Maa Siddhidatri
Giver of siddhis — the journey completes in grace.
- Vahana
- The lion, or seated on a lotus
- Bhog (offering)
- Sesame seeds
- Flower
- Champa
- Colour
- Purple
Significance
Siddhidatri gives the siddhis — the eight attainments — and the account says Shiva received them from her, which is why he is shown as Ardhanarishvara, half her. She is the completion of the sequence: the nine nights end with something given rather than something defeated.
The ninth night belongs to Saraswati in the wider three-by-three scheme, and the day is Ayudha Puja in the south, when tools, books and instruments are set down before her. That pairing is exact. What she confers is capability, and the objects through which a person exercises theirs are what get placed at her feet.
How she is shown
Four arms; a lotus, mace, discus and conch, attended by siddhas
What is done on this day
Offer sesame. Ayudha Puja is performed: books, instruments, tools and vehicles are cleaned, garlanded and set down, to be taken up again on Vijayadashami. The havan closing the nine nights is held on this day.
The nine colours are widely published as if fixed, but they are not — the sequence is assigned from the weekday Navratri begins on, so it shifts every year. The colour shown here is the one most commonly associated with this form; follow your own community's list where it differs.
ॐ देवी सिद्धिदात्र्यै नमः