Chandi ( sa, चण्डी, ) or Chandika () is a

Hindu deity Hindu deities are the gods and goddesses in Hinduism. The terms and epithets for deities within the diverse traditions of Hinduism vary, and include Deva, Devi, Ishvara, Ishvari, Bhagavān and Bhagavati. The deities of Hinduism have evolved ...

. Chandika is another form of

Mahadevi Mahadevi ( sa, महादेवी, ), also referred to as Adi Parashakti, Adi Shakti, and Abhaya Shakti, is the supreme goddess in the Shaktism sect of Hinduism. According to this tradition, all Hindu goddesses are considered to be manifesta ...

, similar to

Durga Durga ( sa, दुर्गा, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars. Durga's legend centres around co ...

. Chandika is a powerful form of

who manifested to destroy evil. She is also known as ''

Kaushiki Kaushiki ( sa, कौशिकी, lit=woman of the cell, translit=Kauśikī,) is a Hindu goddess, a deity who emerged from the sheath of Parvati. She was created before Parvati's conflict with the asura brothers Sumbha and Nisumbha, and was also t ...

'', ''

Katyayani ''Katyayani'' (कात्यायनी) is an aspect of Mahadevi and the slayer of the tyrannical demon Mahishasura. She is the sixth among the Navadurgas, the nine forms of Hindu goddess Durga who are worshipped during the festival of Navar ...

'', ''Asthadasabuja'' ''Mahalakshmi'' and ''Mahishasuramardini''.

History

or is the name by which the Supremely divine is referred to in Devī Māhātmya. Chandi represents the killer of Chanda. ''Chanda'' and Munda were Ashur's strong army generals. The word Chandi also refers to the fiery power of anger of the Brahman.

Bhaskararaya Bhaskara raya () (1690–1785) is widely considered an authority on all questions pertaining to the worship of the Mother Goddess in Shakta tradition of Hinduism. He was born in a Maharashtrian Brahmin family at Hyderabad, Telangana. Bhaskara ray ...

, a leading authority on matters concerning Devi worship, defines Chandi as 'the angry, terrible or passionate one'. While scholars debate whether an old Goddess was Sanskritized or a suppressed Goddess was reclaimed, the fact remains that since the very early days, the Devi was worshiped in the subcontinent regardless of whether she appears as a supreme deity in Brahminic texts. Scholars who trace her tracks show that she was very much a part of an early theistic impulse as it was being crystallised in the Indic mind. C. Mackenzie Brown writes: "Hymns to goddesses in the late portions of the great

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...

epic and in the Harivamsa (AD 100-300) reveal the increasing importance of female deities in Brahminical devotional life.… The re-emergence of the divine feminine in the Devi-Mahatmya was thus both the culmination of centuries-long trends and the inspirational starting point for new investigations into the nature of feminine transcendence." When she does appear in ''

Markandeya Purana The ''Markandeya Purana'' ( sa, मार्कण्डेय पुराण; IAST: ) is a Sanskrit text of Hinduism, and one of the eighteen major Puranas. The text's title Markandeya refers to a sage in Hindu History, who is the central char ...

'', in the section known as Caṇḍī Pāṭha or Devī Māhātmya, she proclaims her preeminence: Chandika Devi temple at Kothi near Rekong Peo Himachal Pradesh India

Chandika Devi temple at Kothi near Rekong Peo Himachal Pradesh India

This text recounts the tale of male demons and their destruction by the Great Goddess and traces its lineage through the

Devīsūkta : This article is about the Devīsūktam in the Ṛgveda The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' ( ', from ' "praise" and ' "knowledge") is an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canonica ...

in the ''

Rigveda The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' ( ', from ' "praise" and ' "knowledge") is an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canonical Hindu texts (''śruti'') known as the Vedas. Only one Sh ...

