Kanya Worship
Hinduism believes in the universal creative forces to be feminine gender. The very original force is Mahamaya whose inspiration
created the gods and the rest of the cosmos. The inspiration is the life force of the entire creation. All the major and minor
energies and forces are represented by various goddesses. Navaratra deity Durga and all her dimensions are believed to be the
manifestations of the same basic inspiration Mahamaya.
Religiously speaking, Devi is essentially a worship of the great feminine. 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 spirits 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, etc.
In Nepal , Kumari, or Kumari Devi, or Living Goddess - Nepal is the tradition of worshiping young pre-pubescent girls as
manifestations of the divine female energy or devi in Hindu religious traditions. The word Kumari, derived from Sanskrit Kaumarya
meaning "virgin", means young unmarried girls in Nepali and some Indian languages and is a name of the goddess Durga as a
child.
In Nepal a Kumari is a pre-pubescent girl selected from the Shakya or Bajracharya clan of the Nepalese Newari community. The
Kumari is revered and worshiped by some of the country's Hindus as well as the Nepali Buddhists, though not the Tibetan
Buddhists. While there are several Kumaris throughout Nepal, with some cities having several, the best known is the Royal
Kumari of Kathmandu, and she lives in the Kumari Ghar, a palace in the center of the city. The selection process for her is
especially rigorous. The current Royal Kumari, Matina Shakya, aged four, was installed in October 2008 by the Maoist
government that replaced the monarchy. Samita Bajracharya, as the Kumari of Patan is the second most important living
goddess.
In Nepal a Kumari is generally chosen for one day and worshipped accordingly on certain festivals like Navaratri or Durga Puja. In
Kathmandu Valley this is a particularly prevalent practice.
In Nepal, a Kumari is believed to be the incarnation of Taleju Bhavani (a Nepalese name for Durga) until she menstruates, after
which it is believed that the goddess vacates her body. Serious illness or a major loss of blood from an injury are also causes for
loss of deity.
Many people attend to the Kumari's needs. These people are known as the Kumarimi and are headed by the (patron). Their job is
very difficult. They must attend to the Kumari's every need and desire whilst giving her instruction in her ceremonial duties. Whilst
they cannot directly order her to do anything, they must guide her through her life. They are responsible for bathing her, dressing
her and attending to her makeup as well as preparing her for her visitors and for ceremonial occasions.
Traditionally, the Kumari received no education as she was widely considered to be omniscient. However, modernization has
made it necessary for her to have an education once she re-enters mortal life. Kumaris are now allowed to attend public schools,
and have a life inside the classroom that is no different from that of other students. While many kumaris, such as the Kumari of
Bhaktapur, attend school, others, such as the main kumari in Kathmandu, receive their education through private tutors.
Similarly, her limited playmates must learn to respect her. Since her every wish must be granted, they must learn to surrender to
her whatever they have that she may want and to defer to her wishes in what games to play or activities to engage in.
In  India, Kanya puja is a Hindu holy day celebrated on the eighth and ninth day of Navaratri festival. Nine young girls
representing the nine forms of Goddess Durga (Navadurga) are worshiped. Thus,
a virgin girl is the symbol of the pure basic creative force according to this philosophy.
It is a custom to wash the feet of these nine young girls as a mark of respect for the Goddess and then offer new clothes as gifts
by the devotee. 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 heir apparents (boys) who are otherwise known to be pampered in an
average household.
If the worshiper is desirous of acquiring knowledge then he should worship a Brahmin girl child. If he is desirous of acquiring
power, then he should worship a Kshatriya-girl child. Similarly if he is desirous of acquiring wealth and prosperity, then a girl child
belonging to a Vaishya family should be worshipped by him. If a person is desirous of attaining Tantrik-power, Sammohan
(hypnotizing), Uchchatan (causing hurdle in the path of other success), then he should worship a shudra-girl-child.
There is also a ritual purification and chanting of mantras. She is made to sit on a special pedestal. She is worshiped by offering
‘akshat‘ (rice grains) and by burning incense sticks. She is worshipped because, according to the philosophy of ‘Striyah
Samastastava Devi Bhedah’, women symbolize Mahamaya (The goddess Durga). Even among these a girl child is considered to
be the purest, because of her innocence.
This document depicts pictures of the young Goddesses being groomed and worshipped by the devotees.
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