Navratri puja is dedicated to the worship of nine different forms of Goddess Durga for 9 days. The
Chaitra Navratri puja begins in the lunar month of Chaitra, i.e. March- April. The first day of the puja begins with worshipping Goddess Shailaputri.

Shailaputri, the word shaila means mountains and putri stands for daughter. When put together, the word means daughter of the mountains. She is one of the manifestations of the Hindu Goddess Durga and is worshipped on the first day of Navratri puja.

She is the daughter of Mountain King Himavan and his wife Mainika. Her birth name is Kali and she is also known as Sati, Bhavani, Parvati or Hemavati.

Depicted with a crescent moon on her forehead, with a trident in her right hand and a lotus flower in her left, she rides on Nandi (bull) and is the absolute form of Mother Nature.

Shailaputri is the Adi Parashakti who was born in the house of King of Himalayas. She is the embodiment of the power of Gods Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.

Legend goes that in her previous birth, she was the daughter of Prajapati Daksha, and was known as Sati, who was very much in love with and devoted to God Shiva. Daksha did not like Shiva and knew his daughter was in love with him. Sati tried everything to make her father understand, but it was in vain.

Seeing this, Sati’s mother and King Daksha’s wife Prasuti, arranged Shiva and Sati’s marriage without Daksha’s consent. On knowing this, King Daksha cut off all ties with the couple and arranged a ceremony in which everyone was invited- Gods, Goddesses and sages, except Shiva and Sati.

Daksha’s sole intention was to insult Shiva, who advised his wife not to go to the ceremony. Sati ignored everything and went alone to the ceremony. She was snubbed and humiliated by her father publicly and unable to bear more, she immolated herself in the sacrificial yajna fire.

Upon hearing this, Shiva was consumed by fiery anger, rage and endless sorrow, invoking Veerbhadra and Bhadrakali to take his revenge. Bhadrakali brought devastation to the ceremony and attendees present as they didn’t speak out against King Daksha. Veerbhadra hacked off Daksha’s head and put it in the same sacrificial fire where his daughter burned to death.

Later, Sati was reborn as King Himavan’s daughter, and was named Parvati. Himavan and his wife respected and worshipped Shiva, and married their daughter Parvati with him.

The puja begins with ghatasthapana, a ritual that symbolizes women power. The ritual is done using holy ingredients and starts with making a 3 layered base of soil in a square shape. Saptadhanya/ Navdhanya seeds are then scattered onto them and water is sprinkled upon them so that they get enough moisture to grow.

Then, a kalash is filled with Ganga Jal and some coins, akshat (raw rice mixed with turmeric powder or sindoor), durva grass and supari are put into the Ganga Jal. 5 mango tree leaves are tied together using red thread and put on the mouth of the kalash and a coconut is placed on top of it.

Mantra of Shailaputri:

ॐ देवी शैलपुत्र्यै नमः॥
Om Devi Shailaputryai Namah॥

Prayer of Shailaputri:

वन्दे वाञ्छितलाभाय चन्द्रार्ध कृतशेखराम् ।
वृषारूढाम् शूलधराम् शैलपुत्रीम् यशस्विनीम् ॥

Vande Vanchhitalabhaya Chandrardhakritashekharam।
Vrisharudham Shuladharam Shailaputrim Yashasvinim॥

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