Navratri Quiz for Kids: 32 Questions and Answers on the Nine Forms

This Navratri quiz has 32 questions with answers on the nine forms of Durga, garba and dandiya, and how Navratri is celebrated across India, sorted into easy, medium and hard rounds. Sharad Navratri 2026 began on Sunday 11 October and leads into Dussehra on Tuesday 20 October, so the questions suit class assemblies, garba nights and family quiz time.

The answers follow the way the festival is usually explained in Hindu tradition, and the facts on dances and dates come from UNESCO and standard panchang calendars. Where customs differ from region to region, we say so.

None of these questions repeat our Dussehra quiz for kids or the sister Durga Puja quiz, so you can play all three across the festival season.

Navratri quiz at a glance

Choose the rounds that suit your group. Small children can stop after the easy round. Older classes can play all 32 questions in about 35 minutes.

What is Navratri?

Read this short note aloud before you start, so every child begins with the same facts.

Navratri means “nine nights”. For nine nights, Hindus worship the goddess Durga in nine different forms, called the Navadurga, one form on each day. According to the Devi Mahatmya, Durga fought the buffalo demon Mahishasura and won, and the festival celebrates the victory of good over evil.

There are two main Navratris in the year. Chaitra Navratri comes in spring (March or April) and ends with Ram Navami. Sharad Navratri comes in autumn (September or October) and is followed by Dussehra. Families fast, light lamps and visit temples. In Gujarat, people dance garba and dandiya late into the night. In Bengal and eastern India, the last days of Sharad Navratri are celebrated as Durga Puja.

The nine forms of Durga by day

This table is the key for the medium round of the Navratri quiz. The order below is the one most families and temples follow. Pictures and mounts can differ a little between regions and books.

Easy Navratri quiz for kids (ages 5 to 7)

These ten questions cover what children see at home, in temples and at garba nights. Accept close spellings, such as Shailputri or Shailaputri.

1. Which goddess is worshipped in nine forms during Navratri?
   Answer: Goddess Durga
2. Which animal does Goddess Durga usually ride?
   Answer: A lion (some pictures show a tiger)
3. What do dancers hold in their hands for the dandiya dance?
   Answer: Two small decorated sticks, called dandiya
4. Garba is a folk dance from which Indian state?
   Answer: Gujarat
5. In garba, do dancers move in a straight line or in a circle?
   Answer: In a circle, around a lamp or a picture of the goddess
6. What do many families keep burning in the prayer room through the nine days?
   Answer: An oil or ghee lamp (diya), sometimes called the akhand jyoti
7. Which big festival comes right after Sharad Navratri ends?
   Answer: Dussehra (Vijayadashami)
8. In Kanya Pujan, who are welcomed and honoured as forms of the goddess?
   Answer: Young girls
9. Which form of Durga is worshipped on the very first day?
   Answer: Shailaputri
10. Shailaputri rides which animal?
    Answer: A bull (Nandi)

Medium round: nine forms of Durga quiz (ages 8 to 10)

This round walks through the Navadurga in order, so it works as a nine forms of Durga quiz on its own. Let children look at the table above first if they are new to the names.

11. What does the name “Shailaputri” mean?
    Answer: Daughter of the mountain (shaila = mountain, putri = daughter)
12. Brahmacharini holds a rosary in one hand. What does she hold in the other?
    Answer: A water pot (kamandalu)
13. Which form of Durga has a bell-shaped half moon on her forehead?
    Answer: Chandraghanta (chandra = moon, ghanta = bell)
14. Which form is believed to have created the universe with her gentle smile?
    Answer: Kushmanda, worshipped on Day 4
15. Skandamata is shown holding which baby god on her lap?
    Answer: Skanda, also called Kartikeya or Murugan
16. Katyayani, the Day 6 form, is named after which sage?
    Answer: Sage Katyayana
17. Which is the darkest and fiercest of the nine forms, worshipped on Day 7?
    Answer: Kalaratri
18. Which form is worshipped on Day 8 and is known for her white clothes and calm face?
    Answer: Mahagauri
19. Which form is worshipped on the ninth day and is believed to give special powers?
    Answer: Siddhidatri
20. Sharad Navratri falls in which month of the Hindu calendar?
    Answer: Ashwin (Ashvin), around September or October
21. On Day 1, families set up a pot of water and sow grain seeds beside it. What is this called?
    Answer: Ghatasthapana (also called Kalash Sthapana)

Hard Navratri quiz questions and answers (ages 11 and up)

The hard round of these Navratri quiz questions and answers adds the two festivals of the year, UNESCO and customs from different states. It suits Classes 6 to 8 and adult teams.

