Clay Images of West Bengal

The clay image used in the rajbari of the Nadia raj during Jagaddhatri puja is placed directly in front of the dais used for Durga puja. The image is housed in a shrine-like structure on a raised dais of earth. The four-armed goddess is riding astride a ghora simha lion-horse. She is wearing a short blouse and pants in bright red. Her feet and hands are red with henna and she is decorated with daker saj in the same manner as Rajrajesvari, the Nadia raj Durga image.

According to local tradition, it was Raja Krishnachandra who started the worship of the goddess Jagaddhatri, 'she who protects the world'.The Raja was imprisoned in Murshidabad for failing to pay taxes to the Muslim Nawab and missed the annual Durgotsava celebrations for the worship of Durga. On being released, he weas boating down the Jalangi river on his way to his capital Krishnanagar when he had a dream in which the goddess appeared as Jagaddhatri and told him to worship her in that form on his return.

Raja Krishnachandra began the worship of Jagaddhatri and a clay image of the goddess is worshipped to this day in the Krishnanagar rajbari during the autumnal festival of Jagaddahtri puja in the month of Kartikka. The Nadia raj have been Saktas (followers of Devi, the goddess) since the time of their founder, Bhabananda Ray Majumdar (16th c) who was a devotee of the goddess Annapurna. Raja Krishnachandra's ishtadevata or personal deity was Durga. The name of Durga appears on official documents of the Nadia raj and on top of the Krishnanagar rajbari is an epitaph to Kali the victorious.

Jagaddhatri is a form of Durga. Her worship involves the recitation of the Chandi path ( a text connected with Durga) and immersion at the end. Jagaddhatri puja is celebrated in October-November, after Durga puja and involves an abbreviated and duplicated form of Durga puja. Because of this, many families who celebrate Durga puja do not celebrate Jagaddahtri puja as well.

Jagaddhatri puja is a quiet affair compared with Durga puja. The priest often sits alone or accompanied by one other officiating at the shorter ceremony. Clay images of Jagaddhatri are worshipped on a large scale in Krishnanagar and are taken in procession to the rajbari before going on to immersion.

The face of the image of Jagaddahtri in the Krishnanagar rajbari is in the traditional pan style with beak-like nose and wide, slanting eyes. It is likely that this is the style of image adopted in Raja Krishnanchandra's day. The kumars who made images like this would have probably travelled to other areas to make clay images to commission much as they do today. It is evident that the kumars travelled and were patronised in different localities because when the landed gentry moved into the new urban centre of Calcutta in the first part of the 18th c, they hired kumars from Kirshnanagar to make their clay images for them.