. A complete puja samagri ensures you can perform the rituals correctly and receive the full blessings of Maa Durga.

Idol or picture of Goddess Durga

The centerpiece of your navratri puja is an idol or picture of Goddess Durga. Choose one that depicts her in her nine forms or as Mahishasura Mardini (slayer of the buffalo demon). Place this on a raised platform covered with a clean red cloth. Additionally, you may include small idols of Lord Ganesha and Goddess Saraswati to complement your altar.

Kalash, coconut, and mango leaves

The kalash (copper or brass pot) symbolizes the universe and serves as the goddess’s temporary abode. Fill it three-quarters with water, add a few coins, and place a coconut on top. Surround the coconut with five mango leaves with their tips pointing outward. This arrangement represents fertility and life’s abundance.

Roli, moli, and sandalwood

Roli (vermilion paste) represents the goddess’s power, while moli (sacred thread) symbolizes connection to divinity. Sandalwood paste cools the atmosphere and creates purifying energy. These three items are essential for applying tilak on your forehead and on the kalash before beginning your prayers.

Fruits, sweets, and flowers

Offer fresh seasonal fruits and traditional sweets as bhog (offering) to please the goddess. Fresh flowers—particularly red ones like roses and hibiscus—are her favorites. Marigolds can also adorn your altar, creating a vibrant and fragrant atmosphere for your puja.

Incense sticks, diya, and ghee

Light incense sticks to purify the surrounding air. Diyas (clay lamps) filled with ghee represent enlightenment and should be kept lit throughout the nine days if possible. The flame symbolizes divine knowledge that dispels ignorance.

Ganga water and sacred thread

Pure Ganga water (or purified water if Ganga water isn’t available) is used for sprinkling and offering. A sacred thread, often yellow or red, is tied around the kalash and your wrist as protection and reminder of your devotional commitment throughout the festival.

With these items prepared, you’ll be ready to begin the navratri puja vidhi at home with confidence and devotion.

Step-by-Step Navratri Puja Vidhi at Home

Performing navratri puja vidhi at home connects us to ancient traditions that honor the divine feminine energy. Let me guide you through each essential step of this sacred ritual.

Step 1: Ghata Sthapana (Kalash Setup)

Begin your navratri rituals with Ghata Sthapana, ideally performed during the first one-third of Pratipada day. First, prepare a wide-mouthed clay pot with layers of clean soil and sow barley or seven types of grains (Sapta Dhanya). Next, prepare the kalash by filling it with holy water, adding betel nuts, coins, and scent. Place five mango or Ashoka leaves at its edge and cover with a lid. Finally, wrap an unpeeled coconut in red cloth, secure it with sacred thread, and position it atop the kalash in the center of your grain-filled pot.

Step 2: Chowki Sthapana and Durga Idol Placement

Spread roli (vermilion) on a wooden chowki (small platform) and tie moli (sacred thread) around it. Place Maa Durga’s idol or picture on this platform. This step invokes the goddess’s presence in your home, bringing divine energy into your sacred space.

Step 3: Panchopchar Puja (Five Offerings)

The Panchopchar Puja involves five sacred offerings to the deity:

Gandha: Apply sandalwood paste as tilak on the deity’s forehead
Pushpa: Offer fresh flowers at her feet
Dhoop: Circle burning incense sticks to purify the atmosphere
Deep: Present a lit lamp, moving it clockwise
Naivedya: Offer fruits or sweets with gratitude

Step 4: Daily Puja and Mantra Chanting

Dedicate time each day to meditate and chant powerful mantras like “Om Dum Durgayei Namah” or “Ya Devi Sarvabhuteshu.” Reciting specific mantras for each day’s corresponding goddess form strengthens your spiritual connection and brings specific blessings.

Step 5: Aarti and Bhog Offering

Perform aarti by decorating a thali with puja items, holding it in one hand and a bell in another. Sing devotional songs while offering the flame. Subsequently, present bhog (food offerings) specific to each day’s goddess form, such as ghee on day one and sugar on day two.

