Jagadhatri Puja is a tradition exclusive to West Bengal. The Goddess Durga in her role as the mother of the Universe is worshipped during the 10-day festival. The Jagadhatri festival is celebrated a month after the Dussehra and Durga Puja celebrations. The festival celebrates the role of the Divine Mother in her benevolent role .The festival is organised on a grand scale with 10 days of dance, music and cultural programmes. The festival culminates with the immersion of the idol on the tenth day.
Traditions
The festival starts with the installation of the idol in ‘pandals’ across the state. The Goddess is potrayed as a golden skinned with four hands each holding a conch, a discus, shaft and bow. She is dressed in red and seated on a lion. The festival is celebrated in the district of Chandannagar where the festival first originated in the 1750s.
There are community prayers and cultural programmes organised in localities known as ‘Paras’. The festival is an occasion for people to dress in their traditional best and visit friends and families. The pandals are strung with lights and have stalls hawking sweetmeats and savouries. The festival was promoted by Ma Sarada Devi, consort of Ramakrishna Paramahansa as a way to strengthen the belief in the power of the Divine Mother.
Tourist Essential
The festivities of Jagadhatri Puja give the tourist a glimpse into the culture of West Bengal. The festivities include peformances of Rabindra Sangeet and traditional dances. The festivities reach their peak during the last 3 days of the festival, when the Goddess is worshipped in her forms as Saraswati, Lakshmi and Durga.
There are competitions organised across the district for the best decorated pandal and the best cultural programmes. On the tenth day, the idol of the Goddess is taken out in a grand procession to the beat of drums and immersed in the River Hooghly, which is a spectacular sight.
