Bipodtarini Devi
Encyclopedia
Bipodtarini or Bipadtarini is a Hindu
goddess (Devi
), worshipped in West Bengal
, Orissa
and surrounding areas. Closely associated with goddess Sankattarani and considered as one of the 108 Avatar
s of the goddess Durga
, Bidaptarini is especially prayed to for help in overcoming troubles. Her legends which are recounted during the annual festival associated with her, the Bipadtarini Vrata
, observed by women, on the Panchami
, fifth day of the Shukla paksha (waxing moon) in month of Ashada according to the Hindu calendar
. Her legends established her name, Bipada – Tarini, which literally means deliverer from troubles.
(vow) performed by women - is followed or preceded by the telling of the legend of the goddess. The legend is set in Vishnupur or Bishnupur (in the present West Bengal), the seat of the Mallabhum
kingdom from 7th century AD to 18th century during the period of Malla kings. The queen had a friend belonging to a low caste called Muci, who occasionally ate beef. The queen was horrified to learn this, as consumption of beef is considered sacrilegious in Hinduism. Nevertheless, out of curiosity the queen wanted to see the meat. One day, the queen asked her friend to show it to her. The girl was initially refused, fearing the wrath of the pious Hindu king, however later she complied with the queen's request. However, the queen got betrayed and the furious king rushed to kill her. The queen hid the meat in her clothes and prayed to goddess Durga for help. Subsequently when the king tore her clothes to find what was hidden beneath them, all he could find there was a red hibiscus
flower. Even today the goddess's puja remains part of women’s rites and is performed for the goddess' intervention during a family crisis.
Like some other manifestations of Durga, who are invoked during time of specific crisis, or to help an ailing family member, Bipadtarini is also prayed as "cure deity". The annual Bipadtarini-Puja is an important event in the religious calendar of most temples in the region.
, West Bengal. The ceremony or puja for Bipodtarini was first performed 20 years ago by Phani Bhusan Goswami and his wife Sabitri Goswami. The ceremony is attended by people from the Durgapur, Asansol, Burdwan and Birbhum areas.
The celebration goes on for four days. The first day is the aradhana
("worship") of the goddess, followed by two nights of celebrations which include performances of traditional Bengali
folk songs, bhajan
s and kirtan
s by artists from Bolpur
(Shantiniketan) and the Birbhum district
. On the fourth day the traditional bisorjon or immersion of the goddess in water is performed.
Bipodtarini puja is includes many rituals like the fasting observed by majority of women on the day of the puja. The tying of the red colored taga on the wrist is also one of the significant customs. The taga is a kind of thread considered to be made sacred through the various rituals on the event of the puja.
The puja at Asansol also constitutes the performance of Dandi. While performing this act first the devotees have to take a holy bath, to cleanse of sin and purify themselves. Then from the place of holy bath to the place of worship, the devotees repeatedly prostate before the goddess by lying down their full body on the ground with their arms on top and cover the full distance without walking.
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
goddess (Devi
Devi
Devī is the Sanskrit word for Goddess, used mostly in Hinduism, its related masculine term is deva. Devi is synonymous with Shakti, the female aspect of the divine, as conceptualized by the Shakta tradition of Hinduism. She is the female counterpart without whom the male aspect, which represents...
), worshipped in West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
, Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
and surrounding areas. Closely associated with goddess Sankattarani and considered as one of the 108 Avatar
Avatar
In Hinduism, an avatar is a deliberate descent of a deity to earth, or a descent of the Supreme Being and is mostly translated into English as "incarnation," but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation"....
s of the goddess Durga
Durga
For the 1985 Hindi Film of Rajesh Khanna see DurgaaIn Hinduism, Durga ; ; meaning "the inaccessible" or "the invincible"; , durga) or Maa Durga "one who can redeem in situations of utmost distress" is a form of Devi, the supremely radiant goddess, depicted as having eighteen arms, riding a lion...
, Bidaptarini is especially prayed to for help in overcoming troubles. Her legends which are recounted during the annual festival associated with her, the Bipadtarini Vrata
Vrata
In the context of Hinduism and Hindu mythology, the term vrata denotes a religious practice to carry out certain obligations with a view to achieve divine blessing for fulfillment of one or several desires. Etymologically, vrata, a Sanskrit word , means to vow or to promise...
, observed by women, on the Panchami
Panchami
Panchami is the fifth day of the fortnight in Hindu lunar calendar.-Festivals:Nag Panchami is a Hindu festival celebrated by Hindus in most parts of India. It is celebrated in Shravan month. On this day, people worship Nāga Devata . People go to temples and snake pits and worship the snakes...
, fifth day of the Shukla paksha (waxing moon) in month of Ashada according to the Hindu calendar
Hindu calendar
The hindu calendar used in ancient times has undergone many changes in the process of regionalization, and today there are several regional Indian calendars, as well as an Indian national calendar. Nepali calendar, Bengali calendar, Malayalam calendar, Tamil calendar, Telugu calendar, Kannada...
. Her legends established her name, Bipada – Tarini, which literally means deliverer from troubles.
