'the ballad of Chandi' or 'Chandi's deeds') also known as Vaar Durga Ki is a composition written by Guru Gobind Singh, included in the 5th chapter of Dasam Granth.
[3] It is based on an episode from the Sanskrit work Markandeya Purana,[4] and describes the conflict between the Gods and the Demons.
Before the Vaar, the Chandi Charitra Ukti Bilas states it is retelling the Markandeya Purana story through internal chapter references such as,ਇਤਿ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਮਾਰਕੰਡੇ ਪੁਰਾਨੇ ਚੰਡੀ ਚਰਿਤ੍ਰ ਉਕਤਿ ਬਿਲਾਸ ਮਧਕੈਟਭ ਬਧਹਿ ਪ੍ਰਥਮ ਧਿਆਇ ॥੧॥ eit sree maaraka(n)dde puraane cha(n)ddee charitr ukat bilaas madhakaiTabh badheh pratham dhiaai ||1||
These include:[3][7] Var Durga Ki is the title of the work in the oldest extant manuscripts of the Dasam Granth.
[6] The first stanza of the Sikh ardās, an invocation to God and the nine Gurus preceding Gobind Singh, is from Chandi Di Var.