Navratri fasting rules: what to eat and what to avoid

Navratri vrat explained: types of fast, foods commonly allowed (kuttu, singhara, sabudana, sama rice) and avoided, a sample day's meals and health cautions.

Sabudana khichdi, a common Navratri fasting food. Photo: Mrudit161187, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.

Why people fast during Navratri

Fasting during Navratri is an act of devotion and self-discipline. Simpler, lighter food is believed to keep the mind clear for worship, and the season itself, the turn from monsoon to autumn, is traditionally seen as a time for lighter eating.

Phuchka, Kolkata's favourite street snack. Photo: TAPAS KUMAR HALDER, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.

Types of Navratri fast

Most fasts are broken after the evening puja, or on the final day after kanya pujan.

Sabudana khichdi, a common Navratri fasting food. Photo: Mrudit161187, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.

Foods commonly avoided

Note that kuttu and rajgira are not true grains (botanically they are seeds), which is one reason they became fasting staples.

Sabudana khichdi, a common Navratri fasting food. Photo: Mrudit161187, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.

A sample day's meals

This is one balanced example for a one-meal or phalahar fast. Adjust to your custom and health.

Sabudana khichdi, a common Navratri fasting food. Photo: Mrudit161187, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.

Variations by family and region

There is no single "correct" list. In Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Delhi, the grain-free vrat is widespread.

Durga with her family, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha and Kartik, at Maddox Square, Kolkata. Photo: Biswarup Ganguly, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.