Kanya puja is celebrated on the eighth, ninth day of Navaratri or on Vijaya dasami. Kanya means female virgin child and puja is prayer.

A kanya is a child who hasn’t reached her puberty as yet. Kanya puja as a part of Devi worship is to recognise the feminine power vested in the girl child and to give them as much importance in the social fabric as the so called heirs apparent (boys) who are otherwise known to be pampered in an average household.

Religiously speaking, Devi is essentially a worship of the great feminine power. In a kanya the great feminine potential is at its peak.

Having developed into a girl of a certain age and before attaining puberty, a female child is considered the most auspicious, most jagrat, and the most clear minded and clear souled individual. While invoking the parashakti in such a form the purity of mind, body, and spirit is required and is fulfilled by a girl child of the said age of 8+ before reaching puberty.

Such a female child is indeed Devi, who in her later life takes the roles of Parvati as a wife and mother, Lakshmi as a housewife, Saraswati as the first guru of her children, Durga as the destroyer of all obstacles for her family, Annapurna as the food provider through her cooking, Kali as the punisher to bring the members of the family on the right track, so on and so forth.

A virgin girl is the symbol of the pure basic creative force according to this philosophy.

Kanya Puja Procedure

Nine young girls representing the nine forms of Mother Durga are worshipped and it is a custom to wash the feet of these girls as a mark of respect for the 9 Mothers.

Each young kanya devi is made to sit on a chair/stool or floor.

There should be 9 women to attend to the 9 little Devis.

Each child’s feet are washed, and she is then worshipped by sprinkling ‘akshat‘ (rice grains) on her then touching her feet with a little hurdi paste.

Then each child is garlanded as you would garland a Deity and a mukut (crown/tiara) is placed on her head (optional), and kumkum (red powder) is applied on her forehead (between the eyebrows).

Tie a red string on her left wrist (some tie on the right wrist).

Next step is to turn incense sticks 7 times around her, then offer a ghee (or camphor lamp) 7 times around her and then sprinkling flower petals on her.

Then feed her a little sweet dish.

Then she is offered new clothes as gifts by the ladies.

Thereafter each of the 9 little girls are fed sumptuous vegetarian meals.

Each child is worshipped because, according to the philosophy of ‘Striyah Samastastava Devi Bhedah’, women symbolize ‘Mahamaya‘ (Mother Durga).

Even among these a girl child is considered to be the purest, because of her innocence.

Thus, a virgin girl is the symbol of the pure basic creative force according to this

philosophy. Kanya puja as a part of Devi worship is to recognize the feminine power vested in the girl child and to give them as much importance in the social fabric as the so called heir apparent (boys) who are otherwise known to be pampered in an average household.