Kanya Puja also referred to as Kanjak is a puja which takes place on the auspicious day of Ashtami. The ritual takes place with nine girls aged between five and nine-year-old. The nine girls symbolize the nine avatars of Goddess Durga worshipped during the Navratri festival. It’s considered auspicious to conduct Kanya Puja during Chairta Navratri. This year, Chitra Navratri starts from 13 April, 2021.
Significance of Kanya Puja-
The sacred books of Hinduism depict that every human being has a God within themself but that can only be possible if the human is pure and innocent. Children are the purest human form since they do not have any evil emotions instilled. It’s believed that praying to a human would get faster results than praying to God. Therefore Kanya Puja is performed in which small girls are worshipped to please Goddess Durga. It has to be ensured that the 9 girls worshipped for Kanya Puja should be healthy and free from any physical defects and diseases. Girls from different castes are chosen to fulfill different types of wishes such as- Brahmin girls choose to fulfill all types of wishes, Kshatriya girls for glory and fame, Vaishya girls for wealth and prosperity and Shudra girls for getting a son.
Benefits of performing Kanya Puja
- The puja helps to overcome poverty and financial miseries
- Helps in achieving wisdom and success
- Helps to get rid of all fears and negative energies
Kanya Puja Vidhi
- Wash the feet of the nine girls
- Give them gifts and clothes or money.
- Make them sit on the special pedestal made and perform aarti for them
- Put Tilak, vermilion and rice grains on their forehead
- Then offer them food and water (puri, chana and always prepared in pure ghee)
- Lastly the woman devotees touch the feet of the nine girls out of respect.
About DevDarshan
Started by IIT graduates, DevDarshan is Devotional Platform for 5000+ Hindu Temples in the Indian Subcontinent. DevDarshan’s long term vision is to provide a digital platform to Temples and Gurus for sharing the millennia-old teachings of Indian culture in the world and by doing so, projecting Bharat (India) as Vishwa Guru (Universal Leader) through its rich cultural and spiritual heritage.
DevDarshan facilitates online Daily Darshan, Pujas and digital donations for Devotees. Now, due to the present state of the pandemic, most of the temples have shifted to conducting online Kanya Puja for the convenience of the devotees. However, it becomes a bit of a hassle to connect to the Mandir priests to get the puja conducted. Dev Darshan can come to your rescue at that moment. Dev Darshan is a platform which provides a smooth interaction between the temple houses and the devotees without much worry and hassle. It also conducts online Pujas such as online Kanya Puja. Check out the online services provided by Dev Darshan here.
Also Read- Vastu Puja: All You Need To Know!
