For each day of the Navratri festival, I will bring you stories of the goddess(es) of the day! Both Maheshwari & Shailaputri are goddesses of the first day, depending on who you ask, and which part of India they are from. I am a big fan of Indian mythology and love the many goddesses everywhere. Each one is simply awe-inspiring and well awesome!

Moving on to the festival’s goddesses, different regions have their own variation on this. The east is all about Durga while the west celebrates the goddess Lakshmi.

In many parts of southern India, the Navratri festival celebrates the three goddesses, Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswathi, in that order, for three days each. That is, the first three days are set aside for manifestations of Goddess Durga, and so on. So day one celebrates Goddess Maheshwari.

Whereas, in many other regions of India, the Navadurgas (the nine Durgas) are celebrated over the nine days of the festival. And the goddess of day one is Shailaputri.

Nota that this series is a look at mythological stories and the rich cultural traditions across India than anything else.

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Maheshwari, the Matrika

Goddess Maheswari (also spelled as Maheshwari) is one of the seven Matrikas, a group of mother goddesses in Hindu tradition. She is a manifestation of Parvati, the consort of Lord Shiva, and represents power or “Shakti.”

Who is Goddess Maheshwari?

• Maheshwari is the goddess who carries the fierce yet protective qualities of Shiva. She is strong, wise, and always ready to help in the fight against evil.
• She rides a bull, like Shiva, and holds a trident and drum in her hands, showing her power to both create and destroy. Different ancient texts and myths give slightly different portrayals but one common thing across them is that she is known for her role in great battles, protecting the good and defeating the bad.

A Maheshwari Story

The Battle with the Demons

As the myths tell us:

One day, dangerous demons took over the heavens, causing trouble for everyone, even the gods! The gods asked Goddess Durga for help. Durga called upon her strongest forms, and from her energy, Maheshwari appeared.

There was a tricky demon named Raktabija. Every time his blood touched the ground, more demons would appear! But clever Maheshwari stopped this by catching his blood before it fell, helping to defeat him and save the heavens.

References: Wikipedia; https://manishjaishree.com/maheshwari/;

Shailaputri,

• Shailaputri literally means “daughter of the mountains” (Shaila = mountain, Putri = daughter). She is an incarnation of Parvati, the daughter of King Himavan, the king of the Himalayas.
• In this form, she represents nature and is associated with strength, purity, and the nurturing power of the earth.
• She is depicted riding a bull (Nandi) and holds a trident in one hand and a lotus in the other.

Worship of Shailaputri on the first day symbolizes a fresh start, and she is prayed to for strength, grounding, and stability in life.

References: wikipedia

Related Reads and More

• Check out Nalini Ramachandran’s Nava Durga if you want to learn more. You can find more wonderful stories for the festival and my thoughts on Ramachandran’s book here.
• Each day of the festival has its own color and special festive foods as well. Note that these are just optional though! Yellow (my favorite color) is the first color, bringing with it joy and energy. In Tamil homes, we make sundal (boiled and spiced lentils) each festival day, and day one is for black-eyed peas.

And Now, the End of this Post

Dear reader, hope you will join in on this journey with the goddesses.