Mumbai: 

Chaitra Navratri, one of the most auspicious festivals in the Hindu calendar, began this year on 30 March and will conclude on 6 April 2025. As devotees across India engage in nine days of devotion and fasting, today marks the second day of the festival.

which is dedicated to Goddess Brahmacharini—an embodiment of penance and inner strength. This sacred period is marked by elaborate rituals, daily prayers, and a deep reverence for the nine forms of Goddess Durga.

Symbolism Behind the Ages of the Girls

Each girl’s age also holds symbolic significance. A two-year-old is referred to as Kumari, symbolising pure potential. A three-year-old is called Trimurti, denoting the trinity of creation, preservation, and destruction. A four-year-old is Kalyani, representing auspiciousness. Similarly, a five-year-old is Rohini, six-year-old is Kalika, seven-year-old is Shambhavi, and an eight-year-old is revered as Subhadra.

Importance of Chaitra Navratri

Chaitra Navratri, which falls in the spring month of Chaitra, holds immense spiritual significance in Hinduism. Each of the nine days is devoted to a different form of the goddess and is observed with unwavering devotion. It is believed that by performing rituals and fasting with faith, devotees can seek liberation from troubles and invite peace, prosperity, and divine grace into their homes. Each goddess worshipped during this period is believed to bless her followers with unique spiritual and material benefits.

Chaitra Navratri not only marks a sacred beginning to the Hindu New Year but also serves as a time for self-reflection, spiritual discipline, and renewed hope.

Who Participates in Kanya Pujan?

As per religious beliefs, girls between the ages of 2 and 10 are invited for Kanya Pujan. A total of nine girls are typically worshipped, each representing one of the nine divine avatars of Goddess Durga—Shailputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandamata, Katyayani, Kalaratri, Mahagauri, and Siddhidatri. The girls are respectfully offered food, gifts, and dakshina (a token of offering) as a gesture of gratitude and reverence.

A particularly significant ritual during Navratri is Kanya Pujan—a ceremonial worship of young girls. According to Hindu tradition, Navratri puja and fasting are considered incomplete without this ritual. Devotees believe that honouring young girls during this time invites the divine blessings of the goddess herself, as each girl symbolises a form of Durga.

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