Most cultural pursuits of India are rooted in meaning and value, and similar is the case with Indian arts. Art has always been an intrinsic part of Indian culture, featuring in all major festivals in various forms like rangolis, wall paintings, scrolls for storytelling and many more. Indian festivals are known for bringing the whole country together, each region with its own unique way of celebrating. During Diwali, special satellite clips show our bright unity and in Holi, it’s the chaotically coloured streets and faces.

During Navratri the delightful chaos comes alive at night, with co-ordinated dances and matching festive colours which go beyond just a colour code. They signify the various qualities possessed by each of the nine goddesses worshipped during Navratri. Let’s help you discover the meanings of the nine colours, not just for Navratri, but for what they represent in Indian tribal and native artforms.

Navratri Colours 2025: Significance

White

Day: 22 September, 2025

In Navratri, white signifies purity, peace, and resilience. Like the Goddess Shailaputri of the mountains, the colour white is supposed to represent strength and non-bias. In Gond art, the art of the Gond tribe from Central and South India which uses dots and lines to fill their motifs, the colour white is used to signify peace, calmness and a shift from one realm to another, or from one plane of existence to another. The Gonds symbolise metaphysical concepts as much as material realities, using white to enhance the representation of these concepts. Warli art, originating from Maharashtra and known for its minimalism, uses majorly only white on a maroonish background that was traditionally just mud and brick walls. The Warli tribe does not believe in excess, and this value is reflected in their use of simple designs and use of monochromatic colours. White, then, signifies a simple, unpretentious lifestyle.

Red

Day: 23 September, 2025

Red, in Navratri, symbolises passion, love and power. The warrior goddess Katyayani’s fierceness manifests in the colour starkly. This passion is seen in the artworks of Madhubani from Bihar, when the colour red is portrayed to symbolise the blossoming of a new marriage and is paired in most cases with the natural elements and colours. Interestingly, the Pattachitras (scroll paintings) of Orissa use red to emphasise strong emotions and scenarios like the wrath of the gods, a climatic mythological scene, etc., for a dramatical effect.

Royal Blue

Day: 24 September, 2025

Royal blue is a colour that can be as terrifying as the goddess Kalaratri herself. As royal blue manifests in the deep ocean or in the darkest of night, in Navratri it symbolises a determination and strength that only those who must weather such situations can truly know. In Gond art, blue appears as a mystery, as a cosmic force that is beyond the understanding of the human mind. It is used to represent the vastness of the sky, the depth of the ocean or simply, the emotion one must feel when overcome with something larger than oneself. Similar is the depiction of blue in Kalamkari of Andhra Pradesh, with its detailed pen-work giving a distinct and furnished touch to the divinity and vastness displayed by the colour blue.

Yellow

Day: 25 September, 2025

Yellow is a naturally cheerful colour, and in Navratri as well, it signifies the joy and happiness associated with the beginning of the festival. In Bhil art too, yellow is a happy colour, always featuring whenever a joyful scene is depicted. Bhil artists sometimes use sand for yellow, meaning it also manifests as a natural material in itself. The Baigas have a different take on yellow, they look at it as a symbol of wisdom and knowledge, using it for motifs which signify deep understanding.

Green

Day: 26 September, 2025

Green, in Navratri, symbolises nature, fertility and growth. Embodying the female’s perception as a nurturing and guiding figure. The Thangka style of painting, originating from Tibet and adopted by certain parts of India as well, has a special significance for the colour green. A mythical figure called Green Tara, who took it upon herself to save and help the people, is green in colour and has attributes like nurturing, compassion and protection. Green, used often in Thangka paintings, symbolises these qualities, sometimes even the deity herself. In a similar fashion, Pichwai, the cloth paintings of Rajasthan, are also equally religious at their core. The central character in this artform is Lord Krishna, especially his ‘bal swaroop’ or child avatar. In many paintings, he is often seen surrounded by lush greenery, representing all things natural and spiritual.

Grey

Day: 27 September, 2025

Grey is a neutral colour, symbolising a calm, balanced nature that is not easily incited nor biased. In Navratri, it symbolises control and abstinence. In the Cheriyal artform, grey is used mainly to denote aging or the passage of time, whether that is in terms of the surroundings or individuals and their attire. It is also a mature colour, giving not just age but also an aspect of maturity and wisdom to the object it is used on. In contrast, the Phad artform of Rajasthan uses grey to depict the architecture like pillars, forts, etc and the surroundings in general to create a sort of backdrop for the main elements of the painting which would be in a bold and bright colour.

Orange

Day: 28 September 2025

Orange is an innately vibrant colour, symbolising energy, radiance and vividity in Navratri. Gond artists use orange in their paintings to add a dash of joy and colour. Any Gond painting with a religious figure would always feature orange and green, orange as warmth and devotion, green as a symbol of nature and the nurturing quality of the deity. Because of its ability to stand out starkly, orange is also used often in Bhil paintings. It is portrayed in various ways, as a background colour, as a tool to highlight certain features or characters in the painting, or simply to depict the effects and motifs of fire, sun, etc.

Peacock Green

Day: 29 September 2025

Peacock green is a special colour. It has a unique originality to it, a freshness. It signifies compassion and new beginnings. Baiga art, natural and instinctive through and through, looks at peacock green in association with the peacock itself, symbolising pride, immortality and beauty. In Madhubani paintings as well, peacock green features extensively—mainly because peacock is a central motif in Madhubani—and signifies beauty, nature and elegance.

Pink

Day: 30 September 2025

Pink is a delicate yet powerful colour, it symbolises compassion, universal harmony, love and kindness. The women of Baiga tribe have a traditional attire called lugra, which is pink in colour. This association with their culture brings in a new aspect to their depiction of the colour pink. In many Baiga paintings, pink is used as a garment, or as a means to identify the sex of the creature being depicted. It is of course, also used for aesthetic and beautification purposes. Manjusha paintings of Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal make use of pink extensively as traditionally, they used only natural extracts as colours. Pink, green and yellow were their primary colours, with focus less on the symbolism of colour than working with the three and creating a harmony and aesthetic to cope with the lack of diversity.

And with this, we’ve covered all the days and colours of this Navratri! Through this parallel viewing of colour as symbolised in the celebration of Navratri and in various Indian artforms, the fascinating phenomenon of similarities as well as differences in viewing colour becomes evident. If you too find these various artforms and their unique ways of expression interesting, you’ll love the Artventure Books curated by Rooftop for those curious and keen on learning their intricacies with a step by step guide that makes the process smooth. This Navratri, delve into the Indian traditional arts a little, you might find your mind cultivated and coloured like a canvas. Who knows, you might find yourself refreshed by a dive into the world of all things traditional. These were the colours and their significance for the first four days of Navratri, find the rest in part two!