West Bengal has many grand festivals throughout the year. Durga Puja and Kali Puja are the most famous and popular festivals, however once both the Pujas are over then comes another festival, the worship of goddess Jagaddhatri.
Who is Goddess Jagaddhatri? The legend of the goddess is found in the Kena Upanishad and the Katyayani Tantra. After the goddess Durga killed Mahishasura, the gods of Svarga forgot about her powers. So, in order to test them and teach them a lesson, Parvati appeared before Agni, Vayu, Varuna, and Chandra, who considered themselves invincible and were engulfed by a false sense of pride in themselves, ahamkara, the infallible ego. She asked them to take out and move a tiny blade of grass. Vayu failed to pluck it, and Agni failed to burn it. They all failed and they understood that Devi is the source of all forms of power in the universe, and even theirs belonged to her. The Devas realized their misgivings and the goddess appeared before them as Uma, riding on a lion. The goddess gave the ego of the Devas, the form of an elephant. That is why Goddess Jagaddhatri is depicted sitting on a lion with an elephant under her. The elephant, symbolizing ahamkara, lies under the fierce paws of here vahana, the majestic lion, who symbolizes courage, valour and the strength to overcome any challenges, including one's internal struggles with the Shada Ripus. (Source: Wikipedia)
Where is it celebrated? Jagaddhatri Puja is most popular festivals in Krishnanagar, Chandannagar, Hooghly, Tehatta, Rishra, Bhadreswar, Boinchi, Ashoknagar-Kalyangarh, Howrah in West Bengal. This is also being celebrated in a few parts of states like Odisha and Jharkhand. In West Bengal it is celebrated as the comeback of Devi Durga to free her devotees from ego and all other materialistic desires.
How is it Started? Though there are many stories, however it is mostly believed that the worship of Jagaddhatri started by Raja Krishnachandra of Krishnanagar, Nadia in West Bengal. At Krishnanagar, Raj Rajeshwary Jagaddhatri Puja is one of the oldest in West Bengal. Slowly it speared over several others parts near Krisdhanagar and became the main festival of a few towns in West Bengal. The people of those cities perform 4 days grade festival to worship the Goodes.
When is it Celebrated? The Jagaddhatri Puja is celebrated just after 7 days of Kali Puja/Diwali. Most of the year it is celebrated in the month of November.
What is Special in Chandannagar Jagaddhatri Puja? Chandanaagar is a town in Hooghly District of West Bengal. It is very old town and once upon a time it is under France. It has lots of great history. The main festival of the town is Jagaddhatri Puja and they celebrate it so grand that you can enjoy every moment of this 4 days of festival. During my study I stayed at Chandannagar for 4 years and enjoyed the festival every year a lot. In this blog the photos might be very old, around 15 years old, however you can find only better not less if you see the celebration there at present.
To me three things are special in Jagaddhatri Puja celebration specially in Chandannagar.
The Jagaddhatri Idols: Every puja committee in Chandannagar makes huge idols of godeses Jagaddhatri. The normal heights are between 30-35 feet; however, you can see even taller idols in some places. Not only the height but the beaty of the idol and the work the artists do on is making the idols are just excellent.
The Pandals: The next is the pandals of each puja committees. Every pandal is unique. They use different themes for each pandal. The works and the construction done on each pandals are just beyond imagination. Many look so real that you cannot believe if those are some temporary pandal or just the real ones. There are more than one hundred Pedals you can find in Chandannagar including Chinchura and Mankundu.
The Lightings: Last but not least the lighting used for each Puja Pandal and road for decoration. Chandannagar is world famous for their light works and their lighting used a lot in many places during Durga Puja, Kali Puja and other festivals. So, when it comes to decorate their own town, you can understand how good it would be and you can feel it if you visit Chandannagar during Jagaddhatri Puja time. The photos are not enough to explain the beauty of Chandannagar Lighting.
So, if you want to experience a great festival in West Bengal, you must plan a trip to Chandannagar during Jagaddhatri Puja and you can feel how great it is. I will surely visit the town to enjoy the days of Jagadhatri Puja with my son to show him the beauty of the festival.
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Happy Travelling!!
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