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In many parts of Bengal, the worship of Devi Jagaddhatri is performed on the ninth day (Navami Tithi) of the bright fortnight (Shukla Paksha) of Kartik month. Although Jagaddhatri Puja is not celebrated as widely as Durga Puja, and is hardly known outside Bengal, the Goddess holds a supreme place among the Tantric practitioners. In the Tantric path, Jagaddhatri is regarded as the manifested form of the Supreme Brahman — the visible embodiment of the Divine Consciousness soug

In his teachings, Sage Medhas first narrated the tale of Mahishasuramardini, the slayer of the buffalo demon, followed by the story of Chanda and Munda’s destruction. He proclaimed that Devi Chandi, consort of the Supreme Brahman, is the great cosmic power whose worship alone rescues humanity from suffering and peril. At the sage’s advice, Raja Surath and the merchant Samadhi sculpted clay images of the Goddess and worshipped her in the season of spring. Thus began the tradit

Durga Puja, Bengal’s grandest festival today, has a history as layered as the rituals themselves. One popular account credits Raja Kangsanarayan of Taherpur with organizing the first grand royal Durga Puja in the late 16th century. Appointed as Diwan of Bengal and Bihar under Emperor Akbar, Kangsanarayan later retired to Rajshahi and turned to religion and philanthropy. There, he invited Brahmin scholars to perform a great yajna. Among them, the noted scholar Ramesh Shastri d

According to the Purāṇas, the origins of Durga Puja trace back not to autumn, but to spring. It is said that Raja Surath, along with a merchant named Samadhi, once worshipped Goddess Durga during the season of Basant, at the hermitage of Sage Medhas. This came to be known as Basantī Puja. In fact, the Chandi itself refers to Raja Surath as the first worshipper of the Goddess. Later, it was Lord Rama who, in his quest to defeat Ravana, invoked Durga out of season (Akal Bodhan)

Durga puja a social festival of the Hindus. The festival of Durga Puja starts with Mahalaya, in Aswin. Prayers are offered to their ancestors at the river banks, a ritual called Tarpan. The inauguration of the Goddess idol starts on Mahashasthi. The main puja is for three days - Mahasaptami, Mahaastami, Mahanavami. The puja rituals are long and very detailed and complicated. Three days of Mantras and Shlokas and Arati and offerings – the whole atmosphere is filled up with a f

Mahishasura In Hindu scriptures, Mahishasura was an asura. Mahishasura's father Rambha was king of the asuras, and he once fell in love with Princess Mahishi, who was cursed to be a water buffalo; Mahishasura was born out of this union. He is, therefore, able to change between human and buffalo form at will ( mahisha is Sanskrit word for buffalo). The two demon brothers Rambh and Karambh came on the throne of the Underworld. Their Mother Danu instructed them to do penanc

When the faint fragrance of shiuli blossoms drifts into Bengal’s early autumn air, and the dark sky turns indigo before sunrise, radios across the state begin to hum with a voice that has become eternal. It is Birendra Krishna Bhadra’s recitation of the Mahishasura Mardini, broadcast on All India Radio (AIR). This moment is Mahalaya — the beginning of Durga Puja, the invocation of the Goddess, the herald of autumn. For Bengalis, Mahalaya is not just a date on the lunar calend

In Bengal, Durga Puja represents more than a religious observance; it is an intricate cultural phenomenon, deeply embedded in both region and psyche. The festival’s presence is perceptible not only in ritual but in environmental cues—the shiuli blossoms, the shifting quality of seasonal light, and the pervasive beat of the dhaak drum. For five days, social and urban fabrics transform, with streets and neighborhoods reimagined as sites of mythic storytelling. The festival’s im

For a few incandescent days each autumn, Kolkata stops being a city and remembers it is a story. The pavements turn into footnotes, the avenues into chorus lines, and every neighborhood—para, lane, bylane—becomes a luminous stanza in the poem of Durga Puja. Clay breathes. Bamboo whispers. The conch calls. And the Mother arrives—not only as the slayer of a buffalo demon, but as memory, music, and a mirror held up to our better selves. Kolkata's Durga Puja is not just a festiva

