Sharadiya Navratri will begin on September 22, 2025, and devotees across India will worship the nine divine forms of Goddess Durga with great devotion. Each day of Navratri is dedicated to a specific form of Maa Durga, and devotees prepare special offerings of food, sweets, and fruits to please the goddess.
However, Hindu scriptures and traditions also specify some strict rules about what should not be offered to Goddess Durga during Navratri. Along with following a pure Satvik diet at home, devotees are expected to avoid certain fruits and ingredients in offerings. Let’s look at the rules of Navratri bhog and the fruits that should never be placed before Maa Durga.
Rules related to offerings during Navratri
- Worshippers must eat and offer only Satvik food—avoid onion, garlic, non-vegetarian food, and alcohol.
- Food should always be freshly cooked and offered to the goddess before being consumed.
- Devotees observing fasts should eat at night only after making the offering to Maa Durga.
- On each day of Navratri, a different bhog is offered to the nine forms of Navdurga.
Favourite offerings of the nine forms of Goddess Durga
- Shailputri: Almond pudding, ghee-based sweets
- Brahmacharini: Sugar candy, sugar
- Chandraghanta: Kheer
- Kushmanda: Malpua
- Skandamata: Bananas
- Katyayani: Honey or honey products
- Kaalratri: Jaggery or jaggery-based foods
- Mahagauri: Coconut or coconut-based items
- Siddhidatri: Gram, halwa-puri
Fruits you should not offer during Navratri
Certain fruits are considered inauspicious for Navratri puja and should be avoided:
- Lemon
- Tamarind
- Dry coconut (without tuft)
- Pear
- Figs
- Stale or rotten fruits
Instead, offer fresh and auspicious fruits such as:
- Pomegranate
- Wood apple (bel)
- Mango
- Custard apple (sitaphal)
- Water chestnut (singhara)
- Whole coconut with tuft
Navratri is not only about fasting and devotion but also about observing discipline in worship. By following the rules of bhog offerings and avoiding certain fruits, devotees can ensure that their puja is complete and auspicious. With sincere devotion and the right offerings, Maa Durga blesses her devotees with health, prosperity, and happiness.
(Disclaimer: The information given here is based on religious beliefs and folk beliefs. There is no scientific evidence for this. India TV does not provide any proof of the truth of any of the things.)
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