Durgashtami is the eighth day of Navaratri, in the Malayalam month of Kanni. Kerala keeps only the last three days of the nine, and gives them to Saraswati. On Ashtami evening comes Pooja Veppu: books, pens, musical instruments and the tools of every trade are placed before the goddess in a temple or at home, and are not touched again until the morning of Vijayadashami.
The story
The custom is the reverse of a school examination: on the days sacred to learning, study stops. Knowledge is handed back to the goddess it came from, and received again from her.
The Travancore kings brought their image of Saraswati from Padmanabhapuram to the capital each year for the festival; the procession still crosses the state border with a police guard of honour, and nine evenings of music are held in the Navaratri Mandapam.
സരസ്വതി നമസ്തുഭ്യം വരദേ കാമരൂപിണി । വിദ്യാരംഭം കരിഷ്യാമി സിദ്ധിർഭവതു മേ സദാ ॥
Saraswati, I bow to you, giver of boons, who take any form at will. I am about to begin my learning: may I always succeed
Said before the books
How it is kept
- Pooja VeppuAt dusk on Ashtami books and tools are stacked before a lamp and an image of Saraswati.
- No studyReading and writing are forbidden until the books are taken back.
- Bommai koluTamil Brahmin homes in Thiruvananthapuram and Palakkad set out steps of dolls.
- MusicConcerts are held at temples through the nine nights.
Why this date
Durgashtami is the Ashtami of the bright fortnight of the lunar month of Ashvina, on the day it is present at sunrise. Pooja Veppu is done that evening.
Durgashtami in other years
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Monday | |
| 2027 | Thursday | |
| 2028 | Tuesday | |
| 2029 | Sunday | |
| 2030 | Friday | |
| 2031 | Thursday |
More Kerala festivals
9 OctoberMahanavamiമഹാനവമി
10 OctoberVijayadashami and Vidyarambhamവിജയദശമി · വിദ്യാരംഭം
4 SeptemberVinayaka Chathurthiവിനായക ചതുർത്ഥി
12 SeptemberThiruvonamതിരുവോണം
11 SeptemberUthradomഉത്രാടം
29 OctoberDeepavaliദീപാവലി
Where to see Durgashtami
In Kerala
- Panachikkadu Saraswati TempleKeralaCalled the Mookambika of the south, near Kottayam; the goddess is a rock under a creeper.
- Navaratri Mandapam, ThiruvananthapuramKeralaBeside the Padmanabhaswamy temple, with the nine-night music festival begun by Swathi Thirunal.
- Chottanikkara TempleKeralaOne of the most visited goddess temples of Kerala, near Kochi.
Across India
- KollurKarnatakaMookambika, to whom Malayalis go in great numbers for Navaratri.
- KolkataWest BengalThe eighth day is the height of Durga Puja in Bengal.
- MysuruKarnatakaThe palace lit each night of Dasara.