Adamdighi (Bogua) Correspondent :
Ma Mansa Puja was held on Saturday (August 17) on the Sankranti day of the month of Shravan, in every house of every Hindu community in the country, including more than 2500 houses of Charkatla village of Adamdighi Upazila Sadar and more than 2000 Hindu communities in different villages of the upazila as per Hindu religious register.
Mihir Kumar Sarkar, General Secretary of Adamdighi Upazila Puja Celebration Parishad, said that many people honour Ma Masna as the child of Kashyapamuni, the father of snakes. Basically Mangal Kavya says that Mansa’s father is Shiva. Priest Sukumar Chaudhary told this correspondent that Manasa Vijaya Kavya says that once Nagmata Kadru made an idol of a girl, at that moment Lord Shiva’s rays emanated from it and Manasa was born. After that, Nagaraj Baski hunted her as his sister and from childhood, mother Mansa Devi has been raising her. Manasa had to fight hard to gain preeminence as a goddess.
Maa Mansa is the worldly snake goddess of Hinduism. Manasa is foremost among the goddesses of Hindu mythology. Goddess Mansa is identified from the medieval Maa Mangalkavya. Also the first mention of Mansa as a snake goddess is found. Mythology – Mother Manasa is a very famous goddess. Ma Mansa is known as Bishahari to devotees. She is also known as Jagat Gowri Nitya. During the rainy season, snakes roam out, so Maa Mansa is worshiped during the Sankranti of the month of Shravan to prevent snake bites and snake venom. Also Hindus worship Maa Mansa for getting wealth and children.
Devadidev Mahadev said that only if Chandsavadagar agrees to perform his puja, Manasa will prevail in the world. But Shiva devotee Chandsodagar did not agree to worship Mansa in any way. As a result, Ma Mansa killed 6 sons of Chandsudagar and deprived him of his wealth to perform the puja. Behula-Laxinder story is part of it. But Lakshinder’s wife Behula was a devoted devotee of Mansa. After a lot of effort, Behula convinced Chandsodagar to perform Mansa Puja. Chandsodagar threw flowers at Mansa with his left hand without looking at Mansa.
Mansadevi was pleased with this and brought back the 6 sons of Chand Saudagar along with Lakshinder and returned all the wealth. After that Mansa Puja became popular. And since then every year the Hindu community has been performing Maa Mansa Puja on the last day of the month of Shravan.
