On the fourth day of Sharadiya Navaratri, observed on Ashwin Shukla Chaturthi, devotees across Nepal are worshiping Kushmanda Devi, the fourth goddess among the Navadurga. Rituals are taking place at Dashain ghar, household puja rooms, Shakti Peeths and Devi temples, while devotees are reciting the Durga Saptashati, also known as Chandi, and the Shrimad Devi Bhagavat at places where Ghatasthapana was performed. The day falls within Bada Dashain, Nepal’s major festival.
Worship on Ashwin Shukla Chaturthi
The fourth day of Navaratri is dedicated to Kushmanda Devi, one of the nine forms of the goddess worshiped as Navadurga. Across Nepal, devotees are marking the occasion through ritual worship at religious sites and in their homes. The observance links the day’s worship with the wider practices of Sharadiya Navaratri and Bada Dashain, which is underway across the country.
Worship is being held in Dashain ghar, the designated spaces for Dashain observances, as well as in puja rooms within homes. Devotees are also gathering at Shakti Peeths and Devi temples to perform rituals in honor of the goddess. These settings bring the observance into both household and temple worship, with rituals taking place at locations that are part of the festival’s established religious practice.
At the sites where Ghatasthapana was performed, recitations of the Durga Saptashati, known as Chandi, and the Shrimad Devi Bhagavat are accompanying the day’s worship. The recitation of these religious texts forms part of the observances reported for the fourth day. The rituals are being carried out at the same locations associated with Ghatasthapana, connecting the current day’s worship with the Navaratri practices already taking place there.
Kushmanda Devi and Bada Dashain
Kushmanda Devi is the fourth of the Navadurga goddesses, and her worship marks the specific devotional focus of Ashwin Shukla Chaturthi. The day is therefore distinguished within the Navaratri observances by devotion to this form of the goddess. At homes, Dashain ghar and places of worship, devotees are observing the occasion through puja and the recitation of sacred texts.
The fourth day also takes place within Bada Dashain, Nepal’s major festival. Its observance is part of the broader festival period, while the worship of Kushmanda Devi gives this particular day its religious focus. Across the country, the reported rituals span household spaces, Shakti Peeths and Devi temples, reflecting the range of places where devotees are carrying out the day’s worship.
The observance combines the worship of the fourth Navadurga goddess with recitations at Ghatasthapana sites. Devotees are marking Ashwin Shukla Chaturthi through these practices as Sharadiya Navaratri continues within Bada Dashain. With rituals taking place in homes and religious institutions across Nepal, Kushmanda Devi is being worshiped as the central figure of the fourth day.
