Navaratri and Dashain 2026: Dates and Observance Guide

If you are coordinating family leave, a temple visit, a vrata, or Dashain tika in 2026, one date range is not enough. The observances begin together on October 11, but the relevant closing date may be October 19, 20, or 21 depending on the tradition and event you are following.

Put each date on your calendar with its proper label. That will help you avoid the common mistake of treating a temple festival, a five-day vrata, and the full Dashain family cycle as interchangeable schedules.

The four date markers to put on your 2026 calendar

The shared opening date is October 11. After that, the observance branches into distinct but related calendars. Use the following dates as planning anchors, not as substitutes for the daily timings issued by your temple or local panchanga.

Date	Observance	What it means for your plans
October 11	Maha Navaratri begins at Kollur Mookambika Temple, while Ghatsthapana opens Dashain.	Treat this as the common starting point if your household is coordinating Navaratri and Dashain commitments.
October 15-19	Pancharatrotsava, the five-day Navaratri vrata.	Use this defined window if your family or temple follows the five-day form rather than an improvised shortened schedule.
October 20	The 2026 Maha Navaratri celebration at Kollur Mookambika Temple concludes.	Use this date for the end of the Kollur festival programme, not automatically for every Dashain commitment.
October 21	Dashain concludes with Vijayadashami Tika, or Bijayadashami; Tika and Jamara continue through this date.	Keep this day available if your family follows the full Dashain cycle or has visits for Tika and Jamara.

Do not enter October 11-21 as a single undifferentiated festival block. Label October 20 as the end of the Kollur programme and October 21 as the concluding Dashain date. If you observe both, preserving that distinction prevents a temple itinerary from accidentally cutting short a family observance.

Why Navaratri and Dashain do not use one identical timetable

A split scene shows a lamp-lit Navaratri home altar and a Nepali Dashain family preparing tika and jamara.

Navaratri and Dashain belong to the same sacred season, but they are lived through different regional, household, and temple traditions. At Kollur Mookambika Temple in Karnataka’s Udupi district, Maha Navaratri, also called Sharada Navratri, is the temple’s largest festival event. Dashain is a major festival across Nepal, Bhutan, and parts of northeastern India, with its 2026 calendar extending through Tika and Jamara on October 21.

The different closing dates are therefore not a problem that you need to solve by choosing which one is universally correct. They answer different questions. October 20 tells you when the Kollur celebration ends. October 21 tells you how long the stated Dashain cycle continues.

For worship at home: follow the practice transmitted in your household or sampradaya, then confirm any date uncertainty with the priest or elder who guides that practice.
For a temple visit: follow that temple’s programme. A general festival calendar cannot tell you the time of a particular puja, procession, entry period, or darshan.
For Dashain Tika and Jamara: preserve October 21 in your plans unless the family or community conducting the observance gives you a different local arrangement.
For a community gathering: distinguish the gathering date from the ritual date. A convenient weekend event may represent the festival socially without replacing your household calendar.

When two calendars appear to disagree, first ask what each date describes: a vrata, a named temple programme, a household rite, or a community gathering. Choose the appropriate calendar by ritual context, not by whichever date appears most often online.

The five-day Pancharatrotsava window is October 15-19

Five brass oil lamps glow along a flower-lined temple courtyard as devotees approach with offerings at dusk.

If your tradition observes Pancharatrotsava, the 2026 vrata has a specific five-day sequence. It starts on Lalitha Panchami and ends on Mahanavami. This is a defined form of Navaratri observance, not a general permission to select any five convenient days.

October 15 – Lalitha Panchami: begin the five-day vrata according to your established household or temple procedure.
October 16 – Durga Sashti: continue the second day’s prescribed observance.
October 17 – Durga Saptami: mark the middle day of the five-day sequence.
October 18 – Durga Ashtami: prepare in advance for Ashtami commitments rather than treating them as an addition to an ordinary day.
October 19 – Mahanavami: complete the sequence; the Pancharatrotsava calendar places Saraswati Balidan or visarjan on this concluding day.

The day names establish the structure, but they do not provide a universal ritual manual. Procedures for sankalpa, offerings, fasting, recitation, Balidan, or visarjan can differ. Use the dates to organize the vrata, then follow the method already recognized by your family, guru, or temple.

