JAGADDHATRI PUJA
By S. Subramaniam
Closely following the Durga Puja and Kali Puja, the third form of the Mother goddess, as Jagaddhatri is worshipped in Bengal six days after the Diwali festival. This year the main puja is being celebrated today, the Navami, 2nd November 2022.
According to the Sankhya school of Hindu philosophy, there are three gunas, Rajas, Tamas and Sattva. While Maa Durga represents Rajas (passion and activity), Maa Kali represents Tamas (darkness), Maa Jagaddhatri represents Sattva (purity and goodness). Bankim Chandra, who gave India the famous slogan "Vande Mataram" refers to the three combined aspects of the goddess as Bharat Mata in his famous book Ananda Math.
The worship, akin to the Durga puja, is spread over four days from Shukla paksha Saptami to Dashami, exactly a month after Durga puja, but with reduced funfare. Immersion (visarjan) takes place on the Dashami day or during the following two days.
Maa Jagaddhatri can be seen seated on a lion (her vahana) and holding weapons such as shankh, chakra, bow and arrow and crushing an elephant. The elephant represents ego. The very purpose of Maa Jagaddhatri taking the avatar was to teach a lesson to the proud Devas and to subdue their egos.
Lighting in Chandannagar is one of the main attractions in Jagadhatri Puja. Thousands of people visit Chandannagar only to see the lighting decorations.
Like Durga puja receiving the patronage of British, Jagaddhatri puja received the patronage of the French. Erstwhile French colony Chandannagar, in Hooghly district, is the nerve centre of Jagaddhatri puja. It is also popular in the adjacent towns such as Rishra, Bhadreswar, Chinsurah, Hooghly and Boinchi.
The French administrators brought all Puja organisers under one central monitoring body, a trend that still continues.The Pujas are still given serial numbers to be followed during the mammoth immersion procession, said to be the second longest in the world after the Rio Carnival.
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