About Shailputri
Goddess Durga is worshipped in her first form as Shailputri, born as the daughter of Himavan, the king of the mountains — the Himalaya. The name Shailputri is formed from two words: 'Shail', meaning mountain, and 'putri', meaning daughter — the Daughter of the Mountain King. On her forehead she bears a crescent moon and various ornaments, and she appears radiant and serene. Her vehicle is the bull Nandi; she holds a trident in one hand and a lotus in the other, adorned with fine jewellery and beautiful garments.
According to tradition, Brahma revealed that the Goddess, who in a previous life was born as Sati, had immolated herself in the sacrificial fire after her father Daksha insulted her husband, Lord Shiva. On learning of Sati's death, Shiva grew furious and, in his grief, destroyed the sacrifice. Meanwhile, the demon Tarakasura, through severe penance to Brahma, had obtained the boon that he could be slain only by a son born of Shiva — and since Shiva, mourning Sati, had withdrawn into endless meditation with no thought of remarriage, the demon believed himself invincible. Tarakasura drove the gods from heaven, seized their throne, and ruled tyrannically over the three worlds.
To remedy this, the gods, led by Brahma, gathered and prayed for a consort who could awaken Shiva from his meditation. In answer to their prayers, the Mother Goddess was born once again as the daughter of Himavan — the king of the mountains — receiving the name Shailputri, and would later become known to the world as Parvati. She is worshipped on the first day of Navratri, and is also known by the name Hemavati.