Shakambhari Purnima 2026 Date

About Shakambhari Purnima

On Paush Purnima the Devi Bhagavata's Hundred-Eyed Mother — Shatakshi — is said to have shed nine days of tears to end a 100-year drought, then manifested as Shakambhari, 'Bearer of Greens.' The day closes the only Navratri that begins on Ashtami, and altars are heaped with fresh produce.

The fuller story sits in Book 7, Chapter 28 of the Devi Bhagavata Purana. A demon named Durgama stole the Vedas, the rains failed, and the earth went a hundred years without harvest. The Mother appeared with countless eyes — Shatakshi — and wept for nine days, her tears running as rivers. She then bore grains, fruits and leafy vegetables from her own body to feed the starving, and finally killed Durgama, earning the name Durga. Today devotees pile the altar with seasonal greens and raw vegetables as naivedya (food offering), echoing that image. The goddess has two great seats: the Shakti Peetha at Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, where Adi Shankara is said to have installed the icons, and Sambhar in Rajasthan — the salt lake she is said to have gifted the Chauhan Rajputs in the 6th century, who took her as their clan deity.