Jagadhatri Puja: the radiant legacy of chandannagar’s divine tradition - GetBengal Story
The Jagadhatri Puja has begun — a festival whose history is deeply intertwined with the name of Chandannagar. Last year, during an adda at Maya Art Space, three residents of Chandannagar gathered — Dr. Bishwanath Bandopadhyay, former professor and writer; Debashis Mukhopadhyay (Demu), retired journalist and historian; and Pinaki De, professor and graphic designer. The main topic of that day’s adda was Chandannagar’s Jagadhatri Puja and the history and usage of illumination in the festival.
Goddess Jagadhatri is another manifestation of Goddess Durga. According to the Upanishads, she is known as Uma Haimavati. The festival is celebrated with grandeur on the Shukla Navami Tithi of the month of Kartik (October–November) in various parts of Bengal, but the most significant celebrations take place in Chandannagar (Hooghly district) and Krishnanagar (Nadia district). It is believed that in 1762, Raja Krishnachandra Roy of Krishnanagar initiated this Puja. Under his influence, the festival began in Chandannagar as well. Every year, thousands of people gather to witness the celebration in Chandannagar — especially renowned for its artistic lighting displays, which have brought it immense popularity.
The idea was that as the French looked up to see the towering idol, their hats would fall off — symbolically establishing the goddess’s power in the public consciousness. The idol’s size was also enhanced using visual illusion techniques. The goddess, her lion, and the accompanying elephant were crafted separately and then joined together — a tradition that continues even today. To conceal the joint gaps between the figures, shola (pith) decorations were used.
In that conversation, Dr. Bandopadhyay and Debashis Mukhopadhyay discussed several facets of Chandannagar’s Jagadhatri Puja — its religious significance, mythology, and history — much of which is too obscure for the general public. Jagadhatri is fundamentally a Tantric Goddess, and her worship is in Tantric form. There is still some confusion about whether the festival began in Krishnanagar first or Chandannagar. In many parts of Krishnanagar, the lion accompanying the goddess faces forward — directly toward the devotees — resembling terracotta-style artistry. Such idols, however, are not found in Chandannagar. Moreover, the idols in Krishnanagar are relatively smaller, whereas the Chandannagar idols are enormous — often 25 to 27 feet tall. It is believed that this grand scale was intended to enhance the goddess’s divine presence.
At that time, Chandannagar was under French rule, and there was a popular saying:
“This Puja will knock off the hats of the sahibs and mems.”
The idea was that as the French looked up to see the towering idol, their hats would fall off — symbolically establishing the goddess’s power in the public consciousness. The idol’s size was also enhanced using visual illusion techniques. The goddess, her lion, and the accompanying elephant were crafted separately and then joined together — a tradition that continues even today. To conceal the joint gaps between the figures, shola (pith) decorations were used.
In his essay “A Description of Chandannagar’s Jagadhatri Puja and Some Misconceptions,” Professor Bishwanath Bandopadhyay wrote that it was not Dewan Indranarayan but Dataram Sur, a trusted aide of Raja Krishnachandra, who first organized the Jagadhatri Puja in 1762 at Gaurhati village, in the house of his widowed daughter, with royal patronage. Initially, this was a royal Puja, but over time it spread among the landlords, merchants, and common people. Records show that the Barowari Puja in Chandannagar began around 1790. After the French established their settlement in Chandannagar, the public Jagadhatri Puja took root there.
After the Vedic era, it was in Chandannagar that the first modern, community-style Jagadhatri Puja was introduced in West Bengal. During that time, Chandannagar was a major river port known for the export of handwoven textiles. The merchants of the region initiated the first community Jagadhatri Puja at Chaulpatti, on the banks of the Ganges, which is now regarded as the original Puja (Adi Puja). From the beginning, it was a four-day-long celebration. Later, merchants living west of the Grand Trunk Road started their own Pujas — notably Kaporepatti Puja (cloth merchants) and Moydapatti Puja (flour merchants), also known as Marwaripatti Puja, which is today’s Lakshiganj Crossing.
Goddess Jagadhatri is another manifestation of Goddess Durga. According to the Upanishads, she is known as Uma Haimavati.
Vegetable traders too began their own Puja near Lakshiganj Bazaar, a place known for its radish market, hence called Mulopatti Puja (now Lakshiganj Bazaar Puja). These four — Chaulpatti, Kaporepatti, Moydapatti, and Mulopatti — are considered the four principal Pujas of Lakshiganj, traditionally financed by the merchant community.
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Translated by Krishnendu Mitra
To read the original Bengali article, click here.
