Ayudha Puja 2026
Ayudha Puja 2026: meaning, date and how it is done
On Maha Navami, the tools and instruments that support our work and learning are cleaned, decorated and worshipped.
What is Ayudha Puja?
"Ayudha" means a weapon or tool. Ayudha Puja is the worship of the instruments we depend on, from a soldier's weapons and a farmer's plough to a craftsman's tools, a student's books, a musician's instrument, a car or a laptop. It is done on Maha Navami, the ninth day of Navratri, and is especially important in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. In many homes it is kept together with Saraswati Puja.
Why it is done
One story says that after Maa Durga killed Mahishasura, her weapons were laid down and worshipped. Another, from the Mahabharata, tells how the Pandavas hid their weapons in a Shami tree during their year of exile and took them back on Vijayadashami. The idea behind the day is gratitude: the things that help us earn, learn and live are treated with respect.
Ayudha Puja 2026 date
Navami tithi is present at sunrise on 20 October, which is why many South Indian calendars place Ayudha Puja on Tuesday 20 October. North Indian calendars keep Maha Navami on 19 October. Follow the date your family or local temple observes.
How it is done
- Clean the tools, machines, vehicles, books and instruments a day before, and keep them in the puja area. Workshops and offices are cleaned too.
- Mark each item with sandal paste, haldi and kumkum, and decorate with flowers or a small garland. Vehicles often get banana stems and mango leaves.
- Offer prayers to Maa Durga or Maa Saraswati, with fruit, puffed rice (pori), jaggery, sundal and sweets as prasad.
- Do aarti and break a coconut or a pumpkin with kumkum for protection, as is the custom in many places.
- Tools and books are usually rested on Navami and taken up again on Vijayadashami, when children begin new lessons.