On the morning of Maha Navami, the most honoured person at our Thakur Dalan is not the eldest of the family or the purohit. She is a little girl.
Kumari Puja is the worship of a young girl as Ma Durga herself. It is one of the quietest and most moving moments of the Puja.
Getting the Kumari ready
The girl is first bathed with fragrant water and dressed in new clothes. Then she is adorned with sandalwood paste, sindoor, alta and flowers, much as a bride is. When she is ready, she is lifted into someone's arms and carried to the dalan, where she is seated on a separate seat beside Devi Mahamaya.
Ma, in a child
On Maha Navami, Devi Mahamaya is worshipped in the form of the little Kumari. She is not a symbol or a stand-in for the Goddess for that hour: for the family, Ma is truly present in her. That is why we say that Ma is in every one of us, everywhere. The girl is usually between five and eleven years old; her feet are washed, alta is applied, and she is offered new clothes and gifts. You can read the full order of the day on our rituals page.
And then the Hom
Once the Kumari has been worshipped and the family has taken her blessings, the Navami Hom begins. The sacred fire is lit in front of Ma and her children, and offerings go into it one by one while the purohit chants.
Navami is the last full day of the Puja. By evening the cultural programme begins, and the house, which has been so busy with rituals, slowly turns towards the farewell of the next day.