A practical way to make the five days sustainable is to settle responsibilities before October 15. Write down who will obtain the required materials, who will be present each day, and which existing household practice must be completed without interruption. If work or school makes a commitment impossible, resolve that with your ritual guide before the vrata begins rather than changing the sequence midway.

Build one plan for worship, family, and temple travel

Family members arrange a blank planner beside puja items, travel papers, keys, and a packed cloth bag.

A useful festival calendar records more than dates. It records which tradition governs each date, where you need to be, and who else depends on your presence. Build your 2026 plan in this order:

Name the observance: write Navaratri, Pancharatrotsava, Kollur temple visit, or Dashain Tika beside every commitment. Do not use the vague label “festival” for all of them.
Identify the governing practice: note whether the time will come from your household tradition, a local panchanga, a priest, or a named temple programme.
Block the fixed dates first: reserve October 11 for the opening, October 15-19 for Pancharatrotsava if applicable, October 20 for the end of the Kollur programme, and October 21 for the conclusion of Dashain Tika and Jamara.
Add travel and family visits separately: the day of a journey or gathering is a logistical entry, not necessarily another ritual date.
Confirm daily timings locally: a festival date does not establish the precise muhurta or the operating schedule of a temple. Check again before you travel or issue invitations.

If Kollur is your destination, plan for a major pilgrimage gathering rather than an ordinary temple day. The Maha Navaratri celebration draws a few lakh devotees from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh. Settle transport and accommodation before making other commitments, allow for crowd-related delays, and verify the temple’s daily programme closer to your visit. The October 11-20 festival window alone does not guarantee a particular darshan or ritual time.

If you live outside Bharat or Nepal, make one further decision explicit: whether your household will follow the dates used by relatives in their location or the calendar observed by your local temple. Do not switch silently between time zones or community calendars. Record the decision in the family plan so that everyone is preparing for the same day.

Key takeaways

Navaratri at Kollur and Dashain both begin on October 11, 2026.
Pancharatrotsava runs from October 15 through October 19, beginning with Lalitha Panchami and ending with Mahanavami.
The Kollur Maha Navaratri programme ends on October 20; do not use that temple date to erase the October 21 conclusion of Dashain Tika and Jamara.
Festival dates tell you what day to reserve. Your household authority, local panchanga, or temple must still supply the applicable ritual method and daily timing.

Start by entering October 11, October 15-19, October 20, and October 21 as separately labelled calendar items. Then speak with the elder, priest, or temple responsible for your observance and remove the entries that do not apply. You will be left with a clear plan that respects both sacred sequence and family reality.

References

FAQs

When do Navaratri and Dashain begin in 2026?

Maha Navaratri at Kollur Mookambika Temple and Dashain both begin on October 11, 2026. Ghatsthapana marks the opening of Dashain.

What are the Pancharatrotsava dates in 2026?

The five-day Pancharatrotsava vrata runs from October 15 through October 19, 2026. It begins on Lalitha Panchami, continues through Durga Sashti, Durga Saptami, and Durga Ashtami, and ends on Mahanavami.

Why do the Kollur Navaratri and Dashain calendars have different closing dates?

October 20 is the end of the 2026 Maha Navaratri programme at Kollur Mookambika Temple, while the stated Dashain cycle continues through Tika and Jamara on October 21. The dates describe different temple and family observances, so neither should be treated as the universal closing date for every tradition.

Should October 11 through 21 be entered as one festival block?

No. Label October 11 as the shared opening, October 15–19 as Pancharatrotsava when applicable, October 20 as the end of the Kollur programme, and October 21 as the conclusion of Dashain Tika and Jamara.

How should I confirm puja, darshan, or other daily timings?

Use the applicable household tradition, local panchanga, priest, or named temple programme for precise timings and ritual methods. The festival dates in this guide are planning anchors and do not establish a universal muhurta or temple operating schedule.

How should I plan a Navaratri visit to Kollur Mookambika Temple?

Arrange transport and accommodation early, allow for crowd-related delays, and verify the temple’s daily programme close to the visit. The October 11–20 festival window does not guarantee a particular darshan or ritual time.

What should households outside Bharat or Nepal do about differing calendars?

Decide explicitly whether to follow the dates used by relatives in their location or the calendar observed by the local temple. Record that choice in the family plan so everyone prepares for the same day rather than switching silently between time zones or community calendars.