Sharad Navratri 2026 runs from Sunday 11 October to Monday 19 October, with Ghatasthapana on the first day. If someone at home is fasting for one day, three days or all nine, the practical question arrives early: what actually goes on the plate, and what needs to be in the kitchen before the fast starts?
This is a plain guide to the foods Maharashtrian households usually eat during upvas, what each one is, and which of them you can stock from UmedMart's SHG-made range.
Quick answer: what can you eat during Navratri upvas?
A Maharashtrian upvas plate is usually built from bhagar (varai), sabudana, rajgira, batata and ratale (potato and sweet potato), shengdana (groundnut), fruit, milk and dahi, cooked in ghee or groundnut oil and seasoned with sendha namak (rock salt), green chilli and jeera. Regular grains like wheat and rice, ordinary salt, and usually onion and garlic are left out. Rules differ from family to family, so follow the practice you grew up with.
First, a note on rules
There is no single upvas rulebook. Some families eat one meal after sunset, some eat fruit and milk only, some keep a full nine-day fast and others fast only on Ashtami. Some avoid salt entirely, some use only sendha namak, and a few include ordinary salt. Ingredients that are fine in one home are avoided in another. Nothing below is a ruling. It's a description of what is commonly cooked, so you can shop for it.
The six things a Maharashtrian upvas kitchen runs on
1. Bhagar (varai) — the "rice" of the fast
Bhagar, also called varai or vari, is the small grain that becomes khichdi on fasting days. Indian millet names are used loosely and retailers label bhagar differently, so it is worth reading the pack: ICAR's Indian Institute of Millets Research lists "vari" as a Marathi name for both little millet and proso millet, while many packs sold as bhagar are barnyard millet. Our guide to Maharashtra's millet names untangles the whole set.
On UmedMart you can buy it whole or as flour: DHAN LAXMI Bhagar (500 g, ₹172; 1 kg, ₹240) for khichdi, and GARGI Bhagar Pith (500 g, ₹180), SHREE Varai Flour (500 g, ₹210) or Yashasri Annabhau Bhagar Flour from Beed (400 g, ₹153) for bhakri and thalipeeth.
2. Sabudana — the one everyone recognises
Sabudana (sago) is made from cassava starch, shaped into pearls. It isn't a grain at all, which is why it appears on fasting plates. It turns up as khichdi, vada, thalipeeth and kheer, and in ready-made snacks.
The simplest upvas shortcut is a tin of sabudana papad or chakli: SHRI SAMARTH SHG Sabudana Papad (250 g, ₹214), SHIVAM FOODS Sabudana Papad (500 g, ₹251.66), SHRI SAMARTH SHG Sabudana Chakli (250 g, ₹173) or the larger SARSWATI Sabudana Chakali (500 g, ₹337). A tip worth repeating: soaking sabudana overnight in just enough water to cover it, then draining, is what keeps khichdi separate instead of sticky.
3. Rajgira — amaranth, usually puffed
Rajgira is amaranth seed. Puffed, it's called rajgira lahi, and it's eaten with milk and jaggery or pressed into ladoo and chikki. ARYA Rajgira Lahi comes in 125 g (₹156), 250 g (₹204) and 500 g (₹324) packs from Arya SHG. It's the easiest thing to keep on hand for someone who is fasting all day and needs something quick.
4. Batata and ratale — potato and sweet potato
Potato does most of the heavy lifting: batata bhaji, batata kees, and potato in sabudana khichdi. Sun-dried potato papads are the traditional way to keep it ready: RAMESHWAR Potato Papad / Batata Khis (100 g, ₹148.94), MAHAMAYA Alu Bhagar Papad (200 g, ₹163) and MITKRISHNA Khandeshi Sabudana Potato Papad (200 g, ₹204).
5. Shengdana — groundnut, in almost everything
Coarsely crushed roasted groundnut (danyacha kut) goes into khichdi, over bhaji, and into upvas chutney. OM FOODS Salted Roasted Groundnut (250 g, ₹187) saves you the roasting, and OM FOODS Shengdana Chikki (150 g, ₹160) covers the late-afternoon slump. If you're frying, SHG-made groundnut oil is the traditional choice, and many households cook upvas food in ghee instead — our cow ghee vs buffalo ghee guide explains the difference between the two.
