HinduCalendar.in New Delhi

Maha Saptami

Also called Nabapatrika, Kola Bou

When

Saturday, 17 October 2026 in 37 days

New Delhi ยท change location

Sunrise6:26 AM
Sunset5:45 PM
Saptami until 8:28 AM, Oct 18
at sunrise. This observance is governed by udaya, not by the sunrise tithi โ€” which is why the tithi named here is often not the one the festival is named for.
Mula until 9:47 AM
9:16 AM โ€“ 10:41 AM

See the complete panchang for that day โ†’

Governed by udaya

Why this date?

Ashwin Shukla Saptami. This row is COMPUTED rather than stored โ€” one of the few annual observances the engine derives instead of reading from a table โ€” by a governed rule that resolves the day per tradition โ€” the eastern solar reckoning can land it on a different civil day from the others, and in some years that reckoning yields no day at all. Where Saptami is vriddhi and holds at two sunrises, the first is taken.

  • Computed by the panchanga engine for your location
  • Follows a written selection rule, not a copied list
  • The governing period is stated, and the rule is applied to it
  • The written guide has not yet been reviewed by a named scholar

Dates come from the calculation engine and are independent of the written guide. How we calculate โ†’

Dates in the coming years

Published to 2030. Later years appear as the dataset is extended and validated.

What In short

The second day of the Durga Puja, opening with the Nabapatrika bath at dawn. Nine plants bound together โ€” banana, colocasia, turmeric, jayanti, bel, pomegranate, ashoka, arum and rice paddy โ€” are bathed in the river before sunrise and installed beside Ganesha.

Why The reason behind it

The Nabapatrika is the Goddess in her nine plant forms, and the bundle is older than the clay image beside it. The banana plant wrapped in a red-bordered sari, popularly the Kola Bou or banana bride, is not Ganesha's wife despite the nickname โ€” she is Durga herself, in the form the agricultural year knows.

Traditional basis

Bengal Durga Puja paddhati โ€” Prescribes the pre-dawn Nabapatrika snan and the installation, and enumerates the nine plants.

Devi Mahatmya, Shakambhari and vanaspati forms โ€” The Goddess in vegetal form, of which the Nabapatrika is the ritual expression.

How At home, step by step

  1. The Nabapatrika is taken to the river and bathed before sunrise.
  2. It is dressed in a red-bordered sari and installed to the right of Ganesha.
  3. The mahasnan and the day's puja follow; the pandals fill from the morning.
What you'll need
  • The nine plants, where they are gathered
  • A red-bordered sari for the bundle
  • River water for the snan
  • Flowers, bel leaves and a ghee lamp
Fasting and breaking the fast

Not a fasting day in eastern practice.

Fasting guidance here describes traditional practice. It is not medical advice โ€” if you are pregnant, diabetic, on medication or unwell, ask a doctor about your own circumstances.

Personal In your region

For children

Nine plants are tied together, bathed in the river before sunrise and dressed in a sari. People call her the banana bride, but she is really Durga.

Common questions

Is the Kola Bou Ganesha's wife?
No, though she stands beside him and the nickname says otherwise. The Nabapatrika is Durga in her nine-plant form. The placement next to Ganesha is what gave rise to the popular reading.
Why can this date differ between traditions on this site?
Because it is computed by a governed rule that resolves per tradition rather than read from a fixed table, and the eastern solar reckoning can select a different day. Where the reckoning yields no day, the site shows none rather than guessing.

This guide has not yet been reviewed by a named scholar or practising priest. The dates and times on this page come from the calculation engine and are independent of it; the explanatory text is editorial and may not reflect your family's practice. Tell us if something is wrong.