Navratri Day 7: Maa Kalaratri (कालरात्रि), Story, Mantra & Puja

On day 7 of Navratri, the Saptami tithi, devotees worship Maa Kalaratri (माँ कालरात्रि), the seventh of the nine forms of Goddess Durga. In 2026 her day falls on Saturday, 17 October 2026.

The story of Maa Kalaratri

Kalaratri is the fiercest of the nine forms. When the demons Shumbha and Nishumbha, and their general Raktabeej, attacked the gods, the goddess took this form. Raktabeej had a boon that every drop of his blood that fell to earth would become another Raktabeej. As the goddess struck, thousands of demons sprang up.

So the goddess, as Kalaratri (in some tellings as Kali), drank every drop of his blood before it could touch the ground, and destroyed him. She is the dark night that swallows all darkness: time, fear, ignorance and evil itself.

Her form and what it means

She is dark as night, with wild open hair, three eyes and flames on her breath. She rides a donkey, holds a sword and an iron hook, and her other hands give fearlessness and blessings. Fearsome to look at, she is called Shubhankari, the one who does only good.

Day seven is about fearlessness. Kalaratri removes fear of enemies, fire, water and the night. However fierce she looks, to her devotees she is only the protecting mother.

How to worship Maa Kalaratri on day 7

1. Bathe early, wear clean clothes, and sit before the kalash and the goddess’s picture.
2. Offer water to the kalash, and fresh flowers, kumkum and akshat to the goddess.
3. Light the diya (or tend the akhand jyoti) and incense.
4. Offer her bhog: jaggery (gur), or sweets made with jaggery.
5. Chant ॐ देवी कालरात्र्यै नमः 108 times, and recite the Durga Chalisa or a chapter of the Durga Saptashati.
6. Sing the aarti “Jai Ambe Gauri” and share the prasad with your family.

Why Saptami falls on two days in 2026

This year the Saptami tithi is present at sunrise on both Saturday, 17 October and Sunday, 18 October (it begins at 5:54 AM on the 17th and ends at 8:28 AM on the 18th, New Delhi). Families usually worship Kalaratri on the 17th; Ashtami begins mid-morning on the 18th, and Durga Ashtami is observed on Monday, 19 October. In Bengal, Maha Saptami marks the start of the main Durga Puja days with the Kolabou snan at dawn.

The nine days

← Day 6: Maa Katyayani · Day 8: Maa Mahagauri →

See all nine days, the dates, Ghatasthapana and fasting rules in our Navratri 2026 guide.

Artwork: the goddess riding a lion, chromolithograph, Wellcome Collection, CC BY 4.0.