'' and also connects with the Samkhya Prakriti to establish itself as a canonical text for the Shaktas. Chandi, the fiercest form of the Goddess, is the main deity of the famous Devi Mahatmya, a great poem of seven hundred verses (also called Durga Saptashati or Chandi Patha) which celebrates how she fights and destroys the greatest demons. As Chandi, the destroyer of opposition, she can be invoked for removing obstacles, to allow us to attain

Puruṣārtha ''Purushartha'' (Sanskrit: पुरुषार्थ, International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ) literally means "object(ive) of men". The designation of Chandi or Chandika is used twenty-nine times in the Devi Mahatmya, which is agreed by many scholars to have had originated in

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

, the primary seat of the

Shakta Shaktism ( sa, शाक्त, , ) is one of several major Hindu denominations, wherein the metaphysical reality is considered metaphorically a woman and Shakti (Mahadevi) is regarded as the supreme godhead. It includes many goddesses, all ...

or Goddess tradition and tantric sadhana since ancient times. It is the most common epithet used for the Goddess. In Devi Mahatmya, Chandi, Chandika, Ambika and

have been used synonymously. The basis for Chandi worship is found in the

Devi Bhagavata The Devi Bhagavata Purana ( sa, देवी भागवतपुराणम्, '), also known as the Srimad Devi Bhagavatam, Srimad Bhagavatam, Bhagavata Purana or simply ''Devi Bhagavatam'', is one of the eighteen Mahapuranas of Hindui ...

as well as in the

containing the well-known Saptashati. This narrates the three tales of Chandika fighting and destroying the evil forces in the forms of Madhu & Kaitabha, Dhumralochana,

Chanda and Munda In Hinduism, in the Devi Mahatmya, Chanda and Munda are asuras (demons) in the service of Sumbha and Nishumbha. After the death of Dhumralochana, Sumbha sent them to fight Devi Kaushiki. After Chanda and Munda approached Devi Kaushiki, she tu ...

, Raktabeeja, Shumbha & Nishumbha, and

Mahishasura Mahishasura is a bovine asura in Hinduism. He is depicted in literature to be a deceitful demon who pursued his evil ways by shape-shifting. Mahishasura was the son of Mahisi (Buffalo) and the great-grandson of Brahmarshi Kashyapa. He was ultim ...

. These stories are narrated in thirteen chapters in the form of seven hundred stanzas or half stanzas. Each of these is considered as an independent mantra, by repeating which one attains profound benefits. Goddess Chandi is associated with the nine-lettered Navakshari mantra that has its basis in the

Devi Upanishad The ''Devi Upanishad'' (Sanskrit:देवी उपनिषत्), is one of the minor Upanishads of Hinduism and a text composed in Sanskrit. It is one of the 19 Upanishads attached to the Atharvaveda, and is classified as one of the eight ...

, one of the five Atharva Shirsha Upanishads. It is also called Navarna Mantra or Navavarna Mantra. Besides the Sri Vidhya mantras, it is one of the principal mantras in Shakti worship. It is customary to chant this mantra when chanting the

Devi Mahatmya The ''Devi Mahatmya'' or ''Devi Mahatmyam'' ( sa, देवीमाहात्म्यम्, devīmāhātmyam, Glory of the Goddess) is a Hindu philosophical text describing the Goddess as the supreme power and creator of the universe. It is ...

. She is supposed to live in a place called Mahakal, which is close to Kailasa Named after the goddess is the city of

Chandigarh Chandigarh () is a planned city in India. Chandigarh is bordered by the state of Punjab to the west and the south, and by the state of Haryana to the east. It constitutes the bulk of the Chandigarh Capital Region or Greater Chandigarh, which al ...

(literally: 'fort of Chandi'), the joint capital of the Indian states of Punjab and Haryana.

Legends

Chandika is an avatar of Durga. The three principal forms of Durga worshipped are Mahagauri, Chandika and Aparajita. Of these, Chandika has two forms called Chandi and

Chamunda Chamunda (Sanskrit: चामुण्डा, ISO-15919: Cāmuṇḍā), also known as Chamundeshwari, Chamundi or Charchika, is a fearsome form of Chandi, the Hindu Divine Mother Shakti and is one of the seven Matrikas (mother goddesses).W ...

who is created by the goddess Kaushiki for killing demons Chanda and Munda. She is known as the supreme goddess

Mahishasuramardini Durga ( sa, दुर्गा, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars. Durga's legend centres around comb ...

or Durga who slayed the demon

. She has been affiliated with and also considered as

Katyayini ''Katyayani'' (कात्यायनी) is an aspect of Mahadevi and the slayer of the tyrannical demon Mahishasura. She is the sixth among the Navadurgas, the nine forms of Hindu goddess Durga who are worshipped during the festival of Navar ...

