Kumari Puja 2026 date – Importance - Symbolism of Age Girl Child During Kanya Puja during Navratri and Durga Puja

Kumari Puja is the worship of young girls (girl child) during Navratri and Durga Puja. Kumari Puja 2026 date is October 19 and October 20. Also known as Kanya Pooja or Kanjak Ashtami Puja, it is observed on Durga Ashtami day (October 19) in some regions and on Mahanavami (October 20) in some regions. Young girls who are considered to be the living incarnations of Goddess Durga are worshipped on the day. Each age holds a specific symbolism.

Chaitra Navratri Kanya Puja 2026 is on March 26 and March 27. Most people perform it on Ashtami.

Kumari Puja means ‘Virgin Worship.’ The details of age and rituals of Kumari Puja are mentioned in the Nila Tantra.

As part of this worship of motherhood, a young girl (kumari) is revered as the embodiment of the Goddess herself. The Goddess’s divine energy (shakti) is believed to reside in seed form within the kumari. Hence, the tradition of worshipping a young girl as the living embodiment of the Goddess.

The Philosophy of Kumari Puja

Sri Ramakrishna used to say, "Why is Kumari Puja (the worship of a virgin girl) performed? Every woman is a form of the Goddess Bhagavati. The manifestation of Bhagavati is greater in a pure-souled maiden (Kumari)."

That is, the complete manifestation of Goddess Adyashakti (the primordial power) is within the Divine Virgin (Kumari). The Goddess resides in the pure vessel of girls in their virgin state. The word 'Kumari' signifies the great seed-vessel of the future. How can true understanding awaken if she is not cared for from the beginning?

A post-pubescent woman is generally considered in one sense. But a Kumari is, simultaneously, a daughter, a mother, and a controller/mistress.

That is why the Tantrasara says: the Kumari is a Yogini and the manifest Kuladevi (family goddess). She is the Kulalakshmi (the prosperity of the lineage).

Symbolism of Age of Girl in Kumari Puja

• Two-year-old girl child is known as Kumari; she is worshiped for attaining peace and prosperity
• Three-year-old girl is known as Trimurti - for attaining wealth, strength and moksha.
• Four-year-old girl is known as Kalyani - for Vidya (knowledge), power and position.
• Five-year-old girl is known as Rohini - to overcome diseases - for early cure and for health children
• Six-year-old girl is known as Kalika - to overcome enemies.
• Seven-year-old girl is known as Shambhavi  - for wealth and desire fulfillment and also for attaining siddhis
• Eight-year-old girl is known as Subhadra - for achieving success in work

How to Perform Kumari Puja?

• On the each day of Navratri, puja and worship of a girl child is performed by some communities. On Ashtami (eighth) and Navami (ninth) tithi, nine girl child are worshiped.
• On Kumari Pooja day, young girls aged between two and eight are invited to homes and their feet are washed.
• Red colored thread is tied on their wrists.
• A tika is applied on the girl child’s forehead and are worshipped as incarnation of Mother Goddess Shakti.
• Family members take blessings of the young child by touching their feet.
• The children are given ‘Prasad,’ sweets, gifts and sometimes even a token amount of money.
• Kumari Puja is more popular in Chandigarh, Haryana, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. In West Bengal, this is an important ritual during Durga Puja.

Classification of Kumaris

In the commentary of the Jamala Tantra, the names of the girls for Kumari Puja are determined according to their age:

Age (Years)	Name of Kumari
1	Sandhya
2	Saraswati
3	Tridhamurti
4	Kalika
5	Subhaga
6	Uma
7	Malini
8	Kubjika
9	Kalasandarbha
10	Aparajita
11	Rudrani
12	Bhairavi
13	Mahalakshmi
14	Pithanayika
15	Kshetrajna
16	Ambika

 The Flip Side

But sadly some of the regions that are famous for Kumari Puja and Kanya Pooja are also famous for female feticide and sex-determination tests and the subsequent abortion of female fetuses.

In fact, on the day of Kumari Puja homes in some of the cities in these regions find it hard to get a young girl for puja. The male to female ratio is well below national average. In one the most popular cities in the region the ratio is 773 women for per 1,000 men.

No Bhagavad Gita or No incarnation can change the mindset of such people, who one day worship the girl child and on another day abort a female fetus without any consideration.