When is Durga Puja 2023: Dates to Worship Goddess Durga

Do you know when is Durga Puja 2023? No worries, in case you have no idea of its date and time. We are here to help you out and get yourself organized before the celebration kicks off! The festival reveres Goddess Durga and her different avatars.

“Nagada Sang Dhol Baje”, “Dholi Taro”, come nine days full of auspiciousness and these songs start playing in our heart with our body grooving on their tunes!

That’s time of the year has approached again! Everyone starts looking forward to take out their colorful chaniya choli, dhoti kurta, dandiya sticks and celebrate the blissful festival together. The festival marks the victory of Goddess Durga over Mahishasura- the demon king.  The celebration begins on the first day of Mahalaya that depicts the commencement of Devi Paksha.

Mahalaya 2023 will fall on 26th September. That particular time indicates the arrival of Goddess Durga.

Durga Puja 2023 will start from Monday, 26th September and end on Wednesday, 5th October. Usually, the celebration falls in between late September and/or early October as per Hindu calendar.

Durga Puja 2023 Dates & Time

Durga Puja is also known as Durgotsav. The city of Kolkata is famous for its grand celebration of Durgo Pujo. All the six days come lively with the chants of “Jai Maa Durga”. People also call is Dussehra that depicts the tenth day of the celebration signifying the triumph of good over evil.

The Nine Days of Navratri, Dates & Its Significance

Our elders have told us about the auspiciousness this festival brings. It’s your turn to pass on the information to your next generation. And, guess what we have simplified it by bringing helpful information here just for you!

Let’s dive deep into the significance of each day of Durga Pooja and unearth its meaning.

Day-1 Pratipada

The festival begins with the custom Ghatasthapana that means enshrining a water-filled earthen pot over a sand-bed with barley seeds sown in it. It’s an auspicious ritual that devotees perform to conjure the propitious energy of Deity Durga.

Pratipada or the first day of Navratri is dedicated to the first avatar of Navadurga- Mata Shailputri. It is believed to be an incarnation of Maa Parvati- the Daughter of the Mountain. She wears light pink and white ensemble (saree). She is the manifestation of Mother Nature and purity.

Day 2- Dwitiya

The second day observes the worshipping of Maa Brahmacharini. She is the unmarried personification of Maa Parvati, who took severe penance to get Lord Shiva as the husband. She carries a pearly white saree with a kamandal in left hand and jaapmala in right.

As she depicts the embodiment of hard penance, devotees concentrate on her incarnation to perform self-mortification.

Day 3- Tritiya

On this day the married form of Goddess Parvati- Chandraghanta is worshipped. She got this name due to the half-moon tilak on her forehead that resembles a bell. She stands for bravery and courage to take on evil.

Evoking her energy on the third day of the festival eradicates one’s sins, ghostly obstacles, physical sufferings, and stress. She is both terrible and tender and delineates beauty, charm, grace, bravery, and courage.

Day 4- Chaturthi

The fourth form- Kushmanda is worshipped on the fourth day of Durga Puja. The Goddess has a serene, divine smile that produced a cosmic egg to eradicate darkness from the world and bring light to the universe. Her power lies in the core of the Sun.

Day 5- Panchami

On the fifth day, people worship Goddess Skandmata. She is the manifestation of power, prosperity and treasures and grants wisdom to illiterate who worship her. Her worship takes away one’s sins and purifies the heart. The deity is the mother of Kartikeya whom she carries in her lap.

All the Puja preparations begin in advance. Panchami is the time when devotees prepare for actual pooja and nimantran of Goddess Durga.

Day 6- Maha Shashthi

Maha Shashthi is the time when shakti awakens. This tithi is known as Bilva Nimantran ceremony. The combination of sanyakal on panchami and shashthi tithi is considered best for nimantran. On the sixth day during Durga Puja, people considered this tithi for Bodhon, Kalparambha & Adhivas as well as Amantran. It doesn’t matter whether on this day comes into sanyakal.

The sixth day is dedicated to the sixth form of Maa Durga- Katyayini. Portraying the warrior form, the Goddess is associated with red color depicting anger and courage. Maa Durga took the form of Katyayini to destroy the demon Mahisasura.

Day 7- Maha Saptami

On Maha Saptami, people worship Goddess Kalratri, the seventh form of Maa Durga. They also perform durga saptashati path. Maa Kalratri is the most fierce and destructive form of Navadurga who destroys demons, ghosts, spirits, negative energies and showers her devotees with her grace and fearlessness.

Kolkata durga puja gets dazzling on sapatami.

Day 8- Maha Ashtami

On the eighth day of the blissful Durga Puja celebration, people worship the eight manifestation of Maa Durga- Mahagauri. She is believed to fulfill the desires of her devotees and eradicate all sufferings. As she wears pearly white ensemble, she is called as the incarnation of beauty too. Goddess Mahagauri is the younger self of Maa Parvati who took the form to kill the demons Shumbha and Nishumbha.

Day 9- Maha Navami

Exemplifying all the eight siddhis or supernatural power/meditative ability, Maa Siddhidatri is the ninth avatar of Goddess Durga. She grants her devotees with blessings and fulfills their divine aspirations. She also eliminates ignorance and blesses the knowledge for Brahman realization. 

Day 10- Vijaya Dashmi

The tenth day of Druga Puja is called Dussehra or Vijaya Dashmi. Kolkata durga puja is known for its Sindoor Khela on 10th day of this celebration. Married women smear red vermillion or sindoor first on Maa Durga and then on each other’s forehead, cheeks and feet as a sermon of happy married life.

Afterwards, Durga Visarjan ritual takes place. All the clay murtis of Maa Durga is immersed in the nearby river ceremoniously.

Hence, the celebration ends with a grand affair and a treasure-trove full of happy memories.