Sharad Navaratri: Nine Nights of the Divine Mother - Oct 11 to 20, 2026

Sharad Navaratri is the annual autumnal Nine Night festival of the Goddess. Navaratri celebrates the Goddess Durga’s victory over the demon Mahishasura (who symbolizes ignorance, greed, darkness, and egoism). This festival is very important for us since we are working to build a Temple for Goddess Banashankari (aka Shakambhari / Durga).

The festival falls this year from Oct. 11th to Oct. 20th. We will be offering daily pujas to the Goddess for the benefit of society.

On the final day of Vijaya Dashami, we will be offering lemon lamps for families who sponsor for $108 or more. People are also welcome to sponsor the entire festival for any amount they desire. The offering of lemon lamps at the time of Rahu Kala is a special offering for Goddess Banashankari which is said to help remove all sorts of negative energy, karma, curses, and the effects of malefic Planets. This offering is only made in the sacred space of a Temple and can be dangerous if people attempt to offer at home.

Donations help us to purchase the necessary puja offerings, and they help us to be able to pay down our debts and to repair the collapsing foundation so that we can again safely welcome people to the Temple space for pujas and darshan of the Deities. We need around $15,00 dollars to pay down our loans for previous repairs, and we need to raise an estimated $20,000 to repair the collapsing foundation. Your generous donations help us to accomplish the needed repairs so that we can reopen to the public.

Donation to a Temple helps open an energetic channel between you and the Temple, helping you to receive greater blessings from the pujas performed their. We will include the provided names of all family members of sponsors in our puja sankalpas - to specifically notify the Devas that prayers are being offered for you. All of our pujas are performed for loka kalyanam (the welfare of the entire world). Sponsoring the ceremonies helps to connect you to the healing energy being generated through the offerings and recitations of Vedic mantras here.

Pitri Pasha 2026

Mahalaya Paksha, or Pitri Paksha, is the Lunar fortnight of the ancestors. During this period, all auspicious rituals are postponed, and offerings are made for the ancestors.

We owe a great debt to the ancestors for this life and this opportunity to live and enjoy and to release karma. Because of this debt, we take on a great deal of karma from our ancestors. This is understood as genetics by Western doctors and is thought to have no cure. With the understanding of ancestral karma, it becomes possible to free ourselves from the limitations set into motion for us by the past deeds of our ancestors. By making regular offerings for the ancestors, it is possible to help their souls journeying in the inner realms and this in turn helps pay off our debt to the ancestors and release us from the bonds of ancestral karma.

In addition to making regular offerings at home, it is recommended to have rituals performed by priests at sacred Temples annually for the ancestors, either during the Lunar month and phase when they passed or during the pitri paksha. It is becoming increasingly difficult for people to have all the traditional rituals performed for the ancestors at the time of death and in the years following death. We are performing rituals for many thousands of souls monthly, and during the Pitri Paksha to help ensure that these souls do not get caught suffering between realms.

Please send us a list of the names of any ancestors or deceased family or friends you would like for us to include in our prayers. Names can be emailed to info@somamatha.org. Please put the word “pitris” in the subject line. A link is provided bellow for those inspired to sponsor to help support our efforts. During the Pitri Paksha, we take time to perform tarapanams, pinda danam, and tila homam, paying special attention that each soul we are praying for is progressing as it should toward the light of the Pitri Loka.

They say that not much is possible in life without the grace of the Matris and Pitris (male and female ancestors). Please take advantage of this opportunity to have the traditional Vedic rituals performed for your ancestors. Om maataa-pitribhyaam namaha svadhaa

Ganesha Chaturthi Fund Raiser

We are working to raise funds to have Prabhavali arches made for Ganesha and Dhanvantari. The total estimated cost for these is $1,000.

Please sponsor the daily Ganesha Charuthi festival to help us meet our goal. Ganesha Chaturthi falls between Monday, September 14th and Sept. 25th this year. All sponsors will have their names included in our daily sankalpa for the festival. We will be performing Yajna on the final day, Sept 25th.

Donating connects you to the healing energy generated through the rituals. It connects you to the offerings being made here and opens a channel for blessings to flow to you. Ganesha is supplicated to help remove all obstacles and troubles, to give knowledge and wisdom, to grant success, wealth and abundance, and to ready us for spiritual awakening. Ganesha blesses people with calm and fearless mind and steadiness in their lives.