22. Which festival is celebrated on the ninth day of Chaitra Navratri?
    Answer: Ram Navami, the birthday of Lord Ram
23. In which season does Chaitra Navratri fall?
    Answer: Spring (March or April); Sharad Navratri falls in autumn
24. Counting the two “Gupta” (hidden) Navratris, how many Navratris are there in a Hindu year?
    Answer: Four: Chaitra, Ashadha Gupta, Sharad and Magha Gupta
25. In which year did UNESCO add the Garba of Gujarat to its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage?
    Answer: 2023
26. The word garba is linked to garbha. What is the clay pot with holes and a lamp inside, placed in the middle of the dance, called?
    Answer: The garbo or garbha deep (garbha means womb, a symbol of life)
27. What is the display of dolls on steps that many families in Tamil Nadu set up for Navratri?
    Answer: Golu (Bommai Golu or Kolu)
28. Which flower festival do women in Telangana celebrate during Navratri, stacking flowers in a cone?
    Answer: Bathukamma
29. Which text of 700 verses about Durga’s battles is often read aloud during Navratri?
    Answer: The Devi Mahatmya, also called the Durga Saptashati or Chandi Path
30. In South India, the ninth day of Sharad Navratri is often a day for worshipping tools, books and vehicles. What is it called?
    Answer: Ayudha Puja (on Mahanavami)
31. On which two days of Navratri is Kanya Pujan most often held?
    Answer: Ashtami (Day 8) and Navami (Day 9)
32. In Nepal, the Navadurga are worshipped during which long festival that includes Navratri?
    Answer: Dashain

Garba, dandiya and Kanya Pujan

Several questions in this Navratri quiz depend on these three customs. A quick explanation helps children answer with confidence.

Garba and dandiya in Gujarat

Garba is a circle dance from Gujarat. Dancers clap and turn around a lamp in a clay pot or an image of the goddess. In 2023, UNESCO added the Garba of Gujarat to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, describing it as a devotional dance performed during Navratri in honour of the goddess. Dandiya raas is a related dance in which partners strike painted sticks in time with the music. Today both dances are enjoyed in cities across India and abroad.

Chaitra and Sharad Navratri

Kanya Pujan

On Ashtami or Navami, many families in North India invite young girls into their homes. The girls are honoured as forms of the goddess: their feet are washed, a red thread or tilak is offered, and they are served a meal, often puri, chana and halwa, before being given small gifts. Some families also invite one small boy. Customs and the number of girls vary from home to home.

How to run the Navratri quiz in class or at a party

This plan fits a 35 to 40 minute lesson, assembly or garba-night break.

1. Read the short note (5 minutes). Read “What is Navratri?” aloud and show the nine forms table.
2. Make teams of four. Name them after the nine forms, such as Team Shailaputri or Team Kushmanda.
3. Play the easy round aloud (8 minutes). Teams write answers on paper and hold them up together.
4. Play the medium and hard rounds (15 minutes). Read each question twice and allow 30 seconds. For younger groups, give three answer choices.
5. Mark as you go. Give one point per answer and accept spelling variants such as Navaratri and Navratri.
6. Finish with a talk (5 minutes). Ask each child how Navratri is celebrated in their family or state.

Tips: in mixed classes, present Navratri as a festival some classmates celebrate, not one everyone does. Do not ask children about their fasting at school. For a party, play one round between dance sets, then switch to Navratri tambola or the Dandiya Nights tambola theme.

Related guides and printables

• Durga Puja quiz for kids
• Dussehra quiz for kids, 25 questions
• Ram Navami quiz
• Printable Navratri bingo cards
• Quiz questions for kids
• Hindu festival dates for 2027
• Navratri worksheets: garba word search and more

Sources

• UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage: Garba of Gujarat (inscribed 2023)
• Drik Panchang: Sharad Navratri 2026 and 2027, Chaitra Navratri 2027 day-by-day calendars
• Encyclopaedia Britannica: Navratri; Kanya Puja
• Wikipedia: Navadurga, with its cited sources, for the nine forms and their mounts; the Devi Mahatmya (Durga Saptashati)

Further reading: Navaratri (Wikipedia), Navadurga, the nine forms of Durga (Wikipedia) and Garba of Gujarat (UNESCO).

Frequently asked questions

7 quick answers

When is Navratri in 2026?

Sharad Navratri 2026 began on Sunday 11 October and ends around 19 or 20 October, with Dussehra on Tuesday 20 October. Chaitra Navratri 2026 was from 19 to 27 March.

When is Navratri in 2027?

Drik Panchang lists Chaitra Navratri 2027 starting on Wednesday 7 April, with Ram Navami around 15 April. Sharad Navratri 2027 starts on Thursday 30 September, with Dussehra on Saturday 9 October. Local timings can shift a day, so check a local panchang.

What are the nine forms of Durga in order?

Shailaputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandamata, Katyayani, Kalaratri, Mahagauri and Siddhidatri, from Day 1 to Day 9.

What are some easy Navratri quiz questions for kids?

Try: Which goddess is worshipped in nine forms? (Durga). Which animal does she ride? (A lion). Garba comes from which state? (Gujarat). Who is worshipped on Day 1? (Shailaputri).

What is the difference between garba and dandiya?

Both are Navratri dances from Gujarat. In garba, dancers clap and turn in a circle around a lamp. In dandiya raas, dancers strike pairs of decorated sticks with a partner.

Why is Navratri celebrated?

It is believed to celebrate Goddess Durga’s victory over the demon Mahishasura, the victory of good over evil. Families worship one form of Durga on each of the nine nights.

How long does it take to play all the Navratri questions in class?

Older classes can play all 32 questions in about 35 minutes, and the class plan fits a 35 to 40 minute lesson, assembly or garba-night break. Small children can stop after the ten easy questions.

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Last updated: October 2026