Navratri Kalash Sthapana Vidhi · नवरात्रि कलश स्थापना विधि

When

The kalash is installed on the first day of Navratri (Pratipada), in the morning while Pratipada prevails; if the morning time is missed, the Abhijit muhurat around midday is used. The auspicious time depends on your city; see Sharad Navratri and Chaitra Navratri for the dates.

Samagri to gather

• A wide clay pot and clean soil, and barley (jau) seeds to sow in it
• A kalash of clay, copper or brass
• Water and Ganga jal
• A coin, supari, akshat (unbroken rice), a piece of haldi (turmeric) and durva grass to put in the kalash
• Five mango leaves
• A coconut, and a red cloth or chunari to wrap it
• Kalava (sacred red thread) and roli or kumkum
• A chowki with a clean cloth (often red), and a picture or murti of Durga
• Flowers, incense and a lamp

Setting up

• Clean the place of worship. Many guides prefer the north-east, north or east of the room.
• Spread the cloth on the chowki and place the picture or murti of Durga on it.
• Fill the clay pot with soil, sow the barley, cover the seeds with a thin layer of soil, and sprinkle a little water.

Preparing the kalash

• Tie kalava around the neck of the kalash and draw a swastika on it with roli or kumkum.
• Fill it with water and a little Ganga jal, and put in the coin, supari, akshat, haldi and durva.
• Arrange the five mango leaves at its mouth.
• Wrap the coconut in the red cloth or chunari, tie kalava around it, and set it on the mango leaves.
• Place the kalash in the centre of the pot of sown barley.

The puja

• Take the sankalp for the nine days, holding akshat (and water and a flower) in your hand.
• The kalash is worshipped first, as a form of Ganesha: apply tilak, and offer akshat and flowers.
• Invite Durga to dwell in the kalash for the nine days, and worship her.
• Many families light an akhand jyoti, a lamp kept burning without a break for all nine days.
• Do the aarti: Jai Ambe Gauri. You can also recite Durga mantras.

The nine days

• Worship daily, with aarti, and keep the kalash in its place without moving it.
• Sprinkle a little water on the barley each day; it sprouts over the nine days.
• On Navami or Dashami the kalash is taken down (visarjan), and the sprouted barley and the kalash water are respectfully immersed.

Navratri begins with ghatasthapana, also called kalash sthapana: a kalash filled with water is installed over a pot of sown barley, and Durga is invited to dwell in it for the nine days. The barley sprouting over the nine days is taken as a sign of growth and prosperity.

This page gives the home ritual as the published guides listed below describe it, keeping only steps found in at least two of them. Priest-led ghatasthapana adds Sanskrit mantras for each step; we have not included mantras that we have not compared across editions. Details differ by region and family: follow your family's way where it differs.