Jagaddhatri Puja 2021

Jagaddhatri Puja (জগদ্ধাত্রী পূজা) is the worship of Ma Jagaddhatri, "she who holds the world", on Kartik Shukla Navami, a month after Durga Puja.

The Goddess sits on a lion that stands on the elephant-demon Karindrasura, four-armed, fair as the rising sun. The story in the Kena Upanishad tells how the gods, proud after a victory, could not lift a blade of grass placed before them by a Yaksha, until the Goddess appeared and taught them that all their power was hers.

Krishnanagar, where Raja Krishnachandra began the public worship in the 18th century, and Chandannagar, with its towering images, lights and processions, are the great centres; the puja is held from Saptami to Navami, with the principal worship on Navami.