Ambika Ambika may refer to: Mythology * Ambika (goddess), an avatar of the Hindu goddesses Durga, Parvati, and Shakti * Ambika (Jainism), a Jain Yakshini goddess * Ambika (Mahabharata), the wife of Vichitravirya was also the mother of Dhritarashtra, th ...

who killed Shumbha, Nishumbha and their fellow demons

"The great Goddess was born from the energies of the male divinities when the devas became impotent in the long-drawn-out battle with the

asuras Asuras (Sanskrit: असुर) are a class of beings in Indic religions. They are described as power-seeking clans related to the more benevolent Devas (also known as Suras) in Hinduism. In its Buddhist context, the word is sometimes translated ...

. All the energies of the Gods became united and became supernova, throwing out flames in all directions. Then that unique light, pervading the Three Worlds with its lustre, combined into one, and became a female form." "

Devi Devī (; Sanskrit: देवी) is the Sanskrit word for 'goddess'; the masculine form is ''deva''. ''Devi'' and ''deva'' mean 'heavenly, divine, anything of excellence', and are also gender-specific terms for a deity in Hinduism. The conce ...

projected overwhelming omnipotence. The three-eyed goddess was adorned with the crescent moon. Her multiple arms held auspicious weapons and emblems, jewels and ornaments, garments and utensils, garlands and rosaries of beads, all offered by the gods. With her golden body blazing with the splendour of a thousand suns, seated on her lion vehicle, Chandi is one of the most spectacular of all personifications of Cosmic energy." In other scriptures, Chandi is portrayed as "assisting"

Kali Kali (; sa, काली, ), also referred to as Mahakali, Bhadrakali, and Kalika ( sa, कालिका), is a Hinduism, Hindu goddess who is considered to be the goddess of ultimate power, time, destruction and change in Shaktism. In t ...

in her battle with the demon

Raktabīja Raktabija () is an asura in Hinduism. According to the Puranas, he fought with Sumbha and Nisumbha against the goddesses Kali and Chandi, both forms of Durga. Raktabija had acquired a boon from Shiva that whenever a drop of his blood fell on t ...

. Chandi wounded him, but a new demon sprang up from every drop of his blood that fell on the ground. By drinking Raktabīja's blood before it could reach the ground, Kali enabled Chandi to first destroy the armies of demons and finally kill Raktabīja himself. In

Skanda Purana The ''Skanda Purana'' (IAST: Skanda Purāṇa) is the largest ''Puranas#Mahapuranas, Mukyapurana'', a genre of eighteen Hindu religious texts. The text contains over 81,000 verses, and is of Kaumaram, Kaumara literature, titled after Kartikeya ...

, this story is retold and another story of

Mahakali Mahakali () is the Hindu goddess of time and death in the goddess-centric tradition of Shaktism. Similar to Kali, Mahakali is a fierce goddess associated with universal power, time, life, death, and both rebirth and liberation. She is the cons ...

killing demons

is added. Authors Chitralekha Singh and Prem Nath says, "

Narada Purana The ''Naradiya Purana'' ( sa, नारदीय पुराण, ) or ''Narada Purana'' ( sa, नारद पुराण), are two Vaishnavism texts written in Sanskrit language. One of the text is termed as the Major Purana, also called ...

describes the powerful forms of Lakshmi as Durga, Kali , Bhadrakali, Chandi, Maheshwari, Lakshmi, Vaishnavi and Andreye".

Chandi Homa (Havan)

Chandi Homa is one of the most popular Homas in

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

religion. It is performed across India during various festivals, especially during the

Navaratri Navaratri is an annual Hindu festival observed in the honour of the goddess Durga. It spans over nine nights (and ten days), first in the month of Chaitra (March/April of the Gregorian calendar), and again in the month of Sharada. It is ob ...

. Chandi Homa is performed by reciting verses from the Durga Sapthasathi and offering oblations into the sacrificial fire. It could also be accompanied by the Navakshari Mantra. Kumari Puja, Suvasini Puja also form a part of the ritual.

