Historical Period50c CE
1750 CE onward
📷 Rexlex Sourav · [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · source
Deities
Jagaddhātrī of Chandannagar
Jagaddhātrī — the bearer of the universe
Jagaddhātrī — the bearer of the universe
Jagaddhātrī Pūjā is the third-largest Durga observance of Bengal, after Durga Puja and Kali Puja. Chandannagar — the former French colony on the Hooghly — hosts the most spectacular Jagaddhātrī Pūjā in India, with illuminations that can be seen across Bengal. The goddess rides a lion treading on an elephant (representing ego); she has 4 arms. Chandannagar's tradition dates to 1750 when a local zamindar began the festival. The modern "jagaddhātrī illuminations" involve kilometres of LED panels depicting mythological and historical scenes.
Daily aarati at dawn and dusk; abhisheka with water/milk/turmeric; kumkum offering; red hibiscus; oil lamp. For Tantric or non-Brahmin shrines: goat-sacrifice (traditional; increasingly symbolic pumpkin-breaking).
Hinduism's goddess-traditions are vast and diverse — 51 Shakti Pīṭhas, 10 Mahāvidyās, 9 Navadurga, 8 Ashta Matrika, hundreds of regional forms. Each is a distinct face of the one supreme Mahā-Devī.