6. Sendha namak, jeera, green chilli, lemon, dahi
Seasoning is deliberately simple. Rock salt instead of table salt, jeera, green chilli, a squeeze of lemon, and dahi or milk alongside. Jaggery sweetens rajgira lahi and sabudana kheer; our guide to jaggery formats is useful if you're choosing between block, cubes and powder.
What a nine-day upvas menu actually looks like
| Time of day | Typical dish | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| Morning | Rajgira lahi with milk, or fruit | Rajgira lahi, milk, banana |
| Midday | Sabudana khichdi, or bhagar with dahi | Sabudana, bhagar, groundnut, ghee |
| Evening snack | Roasted papad, chakli or chikki, tea | Sabudana or bhagar papad, chikki |
| Night meal | Upvas thalipeeth with dahi, or batata bhaji | Upvas flour mix, potatoes, rock salt |
For the last one, ready flour mixes save time: ANNAPURNA Upwas Thali Peeth flour from Jagdamba SHG (500 g, ₹252.26) and SHAKTI Fasting Flour (250 g, ₹192; 500 g, ₹290).
What's usually left out
- Grains and pulses: wheat, rice, jowar, bajra, besan and most dals.
- Ordinary salt: most households switch to sendha namak for the fast.
- Onion and garlic: generally avoided, which matters when you're buying ready-made chutneys and snacks.
That last point deserves care when shopping. A product named "upvas chakli" or "vrat friendly" reflects how the maker describes it. Since practices differ, read the ingredient list on the pack, which under FSSAI labelling rules must be declared on pre-packaged food, and check it against your own family's practice before serving it during a fast.
Your upvas shopping list for 11–19 October
Order about a week ahead. Festival-week courier volumes rise, and the popular SHG packs sell out.
- Bhagar, whole (1 kg) and bhagar flour (500 g)
- Sabudana, plus one pack of sabudana papad or chakli
- Rajgira lahi (250 g)
- Roasted groundnut (250 g) and groundnut oil or ghee
- Upvas thalipeeth or fasting flour mix
- Sendha namak, jeera, green chillies, lemons, dahi and fruit, bought fresh locally
- Potatoes and sweet potatoes, plus potato papad as a standby
For the puja itself, charcoal-free Panchagavya incense and SHG-made pooja essentials are worth adding to the same order.
Frequently asked questions
What is bhagar in English?
Bhagar, also called varai or vari in Marathi, is a small millet grain. Labels differ: ICAR-IIMR lists "vari" as a Marathi name for little millet and for proso millet, while many packs sold as bhagar in Maharashtra are barnyard millet. Whichever species is in the pack, it cooks like a fine rice and is used for fasting khichdi.
Is sabudana allowed during Navratri fasting?
Sabudana is widely eaten during upvas in Maharashtra because it is made from cassava starch rather than from a cereal grain. Practices vary between families, so follow the one you observe at home.
What can I eat during Navratri fast besides sabudana?
Bhagar khichdi, rajgira lahi with milk, upvas thalipeeth made from fasting flour, batata bhaji or batata kees, roasted groundnuts, fruit, milk and dahi, and sweets made with jaggery.
Why does sabudana khichdi turn sticky?
Usually too much water at the soaking stage. Rinse the sabudana, soak it in just enough water to cover the pearls, leave it for a few hours or overnight, then drain any water that hasn't been absorbed before cooking.
Can I use normal salt during upvas?
Most Maharashtrian households use sendha namak (rock salt) instead of ordinary table salt during a fast, though not every family observes this. It's a family practice rather than a rule with one answer.
When is Navratri in 2026?
Sharad Navratri 2026 runs from 11 October to 19 October, with Ghatasthapana on 11 October. Check your local panchang for muhurat timings.
Before the ghat goes up
Stock the four basics — bhagar, sabudana, rajgira and groundnut — and the nine days take care of themselves. Every pack linked here is made by a women's Self-Help Group in Maharashtra, so the money stays with the people who made it. Start your upvas order early and keep the fasting week simple.
Sources: Navratri 2026 dates per standard Hindu calendars; check your local panchang. Millet naming: ICAR–Indian Institute of Millets Research. Food labelling: FSSAI. Prices as listed on UmedMart on 17 September 2026.
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