Kanyā Pūjā or Kumārī Pūjā, is a

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

holy ritual, carried out especially on the

Ashtami Ashtami (अष्टमी ''aṣṭamī'') is the eighth day ( Tithi) of Hindu lunar calendar. Festivals Krishna Janmashtami Krishna Janmashtami or Gokul Ashtami is a Hindu festival celebrating the birth of Lord Krishna, an avatar of Hindu dei ...

(eighth day) and

Navami Navami () is the Sanskrit word for "ninth", and is the ninth day in the lunar fortnight ('' Paksha'') of the Hindu calendar. Each month has two Navami days, being the ninth day of the "bright" (''Shukla'') and of the "dark" (''Krishna'') fortnight ...

(ninth day) of the

Navaratri Navaratri () is an annual Hindu festival observed in honor of the goddess Durga, an aspect of Adi Parashakti, the supreme goddess. It spans over nine nights, first in the month of Chaitra (March/April of the Gregorian calendar), and aga ...

festival. The ceremony primarily involves the worship of nine girls, representing the nine forms of Goddess

Durga Durga (, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars. Durga's legend centres around combating evils and demonic ...

(

Navadurga Navadurga (, ), also spelled Navdurga and Navadurgas, are nine manifestations and forms of Durga in Hinduism, especially worshipped during Navaratri and Durga Puja. They are often considered collectively as a single deity, mainly among the followe ...

). As per Hindu philosophy, these girls are considered the manifestation of the natural force of creation. Legend says that it was on the ninth day of Navaratri that

Shakti Shakti (Devanagari: शक्ति, IAST: Śakti; 'energy, ability, strength, effort, power, might, capability') in Hinduism, is the "Universal Power" that underlies and sustains all existence. Conceived as feminine in essence, Shakti refer ...

had taken the form of Goddess Durga, on the request of the

devas Devas may refer to: * Devas Club, a club in south London * Anthony Devas (1911–1958), British portrait painter * Charles Stanton Devas (1848–1906), political economist * Jocelyn Devas (died 1886), founder of the Devas Club * Devas (band), ...

to kill the demon Mahisasura.

Customs

Kumarbhog Durga Puja 2013 - Maha Ashtami Kumari Puja

It is a custom to wash and clean the feet of these nine young girls as a mark of respect for the Goddess and offer new clothes as gifts by the devotee. Kanya Puja as a part of Devi worship is to recognise the feminine power vested in the girl child. The girl should be of young age. There is also a ritual purification and chanting of

mantras A mantra ( ; Pali: ''mantra'') or mantram (Devanagari: मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words (most often in an Indo-Iranian language like Sanskrit or Avestan) belie ...

. She is made to sit on a special

pedestal A pedestal or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In civil engineering, it is also called ''basement''. The minimum height o ...

. She is worshipped by offering 'akshat' (

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

grains) and by burning incense sticks. She is worshipped because, according to the philosophy of 'Striyah Samastastava Devi Bhedah', women symbolize Mahamaya (the goddess Durga). A girl is considered to be the purest because of her innocence.

References

{{reflist Hindu festivals Religious festivals in India September observances October observances Hindu festivals in India Women's festivals Hindu festivals in Nepal