Step 6: Kanya Puja on the Ninth Day

Complete your navratri rituals on the ninth day with Kanya Puja. Invite nine young girls (representing the nine forms of Durga), wash their feet, and serve them a special meal. Offer them gifts and seek their blessings, as they embody the goddess herself.

How to Do Navratri Puja and Fast

Fasting during Navratri complements your puja rituals, creating a holistic spiritual experience. This sacred practice helps purify both body and mind as you worship the goddess.

Types of fasting: Full vs Partial

Navratri offers several fasting options based on your capacity and devotion:

Nirjala Fast: The most rigorous form where devotees abstain from both food and water throughout the day.
Phalahar Fast: Allows consumption of fruits, milk, and dairy products.
Partial Fast: A flexible approach where you consume one meal daily, excluding grains and regular salt.
Full Fast: Following strict dietary rules while eating only Navratri-specific foods.

Foods allowed during Navratri fast

The Navratri diet emphasizes sattvic foods that foster calm and well-being. Permissible items include:

Flours: Kuttu (buckwheat), Singhara (water chestnut), Rajgira (amaranth)
Sabudana (tapioca pearls), sama rice, makhana (fox nuts)
Dairy products: milk, yogurt, paneer, ghee
Fresh fruits, dry fruits, and specific vegetables like potato, pumpkin, and bottle gourd
Rock salt (sendha namak) instead of table salt

Tips to maintain energy during fasting

Stay hydrated with water, coconut water, and herbal teas. Consume small, balanced meals at regular intervals. Include nutrient-dense ingredients like nuts, seeds, and fruits. Engage in light physical activities like walking or gentle yoga. Prioritize quality sleep to rejuvenate your body.

Spiritual benefits of fasting

Beyond physical benefits, fasting awakens spiritual consciousness. It detoxifies the body, improves mental clarity, and fosters self-discipline. Moreover, fasting triggers autophagy, removing damaged cells and enhancing digestive efficiency. Essentially, this practice allows for deeper meditation, strengthens willpower, and creates space for spiritual growth.

Concluding the Puja: Visarjan and Final Prayers

The conclusion of your navratri rituals marks an important spiritual transition, requiring proper procedures for bidding farewell to the goddess. Ensuring correct visarjan procedures honors the divine presence that blessed your home throughout the festival.

How to perform Kalash Visarjan

Kalash visarjan typically occurs on Navami after the havan and kanya pujan, or on the morning of Dashami (Vijayadashami). When lifting the kalash, recite “ऐं ह्रीं क्लीं चामुण्डायै विच्चे” ^[1]. First, gently remove the coconut, touch it to your forehead, then give it to a female family member. Sprinkle the kalash water throughout your home using mango leaves, beginning from the kitchen where Goddess Annapurna and Lakshmi reside ^[2]. Pour remaining water at the base of a tree (except tulsi). Place the coin from the kalash in your wallet or treasury after touching it to your forehead ^[3].

Offering gratitude to Goddess Durga

Once visarjan begins, offer a sincere prayer seeking forgiveness: “O Goddess, I performed your worship according to my limited knowledge and capability. Please shower your blessings upon my family and always reside in our home” ^[2]. Afterward, chant the Devi Suktam mantra eleven times: “या देवि सर्वभूतेषु शांति रूपेण संस्थिता। नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नम:।” ^[2]. This mantra expresses profound gratitude to the divine mother who pervades all existence.

Distributing prasad to family and friends

Upon completing the visarjan ritual, distribute prasad among family members, friends, and neighbors. The coconut offered to the goddess can be shared as prasad ^[4]. Furthermore, any sweets and fruits used in the puja should be distributed, as sharing these blessed items extends the divine grace to others. This act of sharing strengthens community bonds and spreads positive energy throughout your social circle.

Conclusion

Navratri stands as one of the most sacred and spiritually enriching festivals in Hindu tradition. Through this nine-day celebration, we honor the divine feminine energy and seek blessings from Goddess Durga for strength, wisdom, and prosperity. The rituals we’ve outlined offer a simple yet authentic way to bring this divine celebration into your home.

