Kanya Puja, also known as Kumari Puja, is an auspicious Hindu festival celebrated to honour and worship young girls as a manifestation of Goddess Durga. This ritual holds great significance in Hindu culture and is celebrated on the eighth or ninth day of Navratri. This year, Kanya Puja falls on April 16, 2024. Let us take a closer look at the rituals, significance and auspicious times of this festival.
Significance of Kanya Puja
In Hinduism, girls are considered to be the epitome of purity and power. They are believed to possess the energy and power of Goddess Durga. Kanya Puja is a way to honour and acknowledge the divinity in young girls. Kanya Puja is also considered a way to seek blessings from the divine woman for prosperity, fertility and protection.
Auspicious Timings of Kanya Puja
Ashtami Tithi of Shukla Paksha of the month of Chaitra begins on April 15 at 12:11 pm. It ends on April 16 at 1:23 pm. According to the Hindu lunar calendar, fasting and worship are observed on Ashtami Tithi of Chaitra Navratri on April 16.
Rituals of Kanya Puja
The main ritual of Kanya Puja involves worshipping nine young girls representing the nine forms of Goddess Durga with great devotion and respect. These girls are usually between the ages of 2 and 10. They are dressed in traditional clothes and given gifts and offerings as a symbol of gratitude and love.
The puja begins with washing the feet of the girls to purify them and show reverence. They are then adorned with new clothes, bangles, bindis and other accessories to make them feel like goddesses. After this, they are seated on a decorated dais or mat and are offered fruits, sweets and other traditional delicacies.
The puja involves offering flowers, incense sticks, lamps and other sacred objects while chanting mantras in honour of Goddess Durga. It is believed that by worshipping these young girls, one can attain the blessings of all the divine forms of Goddess Durga.
After completing the puja, the girls are given dakshina (money) and prasad (holy food) as a token of appreciation. This ritual is also very important in promoting gender equality and respect towards women.
Kanya Puja is celebrated with great fervour and enthusiasm in different parts of India. In some regions, it is also known as Kanjak Ashtami or Kanjak Poojan. People decorate their houses and pandals with bright colours and lights and women dress in traditional attires to perform the puja.
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