When is Navratri Maha Ashtami in 2022 in India?

Durga Ashtami 2022 date in India: Durga Ashtami, also known as Maha Ashtami or simply Ashtami, is the third day of the four-day festival, which is celebrated in many Indian states and around the world mainly the Bengali community.
This year, Maha Ashtami falls on Monday, October 3. According to Drik Panchang, the Ashtami tithi begins at 06.47 pm on October 2 and ends at 04.37 pm on October 3.
Buy Now | Our best subscription plan now has a special price
Durga Ashtami is considered to be the most important day of the festival which begins with ‘mahasnan’ in the morning. This is followed the installation of nine small pots that are then used to invoke the nine Shaktis of Goddess Durga.
A key feature of Maha Ashtami is the ‘sandhi puja’ which, as the name suggests, means puja that happens usually in the ‘evening’. It has to be performed with austerity, because devotees believe during this time, the Goddess opens her eyes to stare at people and len to the prayers of her devotees.
Drik Panchang states that sandhi puja has special significance, because it is done at the juncture when Ashtami tithi ends and Navami tithi begins. It is said that Devi Chamunda — another fierce avatar of Durga — had appeared to slay demons Chanda and Munda during this time.
It is customary to do a symbolic sacrifice during this puja; previously, people would sacrifice animals until it was outlawed. Nowadays, there is a symbolic cutting of a banana, cucumber or a pumpkin.
It should be noted that sandhi puja can happen any time in the day, not necessarily in the evening. It is also customary to light 108 earthen lamps during ‘sandhi kaal’.
Another special feature of Ashtami is the ‘Kumari Puja’, for which prepubescent girls are treated as Goddess Durga herself, and worshipped.
📣 For more lifestyle news, follow us on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook and don’t miss out on the latest updates!