“Like Durga Pujo But Better”: How Chandannagar Celebrates Jagadhatri Puja

Do you have a favourite time of the year? A time when everything feels happy, carefree and so full of love and warmth. For some, this is their birthday. For others, it is Christmas week. For school-going children, it is undoubtedly their summer vacation. But for me, it is the four days of the coming of Maa Jagadhatri.

On the tenth day of Durga Puja, as devotees bid a teary farewell to Mother Durga, few towns in West Bengal, especially the quaint old town of Chandannagar, a former French colony some 30km from Kolkata, prepare for another festival to be held in the month of Karthik – Jagadhatri Puja.

A local festival still celebrated with equal mirth and vigor as it was decades ago, Jagadhatri completes the trinity of female energy worshipped in Bengal; Jagadhatri is what the mother used to be, Kali is the mother now, and Durga is what the mother will be in the future. 

How Did It Originate?

The myth behind the origin of the festival is debatable. However, according to folklores, it was inaugurated by Maharaja Krishnachandra, the Zamindar of Krishnanagar and a member of the royal family of Nadia. Allegedly, the Maharaja was arrested by Nawab Siraj-ud-Dullah for tax fraud and put in jail.

Imprisoned, he heard the drum rolls that signaled the tenth or the last day of Durga Puja, and was filled with grief at having missed the Puja, celebrated at Ma Raj Rajeshwari, a ritual his great-grandfather Rudra Roy started in 1603.

After being released, on his way home on a boat he had a dream where the Goddess appeared and asked him to worship her as Jagadhatri in “one month, on the ninth day of the bright fortnight in the month of Kartik.”

The boat was anchored at Chandannagar and thus began the worship of Jagadhatri in Kapor Putty and has since continued for approximately 400 years now.

According to the mythical origins, it is believed that after killing the devil Mahisasura, Devi Durga was ignored by all gods and they celebrated the victory by putting all credits in their name as having created Durga by assimilating their collective powers.

Raged by this insult, Devi Durga secretly threw a grass leaf at them. Indra (the god of thunder), Vayu (the god of air), Agni (the god of fire), and Varun (the god of rain) all tried to destroy the grass leaf but they failed. Eventually, she appeared before them in her new avatar.

The gods admitted that this bright beautiful Devi with four hands is none other than Goddess Jagadhatri, the goddess of earth. Another view supports that during the war, Mahisasura constantly changed his look into several forms to confuse and decoy Devi Durga.

When the devil took the form of an elephant, Devi appeared with four hands along with a lion. That appearance is known as Jagadhatri. Goddess Jagadhatri killed the devil elephant with her deadly weapon called Chakra.

The elephant embodies the devil in this parable. Hence, she is also sometimes known as ‘Karindrasura’; ‘Kari’ in Sanskrit means elephant. 

Jagadhatri is a part of Durga, the revered feminine energy; where Durga is a slayer, Jagadhatri is a sustainer. The name Jagadhatri comprises two words: ‘jagat’ and ‘dhatri’ which means ‘one who beholds or sustains the earth’.

The Celebrations

Hence, she is also worshipped in the form of an amalaki tree or a wig in certain areas. Jagadhatri is the divine embodiment of fertile female energy. The four-handed goddess is carried by the lion everywhere, an elephant lies at the feet of the lion.

The idol usually has an old-fashioned look, with large eyes spread to the ears and four hands carrying conch, discus, shaft, and bow. The snake is her sacred thread.

One of the main attractions of the Jagadhatri idol of Chandannagar is the ornamental decoration of the goddess with shola (thermocol) and the beautiful canvas of mats with painting at the back of the image.

During the four days of the puja, devotees gather in Chandanngar from across the state and even beyond to enjoy a week of bliss. My favourite memory is color coordinating clothes with my friends and walking around the entire town marveling at the magnum-sized idols towering over 30 feet.

The days usually begin with “pushpanjali”, the morning offering, and in the evening, the town echoes with prayers of “sandhi pujo” and devotees dance to the tunes of “dhaak” with “dhanuchi”.

On the tenth day i.e. on Dashami, all the effigies are paraded throughout the town in a night-long procession. This is considered to be the second-longest in the world, just after Rio de Janeiro’s Rio festival. What is even more interesting is that Rio has a one-way route but in Chandannagar, the procession happens in a circle.

It starts from the south to north and back to south again and then the immersion takes place at Rani Ghat, Strand Road. 

Although I have never been athletic enough to walk around the entire town and prefer enjoying the procession from the balcony of my home, true enthusiasts walk around the entire town throughout the night gazing at the majestic display of light. 

Today, one can find more than 200 pandals and idols in and around Chandannagar during Jagadhatri Puja. The best part of the history of this festival, according to me, is how even as a French colony, the local beliefs and the pujo celebrations were never curbed.

Contrarily, French families partook equally in the festival rituals. Jaghadhatri Puja is a reminder of how two cultures assimilate to produce something enriching. Loved equally by the old and the young, these four days symbolize love and warmth, life and light for the residents of Chandannagar. 

Jagadhatri Puja is an experience. It is an emotion that demands to be felt. How do I explain what it is to someone who has never been to Chandannagar? To someone who has perhaps never heard its name? Let’s just say it is like Durga Pujo but better. 

Featured image is for representational purposes only.