Kumari Puja
Kumari Puja an essential part of durga puja, during which an unmarried teenage girl is worshipped symbolically as a goddess. Kumari puja is held at the end of Mahastami puja, but can also be held on the day of Navami puja. Kumari puja may also be held during kali puja, jagaddhatri puja, Annapurna puja and Shakti puja.
According to Hindu scriptures, Kumari puja commemorates the killing of Kolasur by the goddess Kali. According to legend, Kolasur had once occupied the heavens and the earth. The helpless deities approached Mahakali for help. Responding to their appeal, she was born again and, in the form of a maiden, killed Kolasur.
The rituals of Kumari puja and its significance have been described in detail in Yoginitantra, Kularnavatantra, Devipurana, Stotra, Kavacha, Sahasranama, Tantrasara, Prantosini and Purohitadarpana.
No distinction of race, religion or caste is made in choosing a virgin for Kumari puja. Theoretically, any virgin can be perceived as a deity and worshipped, even one from the prostitute community. However, usually a Brahmin virgin is chosen. The girl, who can be anywhere from 1 to 16, is named according to her age: A girl of 1 year is called Sandhya, of 2 years Saraswati, of 3 years Tridhamurti, of 4 years Kalika, of 5 years Subhaga, of 6 years Uma, of 7 years Malini, of 8 years Kuvjika, of 9 years Kalasandarbha, of 10 years Aparajita, of 11 years Rudrani, of 12 years Bhairavi, of 13 years Mahalaksmi, of 14 years Pithanayika, of 15 years Ksetrajna and of 16 years Annada or Amvika.
Kumari puja is believed to grant many blessings on worshippers. It is said to remove all dangers. The philosophical basis of Kumari puja is to establish the value of women. The maiden symbolizes the seed of the powers that regulate creation, stability and destruction. A maiden is the early symbol of womanhood or nature. In this worship the universal mother appears to the devotee in the shape of a maiden. ramakrishna worshipped his own wife in the image of a young maiden.
A manuscript of Kashinath Tarkalankar's puthi, Kumaripujaprayoga (1850), which describes Kumari puja, has been preserved at the bangla academy library. At present Kumari puja is observed at the ramakrishna missions in dhaka, narayanganj, barisal, sylhet, habiganj and dinajpur. The Kumari puja observances at the Ramakrishna Mission in Dhaka draw large crowds of devotees and general visitors. [Dulal Bhowmik]
