Durga Puja 2026 Maha Ashtami: Sandhi Puja Time, Pushpanjali and Kumari Puja
Maha Ashtami of Durga Puja 2026 is on Monday, 19 October, and the Sandhi Puja falls from 10:29 to 11:17 AM — the last 24 minutes of Ashtami and the first 24 of Navami. Unusually, it comes in the late morning this year.
- Maha Ashtami: Monday, 19 October 2026
- Ashtami ends / Navami begins: 10:53 AM
- Sandhi Puja: 10:29 AM – 11:17 AM
- Belur Math (Vishuddha Siddhanta): 10:28 AM – 11:16 AM
- Dates: as fixed by Bengal's panjikas
Sandhi Puja 2026: 10:29 to 11:17 AM
The Sandhi Puja is performed at the sandhi, the junction, where Ashtami ends and Navami begins. In 2026 that instant is 10:53 AM on Monday, 19 October, so the 48-minute window runs from 10:29 to 11:17 AM. Belur Math, following the Vishuddha Siddhanta panjika, gives 10:28 to 11:16 AM — agreement to a minute. Panjikas that use the older Surya Siddhanta reckoning can differ by more, so pandals following them may show another time; follow your own.
The junction is one instant for the whole of India, because it depends on the tithi and not on sunrise. It is the same moment that ends Durga Ashtami in the North Indian Navratri calendar — see Durga Ashtami and Maa Mahagauri.
Why the junction of Ashtami and Navami
The Durga Saptashati tells how, in the thick of battle, the Goddess brought forth Chamunda from her brow, and Chamunda slew the demon generals Chanda and Munda. That moment is placed at the meeting of Ashtami and Navami, and the Sandhi Puja is offered to the Goddess as Chamunda. The rite is marked by 108 lamps and 108 lotuses — the lotuses that recall Rama's offering in the Akal Bodhon — and by the insistent rhythm of the dhak. Where an offering of bali is part of family custom, many households now make it symbolically, with an ash gourd or sugarcane.
Pushpanjali on Ashtami morning
Ashtami morning is the day of the most important Pushpanjali, the offering of flowers. Devotees fast until they have offered it, and repeat the anjali mantras after the priest in three rounds, casting flowers and bel leaves at the Goddess's feet — the Pushpanjali mantras and their meaning. This year the Pushpanjali should be completed well before the Sandhi Puja begins at 10:29 AM.
Kumari Puja
In the Kumari Puja a young girl is worshipped as the living Goddess — dressed, garlanded and offered the honour due to Durga herself. The best-known Kumari Puja is at Belur Math, where Swami Vivekananda instituted it in 1901, and it is held there on Maha Ashtami. The day before is Maha Saptami and the day after Maha Navami and Bijoya Dashami.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Sandhi Puja time in 2026?
From 10:29 AM to 11:17 AM on Monday, 19 October 2026. Belur Math, following the Vishuddha Siddhanta panjika, gives 10:28 to 11:16 AM.
Why is the Sandhi Puja in the morning this year?
Because the Sandhi Puja follows the moment Ashtami ends, and in 2026 that is 10:53 AM. In other years the junction falls in the evening or at night.
Is the Sandhi Puja time different in each city?
No. The junction of Ashtami and Navami is one instant for all of India because it depends on the tithi, not on sunrise. Differences come from panjikas that use a different system of calculation.
What is Kumari Puja?
The worship of a young girl as the living Goddess. It is performed on Maha Ashtami, most famously at Belur Math, where it was instituted by Swami Vivekananda in 1901.
