On the third day of Navratri the Goddess is worshipped as Chandraghanta. The name joins chandra, the moon, and ghanta, a bell. She is Parvati after her marriage to Shiva, and the half-moon on her brow, shaped like a temple bell, gives her the name. After two days that were about origin and discipline, this day is about readiness and protection.
The page is part of the Navadurga guide, which follows the order widely used in north and west India. Some regions keep another order.
The day of Navratri
Chandraghanta is worshipped on Tritiya, the third tithi of the bright half. In 2026 Tritiya is in force at sunrise on Tuesday 13 October 2026 in New Delhi and Pune, running until 11:28 pm. In Chaitra Navratri 2027 the third day is Friday 9 April 2027. Dates for other cities are on the Sharad Navratri page and the Chaitra Navratri page, and the full run of days is on the Navratri day by day page. The form before her is Brahmacharini and the one after is Kushmanda.
Form and iconography
Chandraghanta has a golden, bright complexion and sits on a tiger (in many pictures a lion; the two are used for the same Durga). She has ten arms. Her hands hold a trident, a mace, a sword, a bow and arrows, a discus, a lotus and a water pot, and one hand is raised in blessing, while another is held open, palm down, in the gesture of reassurance. Her forehead carries the bell-shaped crescent. She has three eyes, and her expression is grave but kind.
The form is unusual in that she looks ready to act while still being peaceful. Devotional writing often says that the gentleness and the arms are not in conflict: she is calm because she is able to protect.
The story as tradition tells it
The tradition says that when Parvati married Shiva, she took the crescent moon of her husband’s hair as an ornament on her own forehead, and that is how she came to be called Chandraghanta. Another telling places the form at the time of the battles of the gods and the demons, in which her bell-like sound from the moon on her brow struck terror into the demons while giving courage to her devotees. The first is the better known; the second is told in many homes as a story for children, and its sources are devotional rather than a single text.
You will not find the name Chandraghanta in the Devi Mahatmya as the name of a day. Her place as the third of the nine forms comes from the later tradition of the Navadurga, and the Devi Kavacha lists her in that place. We say this so that you can tell the old text from the tradition of the days.
What the bell means
The bell is used in Hindu worship to mark the start of a puja and to call attention to the divine. In devotional readings the sound of the bell on the Goddess’s brow stands for the sound that drives away fear, and the crescent for coolness and calm. So Chandraghanta is often prayed to by people who are anxious or worried about something coming. The practice is a comfort, not a cure, and for anxiety that troubles daily life a doctor is the right person to ask.
In the yoga-influenced reading that is popular today, she is linked to the navel centre, manipura, which is thought of as the seat of courage and will. As with the other chakra links, that is a later layer.
The dhyana shloka
Modern booklets print short meditation verses for each of the nine forms. We have not been able to match those verses to an old printed source that we can check, so we do not quote any here. If you have a verse in a family prayer book, recite it as it stands. What it will describe is the picture above: the bell-shaped moon, the ten arms, the golden colour and the tiger.
Offerings and customs
Milk, and dishes made with milk, above all kheer (rice pudding), are the commonly given offerings, and in many homes the kheer is offered first to the Goddess and then shared. The tradition says milk offered to her brings peace of mind. Some people also give the milk to Brahmins or to girls, in the spirit of kanya pujan.
In Maharashtra the popular colour for the day depends on the weekday and changes each year; see the day by day page for the regional scheme. Elsewhere, red and golden-yellow flowers are common. For recitation, the Jai Ambe Gauri aarti is the one most often sung in the evening of the third day.
If you are fasting, keep it gentle and follow medical advice where it applies.
A way to spend the third day
The third day has a mood of its own, and families who like to mark the nine days with a theme often pick one word for it: courage, or calm under pressure. A simple way to keep it is to ring a small bell at the start of the evening lamp, pausing for a moment of quiet after the sound, in the way the bell on the Goddess’s brow is understood. Children enjoy this, and it needs no special knowledge. The first two days gave you the root and the discipline; the third asks only that you carry them into the evening with some steadiness.
Frequently asked questions
↳ Which day of Navratri is Chandraghanta worshipped?
Chandraghanta is worshipped on the third day, Tritiya. In 2026 that is Tuesday 13 October 2026 in New Delhi and Pune.
↳ Why is she called Chandraghanta?
The name joins chandra (moon) and ghanta (bell). It describes the crescent moon on her forehead, which is shaped like a bell.
↳ Does Chandraghanta ride a tiger or a lion?
Both are used. Pictures and temple images show her on a tiger or on a lion, and the two are used for the same Durga, so follow the image in your own tradition.
↳ What is offered to Chandraghanta?
Milk and kheer are the commonly given offerings. This is a custom, not a rule.
↳ Is Chandraghanta named in the Devi Mahatmya?
Her place as the third of the nine forms comes from the later tradition of the Navadurga, not from the thirteen chapters of the Devi Mahatmya. The Devi Kavacha, printed with it, lists her in that order.