Iconography

The dhyana sloka preceding the Middle episode of Devi Mahatmya the iconographic details are given. The Goddess is described as having vermilion complexion, eighteen arms bearing string of beads, battle axe, mace, arrow, thunderbolt, lotus, bow, water-pot, cudgel, lance, sword, shield, conch, bell, wine-cup, trident, noose and the discus (sudarsana). She has a complexion of coral and is seated on a lotus. In some temples the images of Maha Kali, Maha Lakshmi, and Maha Saraswati are kept separately. The Goddess is also portrayed as four armed in many temples. As Purnachandi, she is visualised as both the essence as well as transcendence i.e. the

Brahman In Hinduism, ''Brahman'' ( sa, ब्रह्मन्) connotes the highest universal principle, the ultimate reality in the universe.P. T. Raju (2006), ''Idealistic Thought of India'', Routledge, , page 426 and Conclusion chapter part X ...

; who is beyond Laghu Chandika, who is of the combined form of

Parvati Parvati ( sa, पार्वती, ), Uma ( sa, उमा, ) or Gauri ( sa, गौरी, ) is the Hindu goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. She is a physical representation of Mahadevi i ...

Lakshmi Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with ''Maya'' ("Illusion"). Alo ...

and

Saraswati Saraswati ( sa, सरस्वती, ) is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, art, speech, wisdom, and learning. She is one of the Tridevi, along with the goddesses Lakshmi and Parvati. The earliest known mention of Saraswati as a go ...

as represented in Durga Saptashati of Markandeya Purana. As Purnachandi, she sports with her sixteen hands, sword, arrow, spear, shakti, chakra, mace, rosary, khartal, phalaka, karmuka, nagapasha, axe, damaru, skull, boon gesture and protection gesture.

In folklore of Bengal

Chandi is one of the most popular folk deities in

, and a number of poems and literary compositions in Bengali called ''Chandi Mangala Kavyas'' were written from 13th century to early 19th century.These had the effect of merging the local folk and tribal goddesses with mainstream Hinduism. The ''Mangal kavyas'' often associate Chandi with goddess

or Kalika and recognise her as a consort of

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

and mother of

Ganesha Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu d ...

and

Kartikeya Kartikeya ( sa, कार्त्तिकेय, Kārttikeya), also known as Skanda, Subrahmanya, Shanmukha (), and Murugan ( ta, முருகன்), is the Hindu god of war. He is the son of Parvati and Shiva, the brother of Ganesha ...

, which are characteristics of goddesses like

and

. The concept of Chandi as the supreme Goddess also underwent a change. The worship of the goddess became heterogeneous in nature. Chandi is associated with good fortune. Her auspicious forms like ''Mangal Chandi'', ''Sankat Mangal Chandi'', ''Rana Chandi'' bestow joy, riches, children, good hunting and victory in battles while other forms like '' Olai Chandi'' cure diseases like cholera, plague and cattle diseases. These are almost all village and tribal Goddesses with the name of the village or tribe being added onto the name Chandi. The most important of these Goddesses is Mongol Chandi who is worshipped in the entire state and also in Assam. Here the word "Mongol" means auspicious or benign.Manna, Sibendu, Mother Goddess, , pp. 100-110

Notes

References

* Coburn, Thomas B., "Devī Māhātmya, The Crystallization of the Goddess Tradition", South Asia Books, 2002. () * Manna, Sibendu, Mother Goddess, , Punthi Pustak, Calcutta, India, 1993. () * Mookerjee, Ajit, Kali, The Feminine Force, Destiny Books, Rochester, Vermont, 1988, () * Sankaranarayanan, S., Glory of the Divine Mother (Devī Māhātmyam), Nesma Books, India, 2001. () * McDaniel, June, ''Offering Flowers, Feeding Skulls: Popular Goddess Worship in West '', Published 2004, Oxford University Press - US, 368 pages, * McDaniel, June, ''Making Virtuous Daughters and Wives: An Introduction to Women's Brata Rituals in Benegal Folk Religion'', Published 2002, SUNY Press, 144 pages, * Wilkins, William Joseph, ''Hindu Mythology, Vedic and Puranic'', Published 2004, Kessinger Publishing, 428 pages, (First edition: Published 1882; Thacker, Spink & co.) {{Authority control Hindu goddesses Mother goddesses Shaktism War goddesses Forms of Parvati