Today is Maha Ashtami, the eighth day of Dashain. Temples and homes across Nepal will mark it with worship of Goddess Durga Bhawani in her powerful, protective forms.
If you have seen a different date on another calendar, you are not imagining it. This year Ashtami appears on two days, and the reason has to do with how Hindu festival days are counted.
Why two Ashtami dates?
Hindu festivals follow the lunar calendar, not the clock striking midnight. A tithi is a lunar day, set by the angle between the Sun and the Moon, and it does not have to last exactly 24 hours.
This year, Ashtami begins around the early morning of October 18 in Nepal and continues into the morning of October 19. So the same tithi is present across two civil dates. This is commonly called a vriddhi, or extended, tithi. Traditions use different rules, such as sunrise-based counting, specific ritual timings or a local panchang, to choose which date to observe.
So which day should you follow? For the main Nepali Dashain celebration, follow today, October 18. If your family follows a priest, temple or regional panchang that prescribes a Monday-morning rite, follow that tradition for that ceremony. The fact that Ashtami continues on Monday does not move Nepal’s main observance.
Which goddess is worshipped?
In Nepal’s Dashain tradition, Maha Ashtami is especially tied to Durga Bhawani in her fierce, protective forms, including Kali. The night is linked with Kalaratri, a name connected to the goddess’s powerful form and the destruction of harmful forces.
In the standard nine-form Navadurga order, however, the eighth form is Mahagauri. That is why some Indian Navratri calendars name her as the main goddess of the eighth day, while Nepali observances give prominence to Kali, Kalaratri and Durga Bhawani. These are related traditions, not rival beliefs.
What else is worshipped today
Maha Ashtami is not only about the Goddess herself. Several customs run alongside it, and all of them vary by family and community.
- Khadga puja: Swords, khukuris and other weapons may be cleaned, decorated with flowers and tika, and worshipped as symbols of Durga’s power. Some security institutions also hold weapon-worship ceremonies.
- Tools and machinery: Some families honour the tools they earn a living with, such as farm implements and other equipment, and sometimes vehicles. Many traditions stress this on Maha Navami, the ninth day, so timing differs.
- Midnight Kalaratri puja: Some traditions hold a special worship of Kalaratri at night. At the Dashain Ghar in Hanuman Dhoka, Kathmandu, it is a notable state ritual of Maha Ashtami.
- Offerings: Some temples and households perform animal sacrifice. Others offer fruits, coconuts, cucumbers, radishes or ash gourd (kubhindo) instead. Sacrifice is not compulsory for any family.
Mantras
Durga: ॐ दुं दुर्गायै नमः (Om Dum Durgayai Namah), “I bow to Goddess Durga”
Kalaratri: ॐ देवी कालरात्र्यै नमः (Om Devi Kalaratryai Namah), “I bow to Goddess Kalaratri”
Mahagauri: ॐ देवी महागौर्यै नमः (Om Devi Mahagauryai Namah), “I bow to Goddess Mahagauri”
What comes next
- Monday, October 19: Ashtami continues in the morning in some calendars.
- Tuesday, October 20, Maha Navami: completes Navadurga worship. Tools, machinery and work equipment are worshipped in many communities.
- Wednesday, October 21, Vijaya Dashami: the main tika and jamara day. The announced auspicious time for tika is 10:26 am, though it may be received through the day.
- Sunday, October 25, Kojagrat Purnima: the full-moon observance that closes the wider 15-day Dashain.
