Chaitra Navratri & Ram Navami
Today marks Day 3 of Chaitra Navratri—worshippers are honoring Goddess Chandraghanta with puja, mantras and traditional rituals across temples (news.abplive.com). Ram Navami (Lord Rama’s birthday) is set for March 26 this year, and guides note festival foods like sabudana khichdi, kheer and the jaggery drink panakam as customary offerings ( ).
Chaitra Navratri 2026 was scheduled from March 19 to March 27, with Day 3—dedicated to Maa Chandraghanta—falling on March 21, 2026. (news9live.com) Panchang listings for Day 3 gave early-morning and midday shubh windows—Brahma muhurat around 04:30–05:15 IST, Abhijit roughly 12:05–12:55 IST, and Rahukal near 09:00–10:30 IST. (zeenews.india.com) Local calendars show small variations: one publication listed Brahma muhurat as 04:49–05:37 IST and Abhijit as 12:04–12:53 IST for the Chandraghanta day. (thedailyjagran.com) Puja samagri notes for Chandraghanta specifically recommended milk-based bhog such as saffron kheer and other sweets as customary offerings on Day 3. (thedailyjagran.com) For Ram Navami 2026 the Navami tithi was calculated to begin at 11:48 AM IST on March 26 and end at 10:06 AM IST on March 27, with the Madhyahna muhurat (the traditionally preferred window for the Janmotsav puja) listed as 11:13 AM–1:41 PM and the calculated mid‑day birth moment at 12:27 PM IST. (drikpanchang.com) The year’s “March 26 vs March 27” confusion stems from tithi overlap and competing panchang rules: most authorities use the Madhyahna/midday rule to place the main observance on March 26, while some traditions citing the Udaya (sunrise) tithi may observe related fasts or rites on March 27. (timesnownews.com) Traditional Ram Navami prasadam details reported across regional sources list panakam (a jaggery-based cooling drink made with jaggery, lemon, dry ginger, cardamom, black pepper and often tulsi) and fasting staples such as sabudana khichdi (sago pearls cooked with peanuts, potato and mild spices)—sabudana dishes remain especially popular in Maharashtra and other vrat-observing regions. (rakskitchen.net) Major temple towns including Ayodhya were described in festival previews as preparing special prayers, processions and decorations expected to draw large congregations for Ram Navami observances on March 26. (economictimes.indiatimes.com)
