According to religious beliefs, on the ninth day of Sharadiya Navaratri, Goddess Durga is worshipped in her form as Siddhidatri. It is believed that Siddhidatri grants prosperity, wealth, knowledge, and various powers to her devotees. On this day, devotees perform rituals to worship the goddess and also give special importance to performing Kunja Puja.
There is a belief that worshipping Siddhidatri fulfills the wishes of believers. In addition to worshipping the goddess, reading her mythological story is particularly valued on this day. Below is the legend of Siddhidatri.
According to ancient scriptures, Siddhidatri is the goddess who bestows all kinds of achievements. It is also believed that her image is associated with the Ardhanarishvara form of Lord Shiva. According to tradition, there was pitch darkness at the beginning of creation. At that time, the goddess Kushmanda used her divine power to create Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh. After this, she assigned different duties to the three deities: Brahma was entrusted with creating the world, Vishnu with sustaining it, and Shiva with destroying it.
It is said that one day Lord Shiva approached Goddess Kushmanda with a plea for completeness. Hearing this request, the goddess manifested as Siddhidatri. Siddhidatri granted Lord Shiva eight primary powers and other divine forces. In religious concepts, these powers are also mentioned as Asht Siddhis and ten additional powers.
After this, the need arose for both male and female principles for the further development of the universe. According to belief, Siddhidatri entered half of Lord Shiva's body then. This resulted in half of Lord Shiva's body becoming masculine and half feminine. This form of Lord Shiva is called Ardhanarishvara. The Ardhanarishvara form is seen as a symbol of the equality of male and female principles. According to religious beliefs, worshipping Siddhidatri brings blessings to the faithful. On the day of Mahanavami, followers worship Siddhidatri, chant mantras, and perform Kunja Puja.