A six-year-old girl Saindhabi Chakraborty from Kolkata was worshipped as a deity during Kumari Puja celebrated on Ashtami at Ramakrishna Math in Nirala Nagar here on Monday. Thousands of devotees were present on the occasion.
“During Kumari Puja, Goddess Durga was invoked in a six-year-old girl and worshipped by sanyasis of the Ramakrishna Order. It has a significance as it symbolises the special presence of the Divine Mother within every woman and infuses a sense of respect and dignity to be accorded to all women,” said Swami Muktinathananda, Adhyaksha, Ramakrishna Math.
Garlands and ornaments made of flowers were brought from Kolkata to deck up the divine Kumari, he said. The girl was draped in a saree, decked with flower ornaments and a lot more, said her grandfather Sridam Sokha Chakraborty, a volunteer at Ramakrishna Math associated with this place for nearly 50 years.
After the ritual, all the sanyasis of Ramakrishna Math touched the feet of the girl child. Her family members too followed. The girl’s father Saikat Chakraborty said it was a big moment in his life to see his daughter being worshipped as deity in front of idol of Goddess Durga.
“Shortlisting a little girl for the occasion is a difficult task as several devotees aspire to see their daughters being worshipped as the deity. There is a panel that select the girl from various entries that we get. We do a small session with a few girls to see how long they can sit quietly,” Swami Muktinathananda said.
{{/usCountry}}“Shortlisting a little girl for the occasion is a difficult task as several devotees aspire to see their daughters being worshipped as the deity. There is a panel that select the girl from various entries that we get. We do a small session with a few girls to see how long they can sit quietly,” Swami Muktinathananda said.
{{/usCountry}}Kumari or Kanya Puja is the worship of girls who have not attained puberty. In 1901, Swami Vivekananda started the ritual during Durga Puja at Belur Math in West Bengal’s Howrah district. It has been continuing since then and draws millions of devotees.