Durga Puja 2026 Maha Saptami: Nabapatrika, Kola Bou Snan and Pran Pratishtha
Maha Saptami of Durga Puja 2026 is on Sunday, 18 October in Bengal. It is the day the main worship begins: at dawn the Nabapatrika — the Kola Bou — is bathed, and the Goddess is installed in the image with the Pran Pratishtha.
- Maha Saptami: Sunday, 18 October 2026
- Saptami tithi: 5:55 AM on 17 October to 8:29 AM on 18 October
- Sunrise, Kolkata: 5:34 AM
- Dates: as fixed by Bengal's panjikas
The five days of Durga Puja 2026
- Maha Shashthi — Saturday, 17 October: Kalparambha and Bodhon
- Maha Saptami — Sunday, 18 October: Nabapatrika snan and Pran Pratishtha
- Maha Ashtami — Monday, 19 October: Pushpanjali, Kumari Puja, Sandhi Puja 10:29–11:17 AM
- Maha Navami — Tuesday, 20 October: Maha Homa and Dhunuchi naach
- Bijoya Dashami — Wednesday, 21 October: Sindoor Khela and visarjan
The Nabapatrika: nine plants, nine goddesses
The Nabapatrika is a bundle of nine plants tied together with white aparajita creepers and a sprig of yellow thread. Each plant stands for a form of the Goddess:
- Banana (kadali) — Brahmani
- Colocasia (kochu) — Kalika
- Turmeric (haridra) — Durga
- Jayanti — Kartiki
- Bel (bilva) — Shivani
- Pomegranate (dadima) — Raktadantika
- Ashoka — Shokarahita
- Arum (maan kochu) — Chamunda
- Paddy (dhanya) — Lakshmi
Together they are the Goddess as the earth's own abundance — which is why so much of Durga Puja is also a harvest festival.
Kola Bou snan at dawn
Early on Saptami the Nabapatrika is carried, to the sound of the dhak, to a river or pond and bathed — the snan. It is then draped in a red-bordered white sari like a new bride, which is why it is called the Kola Bou, "the banana bride", and placed beside Ganesha. Popular speech makes her Ganesha's wife; in the rite she is the Goddess herself, present in the plants.
Pran Pratishtha and the opening of the pandals
With the Kola Bou installed, the priest performs the Pran Pratishtha, infusing the image with the Goddess's presence, and the Saptami puja follows. From this day the pandals are fully open, and the round of visiting them — the pandal-hopping that fills Kolkata's streets through the nights — begins. The Bodhon of the previous evening is described in Maha Shashthi, and the next day's Sandhi Puja in Maha Ashtami.
The days of Durga Puja are fixed by Bengal's panjikas, by their own rules, and every published Bengal calendar for 2026 gives the dates above. The North Indian Navratri calendar, reckoned at Delhi, runs a day earlier at the start: in Kolkata the sun rises at 5:34 AM on Saturday, 17 October while Shashthi lasts until 5:55 AM, so there Saturday still opens on Shashthi, whereas in Delhi, with a 6:23 AM sunrise, it already belongs to Saptami. For exact puja timings follow your local pandal and panjika.
Frequently asked questions
When is Maha Saptami in 2026?
On Sunday, 18 October 2026 in Bengal. Saptami tithi runs from 5:55 AM on 17 October to 8:29 AM on 18 October, and holds the Kolkata sunrise on Sunday.
What is the Nabapatrika?
A bundle of nine plants — banana, colocasia, turmeric, jayanti, bel, pomegranate, ashoka, arum and paddy — each standing for a form of the Goddess.
Who is the Kola Bou?
The Nabapatrika after its dawn bath, draped in a red-bordered white sari and placed beside Ganesha. Although often called Ganesha's wife, she represents the Goddess herself.
What happens at Pran Pratishtha?
The priest infuses the image with the presence of the Goddess, after which the Saptami puja is performed and the pandals open fully to visitors.