Remember that while the physical aspects of the puja—the kalash setup, the offerings, and the aarti—certainly matter, your devotion and sincerity remain paramount throughout these nine days. Many devotees find that combining proper rituals with disciplined fasting creates a powerful spiritual experience that purifies both body and mind.

Undoubtedly, family members gathering together for daily prayers strengthens bonds while creating beautiful memories. Children particularly benefit from witnessing and participating in these traditions, learning values that will stay with them throughout their lives.

Therefore, approach your Navratri celebration with an open heart and mindful presence. Whether you’re a seasoned practitioner or new to these rituals, the goddess receives all sincere worship with equal grace. The energy you cultivate during these nine nights will continue to protect and guide you long after the festival concludes.

Finally, consider this guide your starting point rather than a rigid rulebook. Regional variations exist across India, and families often incorporate their unique traditions into Navratri celebrations. You might discover your own meaningful practices as you deepen your connection with this beautiful festival year after year.

Key Takeaways

Performing Navratri puja at home is a beautiful way to honor Goddess Durga and bring divine blessings into your family life through nine days of sacred rituals and devotion.

• Essential Setup: Gather kalash, Durga idol, flowers, fruits, incense, and ghee for proper puja arrangement • Daily Ritual Structure: Follow Ghata Sthapana, Panchopchar Puja, mantra chanting, and aarti sequence consistently • Fasting Options: Choose from full, partial, or fruit-only fasts using permitted foods like buckwheat and rock salt • Proper Conclusion: Complete with Kalash Visarjan on ninth day, distribute prasad, and offer gratitude prayers • Family Bonding: Include children and relatives in daily prayers to strengthen traditions and create lasting memories

The key to meaningful Navratri celebration lies in sincere devotion rather than perfect execution. Your heartfelt worship, combined with proper rituals and mindful fasting, creates a powerful spiritual experience that purifies both body and mind while inviting divine protection into your home.

FAQs

Q1. What are the essential items needed for Navratri puja at home? The key items for Navratri puja include a Durga idol or picture, kalash (copper or brass pot), coconut, mango leaves, roli (vermilion), moli (sacred thread), sandalwood paste, fruits, sweets, flowers, incense sticks, diya (clay lamp), ghee, and Ganga water or purified water.

Q2. How do I set up the kalash for Navratri puja? Fill a kalash three-quarters with water, add a few coins, and place a coconut on top. Surround the coconut with five mango leaves with their tips pointing outward. This arrangement represents fertility and abundance.

Q3. What are the main steps in performing Navratri puja at home? The main steps include Ghata Sthapana (kalash setup), Chowki Sthapana (placing the Durga idol), Panchopchar Puja (five offerings), daily mantra chanting, aarti, and bhog offering. On the ninth day, perform Kanya Puja to conclude the rituals.

Q4. Can I fast during Navratri, and what foods are allowed? Yes, fasting is common during Navratri. Allowed foods include fruits, dairy products, and specific flours like kuttu (buckwheat) and rajgira (amaranth). You can also consume sabudana (tapioca pearls), sama rice, and certain vegetables. Rock salt (sendha namak) is used instead of regular salt.

Q5. How do I conclude the Navratri puja on the final day? On the final day, perform Kalash Visarjan by sprinkling the kalash water in your home and pouring the remaining at a tree’s base. Offer a gratitude prayer to Goddess Durga, chant the Devi Suktam mantra, and distribute prasad (blessed food offerings) to family and friends.

References

[1] – https://www.timesnowhindi.com/spirituality/shardiya-navratri-2024-kalash-visarjan-vidhi-mantra-muhurat-in-hindi-navratri-kalash-visarjan-kaise-kare-article-114134771
[2] – https://www.jagran.com/spiritual/puja-path-shardiya-navratri-2022-kalash-visarjan-vidhi-keep-these-things-in-mind-while-doing-kalash-visarjan-23118003.html
[3] – https://www.herzindagi.com/hindi/astrology/astrology-remedies-tips/chaitra-navratri-2024-kalash-and-akhand-jyoti-visarjan-vidhi-and-rules-article-277311
[4] – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navaratri