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Durga Puja Navratri – Difference between Durga Puja and Navratri

The nine-day Navratri festival held in Ashwin month (September – October) coincides with the Durga Puja festival held during the same period. Therefore the festival is also known as Durga Puja Navratri. Durga Puja is mainly held in eastern parts of India and Goddess Durga worship is also performed in North India. In North, West and Southern parts of India, Navratri is held during the period. Navratri 2024 begins on October 3 and ends on October 12. Durga Puja Mahalaya is on October 2 ends with Durga Visarjan on October 13.


Durga PujaNavratri
Mahalaya

Ghatasthapana

Second day of Navratri

Third day of Navratri

Fourth day of Navratri

Lalitha Panchami
Durga Puja Sashti Lakshmi Puja
Durga Puja Saptami Saraswati Avahan Puja
Durga Ashtami Saraswati Puja
Maha Navami Ayudha Puja Navratri Ends
Durga Visarjan Vijaya Dashami


The nine day of Navratri is dedicated to Goddess Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati. The first three days of Navratri is dedicated to Goddess Durga, next three days to Goddess Lakshmi and the last three days to Goddess Saraswati. The ninth day is observed as Ayudha Puja. This method of celebrating Navratri is more popular in South India, especially in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

In North and western parts of India, Navratri is dedicated to the worship of Goddess Shakti. The festival begins with the Ghatasthapana on the first day and ends on the 10th-day with Vijaya Dashami. Nine different forms of Goddess Shakti are worshipped during the nine-day period.

In some regions in North India, all the nine days are dedicated to Goddess Durga and includes rituals like Shasti, Durga Saptami, Durga Ashtami and Maha Navami. Kanya Puja, worship of small girls, is also observed on the eighth day.

Durga Puja festival is more popular in Bengal, Tripura, Assam, Orissa, Jharkhand and other parts of eastern India. The Durga Puja festival begins on Mahalaya, the Amavasya day in Ashwin month and is a 10-day festival. The most important rituals associated with Durga Puja begin on the Shasti day (sixth day). The most important rituals are held on the seventh (Saptami day), eighth (Ashtami day), ninth (Navami day) and the visarjan or immersion of Goddess Durga Murti (idol) takes place on the Vijayadasami day (the tenth day).

There is also a huge difference in the story of Navratri and Durga Puja.

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