|| About Jagaddhatri Puja || Form of Goddess Durga ||

✅ Let's know something About "Jagaddhatri Puja"  and Why to worship this Hindu Goddess, and also How to celebrate this Jagaddhatri festival?

Just one month after Durga Puja, Goddess Jagaddhatri is worshiped on the Shukla Paksha of the month of Kartik.  According to Hindu mythology, Jagaddhatri is the midwife of the world or the ruler of the world.  She is another form of Goddess Durga.

Goddess Trinayana, Chaturbhuja and the lion army.  In her hands conch, wheel, bow and arrow;  Nagyagynopivata in the throat.  The vehicle is mounted on the lion, Karindrasur i.e. the elephant-shaped demon.

According to a story in the Hindu Upanishads, after the killing of Mahishasura, the gods became very arrogant.  They started to believe that this victory was due to giving weapons to Goddess Durga.  Brahma, the source of energy, appeared as Yaksha to prove this idea wrong.

A blade of grass was placed before the gods to test them and asked them to conquer it.  Agni and Vayu exerted all their power but could not burn or destroy that piece of wood.  Finally, the gods realized that the source of all power is Brahma, who exists as the mother of the world, Jagaddhatri.

By worshiping Her, one can conquer all envy and pride.

Jagaddhatri Puja was started in our Bengal by Maharaj Krishnachandra Roy in 1757 AD, in Sadar Krishnanagar of Nadia district.  Legend has it, during the reign of Nawab Alivardi, Raja Krishnachandra demanded twelve lakh rupees as Nazrana.

Aparag Raja was captured and shifted to Murshidabad (alternately to Munger) to give Nazrana.  After his release, the king heard the music of Vijayadashami at the ghat while returning to Krishnanagar by river.

Realized that the Durga Puja time had passed that year.  Saddened by not being able to organize the Durga Puja, the king saw Mother Durga in a dream that very night and was ordered to perform the puja on the next Shuklanavami Tithi as Jagaddhatri.

Since then Jagaddhatri Puja is being performed at Krishnanagar Rajbari.  The gates of the palace are still open during Jagaddhatri Puja.  Pooja follows the old tradition only on Navami Tithi.

Jagaddhatri Puja has reached the stage of legend today in Chandannagar of Hooghly district.

Indranarayan Chowdhury is the promoter of Jagaddhatri Puja in Chandannagar.  It is known that Indranarayan, who was close to Raja Krishnachandra, was the dewan of the French government in Chandannagar.  

About two and a half hundred years ago, Indranarayan, impressed by the puja of the Krishnanagar Rajbari, introduced Jagaddhatri Puja at Lakshmiganj Chaulapatti in Chandannagar.  This puja is known as Adi Puja in Chandannagar.

The idols here are characterized by white lions in the traditional style and elephants in reverse positions.

It is also worth seeing the dedication of the worship. It is heard that when the original idol falls into the water during the dedication, the Shushuk or snake is seen.  In local belief this goddess is very vigilant.

Another feature of the worship at Chandannagar is the huge height of idols and illuminations.

Chandannagar, Krishnanagar present day Shantipur are famous for Jagaddhatri puja but there are also links to Murshidabad.

The puja of the famous Bose family of Palpara in Chandannagar used to be held at their ancestral residence in Murshidabad.  According to folklore, the puja started in 1788, later it was shifted to Chandannagar.

Jagaddhatri Puja is also mentioned in Bankim Chandra's novel "Anandmath".  Incidentally, it is heard that Bankim Chandra wrote  this book in  Lalgola of Murshidabad District sitting in a  Kalibari adjacent to "Open Air Jail" of Lalgola.

Jagaddhatri Puja 2022 begins on Monday 31st October and ends on 5th November 2022.

☸ ✒  Article portrayed & written by Author "Gargi Sengupta" from Berhampore...