On Ashtami, worship of minor girl as mother goddess takes centre stage in Tripura 

Agartala: Thousands of devotees gathered on Tuesday at Ramakrishna Mission in Tripura's Agartala, to witness the ‘Kumari Puja’, the worship of the Mother Goddess in her imagined virgin form, on the auspicious occasion of Durga Puja.

Kumari Puja remains an extremely popular ritual and a distinctive aspect of Durga Puja celebrations in Tripura.

Besides the Ramakrishna Mission in Agartala, several other community Puja organisers also perform this form of worship for the Mother Goddess.

Traditionally, people worship a minor girl, usually between six and sixteen years old, as the living embodiment of divine feminine energy on this day.

This year, organisers selected 7-year-and-11-day-old Swarnamita Chakraborty, a resident of Ramthakur Chowmuhani in Ranirbazar, West Tripura, for the sacred ritual.

They prepared a special altar for her just in front of the idol of Devi Durga.

Priests chanted Sanskrit hymns in reverence to the Divine Mother, while large crowds of devotees arrived at the Ashram to witness the sacred ceremony.

People greeted the young girl with folded hands, symbolising the strength and power represented by Maa Durga.

Her parents, Kishore Chakraborty and Munna Bhattacharya, were present during the ritual.

Speaking about the spiritual significance of Kumari Puja, a monk from Ramakrishna Mission, Agartala, explained, “Kumari Puja forms an essential part of Durga Puja. Our Puranas describe this method of worship. The scriptures convey that the Almighty exists within every being. Vedanta teaches that God is omnipresent. Based on this principle, Kumari Puja came into practice.”

He also highlighted the spiritual dimension of the ritual, adding, “In a broader sense, womanhood is the source through which people attain spiritual wisdom. This form of worship delivers a powerful message about the status of women in our society and how we must perceive female power.”