Dhaka, Sep 30 (V7N) – The biggest religious festival of the Sanatan Dharma, Sharadiya Durga Puja, is underway across the country. Today marks Maha Ashtami, one of the most sacred days of the celebration.

On this day, devotees worship Goddess Durga with five offerings – fire, air, clothes, flowers, and garlands. After observing a waterless fast, men, women, and children offer pushpanjali (floral tributes) to the goddess. Evening prayers and rituals add to the day’s solemnity and festivity.

The highlight of Maha Ashtami is the Kumari Puja, in which a virgin girl is worshipped as a living embodiment of the goddess. Thousands of devotees throng the Ramakrishna Mission and Math in Dhaka every year to witness the ritual, performed with great devotion and pomp.

According to Ramakrishna Mission sources, this year’s Kumari Puja was held from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. Earlier, the Mahashtami Puja began at 6:10 am, followed by Pushpanjali at 10:30 am and midday prasad at 12:00 noon. The sacred Sandhi Puja will be performed in the evening from 6:13 pm to 7:01 pm.

Religious texts state that Kumari Puja originates from the myth of Kolasura, a demon who seized control of heaven and earth. Responding to the prayers of the gods, the goddess appeared as a young girl and killed Kolasura while still a virgin. Since then, Kumari Puja has been celebrated after the Maha Ashtami rituals of Durga Puja.

The practice, described in scriptures such as Purohitdarpan, emphasizes that divinity exists in every girl regardless of caste or creed. Traditionally, however, Brahmin girls aged 1 to 16 are chosen for worship, with many communities preferring those between 2 and 10 years old.

Sri Ramakrishna taught that all women are manifestations of the goddess, with divinity most clearly reflected in a pure-hearted virgin girl. Thus, during Maha Ashtami or Navami, a young Kumari is seated beside the idol of Durga and worshipped as Bhagavati herself.

END/SMA/AJ