Navratri Day 3 2026: Maa Chandraghanta — Date, Colour, Mantra, Bhog and Puja Vidhi
Navratri Day 3 in 2026 is Tuesday, 13 October, the day of Maa Chandraghanta — the Goddess as bride, fierce and serene at once.
- Date: Tuesday, 13 October 2026
- Tithi: Tritiya — 10:14 PM on 12 October to 11:29 PM on 13 October
- Goddess: Maa Chandraghanta
- Sunrise (Delhi): 6:21 AM
- Colour (popular custom): Red
- Traditional bhog: Milk, kheer or milk sweets
Maa Chandraghanta: the third form of Durga
Her name joins chandra, the moon, and ghanta, a bell: she wears a half-moon shaped like a bell on her forehead. Golden in colour, she has ten arms bearing weapons — trident, mace, sword, bow and arrow among them — and rides a lion or a tiger, poised for battle, while her face remains calm. It is the combination that defines her: complete readiness without agitation.
The story of Maa Chandraghanta
She is Parvati at the moment of her marriage to Shiva, adorned with the crescent he wears. A popular retelling adds that when Shiva arrived for the wedding in his wild ascetic form, with his ghostly retinue, the gathering was terrified; Parvati took the radiant, formidable form of Chandraghanta, and the wedding went ahead in peace. However the story is told, she is the protector of the household she has just joined.
Mantra and dhyana
ॐ देवी चन्द्रघण्टायै नमः॥
पिण्डजप्रवरारूढा चण्डकोपास्त्रकैर्युता। प्रसादं तनुते मह्यं चन्द्रघण्टेति विश्रुता॥
The dhyana verse describes her mounted on the finest of lions, armed and fierce, and asks for her grace as the one renowned as Chandraghanta. Chant the short mantra 108 times.
Colour and bhog for Day 3
The colour for Tuesday, 13 October in the popular list is red, the colour of a bride. The traditional bhog is milk, kheer or sweets made from milk, which many families then give to a Brahmin or share at home.
How to worship Maa Chandraghanta on Day 3
- Invoke Maa Chandraghanta at the kalash with the dhyana verse.
- Offer red flowers, sindoor, akshat and the milk bhog.
- Ring the puja bell steadily through the aarti — her bell is at the heart of her worship.
- Chant her mantra 108 times and close with the aarti.
The daily kalash, akhand jyoti and the general Navratri vidhi are in the Navratri 2026 guide.
The sound of her bell
Chandraghanta is the only form whose name is an instrument of worship. The ghanta rung at every Hindu puja is said to announce the presence of the deity and to drive away what is inauspicious, and on her day devotees give it particular attention — ringing it through the aarti, and sitting afterwards in the stillness it leaves behind. The fierce weapons and the steady sound belong together: the bell is how a battle-ready goddess protects without fighting.
← Day 2 · Maa Brahmacharini · → Day 4 · Maa Kushmanda · All nine days of Navratri 2026
Frequently asked questions
When is Navratri Day 3 in 2026?
On Tuesday, 13 October 2026. Tritiya runs from 10:14 PM on 12 October to 11:29 PM on 13 October.
Why is she called Chandraghanta?
Because she wears a half-moon (chandra) shaped like a bell (ghanta) on her forehead.
What is the colour of Navratri Day 3 in 2026?
Red, in the popular list that assigns colours by weekday.
What bhog is offered to Maa Chandraghanta?
Milk, kheer or sweets made from milk.