The entire mythological framework of Durga Puja is enshrined in the Devi Mahatmya ("The Glory of the Goddess"), a foundational text of Shaktism that constitutes chapters 81 through 93 of the Markandeya Purana. Composed around the 5th or 6th century CE, this text is the first in high Sanskrit literature to elevate the Goddess to the status of the supreme, ultimate reality. Also known as the Durga Saptashati or Chandi Path, it contains 700 verses that are recited verbatim durin

Mythical and Scriptural Roots: The worship of goddess Durga originates from ancient Hindu scriptures, especially the Devi Mahatmya (part of the Markandeya Purana, roughly composed by the 5th-6th century CEM. This text celebrates the divine feminine power (Shakti) who defeats the buffalo demon Mahishasura, symbolizing cosmic victory of good over evil.Early Bengal Practices: While the worship of the Mother Goddess was widespread in ancient Bengal, including tribal and folk trad

1. Devi as Primordial Power The text opens by establishing Nirguna Bhagavati—the formless, transcendent goddess—as the foundational reality from which all existence emerges. Identified variously as Adi Parashakti or Brahman, she is posited as both the origin and sustaining principle of the cosmos. All creative, preservative, and dissolving forces in the universe ultimately derive their efficacy from her, with major deities such as Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva empowered only thr

When examining Durga’s characterization as Adi Prakriti within Shaktism, one confronts a nuanced and foundational strand of Hindu philosophy. Durga, or Mahadevi, is not simply positioned as a divine figure but as the primordial substratum and creative impetus of the entire cosmos. This theme is especially pronounced in the Devi Bhagavata Purana and other core Shakta texts, where the Goddess is described as both the source and the substance of all existence. **Durga as Adi Pr

The Navadurga: Nine Manifestations of Supreme Power (as detailed in the Devi Purana)....Significance of Navaratri The Devi Purana presents nine distinct forms of the goddess Durga, each embodying a unique aspect of her divinity. These manifestations are venerated during Navaratri, with each day dedicated to one form, and each bestowing particular blessings upon devotees. Below is an academic overview of these forms: Shailaputri (Daughter of the Mountains): In mythological ac

The Primordial Nature of Devi: Transcending Creation, Preservation, and Destruction Within the Devi Mahatmya, Durga emerges as a manifestation of the collective energies of the male deities; however, other Puranas, notably the Devi Bhagavata Purana and the Kalika Purana, present Devi (the Goddess) as the ultimate ontological reality—superior even to the Trimurti of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Specifically, the Devi Bhagavata Purana (Skandha 1, Adhyaya 4) describes Devi as Adi

The Devi Bhagavata Purana—sometimes referred to as the Devi Bhagavatam, Bhagavata Purana, or Srimad Devi Bhagavatam—is a foundational Sanskrit text, recognized as one of the eighteen Mahapuranas in Hindu literature. For practitioners devoted to Devi (the Goddess), this scripture holds particular significance, effectively serving as a central sacred text. The Purana is extensive, spanning twelve cantos and totalling 318 chapters. Alongside the Devi Mahatmya, it stands as a cor

Goddess Durga is one of the most respected and powerful figures in Hindu mythology. She symbolizes Shakti, the divine feminine force, and is worshipped as the ultimate protector of the universe and destroyer of evil. Her story is not only about a goddess but also about a cosmic power born to restore balance in the face of growing darkness. According to the Devi Mahatmya, a key text in the Markandeya Purana, Durga was created by the combined energies of the holy Trinity, Brah

Various forms like Durga, Chandi, Mahakali, Mahalakshmi and Maha Saraswati are but Her divine forms. Each form of the Devi has a distinctive role meant for a definite purpose. Yet every form is also identified as the Ultimate Reality of the universe. Each form of the Divine Mother is thus a part of the Supreme Divinity. One form may appear different from the other. But in spirit, each such form is one more manifestation springing from the One Source, verily the Supreme Primor