Matru Navami 2026: Shraddha for Mothers and Married Women (Avidhava Navami)

Matru Navami in 2026 is on Sunday, 4 October. It is the Navami shraddha of Pitru Paksha, and it is kept above all for mothers — for a mother, grandmother or great-grandmother, and for the women of the family who passed away while their husbands were living.

• Date: Sunday, 4 October 2026
• Navami tithi: 5:53 AM on 4 October to 3:55 AM on 5 October
• Kutup muhurat: 11:46 AM – 12:33 PM
• Rauhina muhurat: 12:33 PM – 1:20 PM
• Aparahna: 1:20 PM – 3:42 PM
• Times: Delhi

Who is remembered on Matru Navami

Like every tithi shraddha, Navami honours all ancestors who passed away on a Navami tithi, in either half of the lunar month. But the day carries a second, older meaning: it belongs to the mothers of the family line. Where the date of a mother's or grandmother's passing is not known, many families perform her shraddha on this day rather than on Amavasya.

The day is also called Avidhava Navami — "the Navami of the not-widowed". Women who died as saubhagyavati, while their husbands were alive, are remembered on it specifically, which is why it is sometimes spoken of as the shraddha of the suhagan.

The customs that set the day apart

The core rites are those of every shraddha: tarpan, pinda and the meal for the ancestors. Around them, North Indian families keep a few customs particular to Matru Navami:

• A married woman is invited for the meal in the name of the departed, and given items of suhag — bangles, sindoor, a sari or a length of cloth — with dakshina.
• In many homes the daughter-in-law takes a leading part in preparing the meal, as the one who has taken the departed woman's place in the household.
• A lamp is lit, and tulsi leaves are included in the offerings.

These customs vary from family to family and region to region; where your family has its own, follow it.

How the 2026 date was worked out

Navami begins at 5:53 AM on Sunday, 4 October — just before sunrise in Delhi — and ends at 3:55 AM on Monday. It holds the whole of Sunday's afternoon (Aparahna), from 1:20 PM to 3:42 PM, which is the part of the day that decides a shraddha. Sunday is therefore both the Navami of sunrise and the Navami of the afternoon, and every published list agrees on it. The rest of the fortnight is in the shraddha calendar for 2026.

How to perform the shraddha

Bathe early and prepare the food without onion and garlic. In the Kutup muhurat, from 11:46 AM, offer tarpan facing south with water, black sesame and kusha grass, calling the mother or grandmother by name and gotra; then offer the pinda and the meal. Set aside portions for a cow, a dog and the crows before the guests eat. Complete the rites before the Aparahna ends at 3:42 PM. The full procedure is in the Pitru Paksha 2026 guide, and many families recite the Pitru Stotra at the close.

If Matru Navami is missed

A Navami shraddha that could not be performed on Sunday is offered on Sarva Pitru Amavasya, Saturday, 10 October — see Sarva Pitru Amavasya 2026.

Frequently asked questions

When is Matru Navami in 2026?
On Sunday, 4 October 2026. Navami runs from 5:53 AM that day to 3:55 AM on Monday, 5 October, and holds the whole afternoon, so there is no ambiguity about the date this year.

Whose shraddha is performed on Matru Navami?
The shraddha of mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers, of women of the family who died while their husbands were living, and of anyone who passed away on a Navami tithi.

Why is it called Avidhava Navami?
Avidhava means "not widowed". The day is especially associated with women who died as saubhagyavati, while their husbands were alive.

What is offered to a married woman on Matru Navami?
In many North Indian families a married woman is invited for the meal and given items of suhag such as bangles, sindoor and a sari, with dakshina. Customs vary, so follow your family's practice.

What is the muhurat for Matru Navami 2026?
In Delhi, Kutup is 11:46 AM to 12:33 PM, Rauhina 12:33 PM to 1:20 PM, and the Aparahna 1:20 PM to 3:42 PM.