Hindus celebrate Kumari Puja across Bangladesh

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Hindus across Bangladesh celebrated Kumari Puja on Monday, marking Maha Ashtami during the Durga Puja festival.

The main attraction of Maha Ashtami, Kumari Puja involves worshipping a pre-pubescent girl as the Mother Goddess, symbolising divine power.

In Dhaka, hundreds of devotees gathered at Ramakrishna Mission Temple to offer prayers and seek blessings for peace, prosperity, social harmony and the wellbeing of the country and its people.

According to Hindu beliefs, the worshipped girl represents the power governing creation, preservation and destruction. The ritual includes symbolically bathing and dressing the girl for the goddess’s final battle.

While buffalo sacrifice was practised in earlier times, bananas, pumpkins and cucumbers are now used as offerings in its place.

Devotees also celebrated Maha Saptami over the weekend, with people of different ages visiting temples and puja mandaps across the country to offer prayers to Goddess Durga.

Maha Nabami will be observed on Tuesday, while the festival will conclude on October 21 with the immersion of idols on Bijoya Dashami.