Navratri Vastu: Where the Kalash Goes and What to Clear First

Sharad Navratri begins on 11 October 2026 and runs for nine nights, closing with Dussehra on 20 October. The festivals fall later than usual this year because 2026 carries an adhik maas, the extra lunar month added roughly every three years to keep the lunar and solar calendars in step.

That leaves most households about a week to prepare, which is useful, because preparation is the part Vastu has most to say about. Placing the कलश (kalash, the pot) takes a minute. Clearing the house properly takes longer, and it is the part people skip.

The north-east is the traditional place. In Vastu this corner is treated as the lightest and most open part of a home, which is why puja spaces are usually put there, and why you are told to keep it free of heavy storage and clutter.

If your home has a dedicated puja room or niche, use it rather than creating a second spot. If it does not, the north-east corner of the living room works perfectly well. What matters more than the exact spot is that it is clean, that it is not under a staircase or against a toilet wall, and that nobody has to step over it for nine days.

Face east or north while performing the puja. East is the usual first choice for morning rituals, north for anything to do with steady increase. Both are traditional and either is correct, so pick whichever your room allows without forcing furniture into awkward positions.

The lamp is generally kept to the south-east of the kalash, the fire corner of the home. Where the layout does not allow it, placing the lamp to the right of the kalash is the common practical compromise.

This is the real work, and the order helps. Start at the north-east and move clockwise through the house, finishing in the south-west. The reasoning is simple enough: begin where you want things lightest and end where weight belongs.

What usually needs to go is not dirt but accumulation — the things kept because throwing them away felt wasteful.

The main door gets the most attention during Navratri and deserves it. Clean the threshold properly, repair a doorbell that does not work or a light that has fused, and cut the shoe rack back to what is actually worn.

Rangoli and torans are not only decoration in this tradition — they mark the entrance as cared for. A doorway that is swept, lit and in working order has done most of the job before anything is hung on it.

Once the festival closes, the usual guidance is to immerse or respectfully retire the kalash contents rather than leaving them to dry out in the corner, and then to keep the cleared north-east clear.

That last part is where most households lose the benefit. The corner is emptied for Navratri and refilled with boxes by December. If you keep one thing from the preparation, keep the north-east the way you left it on the first day.