Legend
The puja (ritual worship) of Bipodtarini - a vrataVrata
In the context of Hinduism and Hindu mythology, the term vrata denotes a religious practice to carry out certain obligations with a view to achieve divine blessing for fulfillment of one or several desires. Etymologically, vrata, a Sanskrit word , means to vow or to promise...
(vow) performed by women - is followed or preceded by the telling of the legend of the goddess. The legend is set in Vishnupur or Bishnupur (in the present West Bengal), the seat of the Mallabhum
Mallabhum
Mallabhum was the kingdom ruled by the Malla kings of Bishnupur primarily in the present Bankura district in the Indian state of West Bengal.-Extent:...
kingdom from 7th century AD to 18th century during the period of Malla kings. The queen had a friend belonging to a low caste called Muci, who occasionally ate beef. The queen was horrified to learn this, as consumption of beef is considered sacrilegious in Hinduism. Nevertheless, out of curiosity the queen wanted to see the meat. One day, the queen asked her friend to show it to her. The girl was initially refused, fearing the wrath of the pious Hindu king, however later she complied with the queen's request. However, the queen got betrayed and the furious king rushed to kill her. The queen hid the meat in her clothes and prayed to goddess Durga for help. Subsequently when the king tore her clothes to find what was hidden beneath them, all he could find there was a red hibiscus
Hibiscus
Hibiscus is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is quite large, containing several hundred species that are native to warm-temperate, subtropical and tropical regions throughout the world...
flower. Even today the goddess's puja remains part of women’s rites and is performed for the goddess' intervention during a family crisis.
Like some other manifestations of Durga, who are invoked during time of specific crisis, or to help an ailing family member, Bipadtarini is also prayed as "cure deity". The annual Bipadtarini-Puja is an important event in the religious calendar of most temples in the region.
Worship
Bipodtarini is worshipped annually at Mahishilla Colony, AsansolAsansol
Asansol is a coal mining and industrial metropolis and one of the busiest commercial centres in India. It is the second largest city and urban agglomeration in West Bengal after Kolkata and the 19th largest urban agglomeration in India. Asansol is located in the western part of the Burdwan...
, West Bengal. The ceremony or puja for Bipodtarini was first performed 20 years ago by Phani Bhusan Goswami and his wife Sabitri Goswami. The ceremony is attended by people from the Durgapur, Asansol, Burdwan and Birbhum areas.
The celebration goes on for four days. The first day is the aradhana
Aradhana
Aradhana is a 1969 Bollywood film directed by Shakti Samanta and starring Sharmila Tagore and Rajesh Khanna. It is a remake of the 1946 Hollywood film To Each His Own. It was voted best film of the year by the Filmfare Awards...
("worship") of the goddess, followed by two nights of celebrations which include performances of traditional Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
folk songs, bhajan
Bhajan
A Bhajan is any type of Indian devotional song. It has no fixed form: it may be as simple as a mantra or kirtan or as sophisticated as the dhrupad or kriti with music based on classical ragas and talas. It is normally lyrical, expressing love for the Divine...
s and kirtan
Kirtan
Kirtan or Kirtana is call-and-response chanting or "responsory" performed in India's devotional traditions. A person performing kirtan is known as a kirtankar. Kirtan practice involves chanting hymns or mantras to the accompaniment of instruments such as the harmonium, tablas, the two-headed...
s by artists from Bolpur
Bolpur
Bolpur-Santiniketan is a municipality in Birbhum District in the state of West Bengal, India. It is 145 km north of Kolkata and is best known for the proximity to Visva Bharati, the university set up by Rabindranath Tagore the Nobel laureate poet...
(Shantiniketan) and the Birbhum district
Birbhum district
Birbhum district is an administrative unit in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the northernmost district of Burdwan division—one of the three administrative divisions of West Bengal. The district headquarters is located at Suri...
. On the fourth day the traditional bisorjon or immersion of the goddess in water is performed.
Bipodtarini puja is includes many rituals like the fasting observed by majority of women on the day of the puja. The tying of the red colored taga on the wrist is also one of the significant customs. The taga is a kind of thread considered to be made sacred through the various rituals on the event of the puja.
The puja at Asansol also constitutes the performance of Dandi. While performing this act first the devotees have to take a holy bath, to cleanse of sin and purify themselves. Then from the place of holy bath to the place of worship, the devotees repeatedly prostate before the goddess by lying down their full body on the ground with their arms on top and cover the full distance without walking.
Important shrines
- Maa Bipadtarini Mandir , GariaGariaGaria is a posh neighbourhood in south Kolkata, India. It includes the localities of Naktala, New Garia, Chak Garia, Garia Park, Baghajatin, Baishnabghata-Patuli, Techno City, Model Town, Ganguly Bagan, Tentulberia, East Tentulberia, Ramgarh, Briji, Kamalgazi, Mahamayatala, Boral, Sreenagar,...
, KolkataKolkataKolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India... - Maa Bipadtarini Temple, Rajpur, South 24 Parganas24 Parganas24 Parganas district is a former district of the Indian state of West Bengal. The district was split into two districts — North 24 Parganas district and South 24 Parganas district, with effect from 1 March 1986....