Hindus across the country celebrated Kumari Puja on the Maha Ashtami on Monday as part of Durga Puja.
The main attraction of Maha Ashtami is Kumari Puja where a pre-pubescent girl is worshipped as “Mother Goddess”.
In the capital, hundreds of Hindu devotees offered Anjali (prayers) before the virgin Goddess at Ramkrishna Mission Temple seeking blessings for peace, prosperity, welfare, fraternity and changing of their lot.
The worshipped girl symbolises the power that regulates creation, stability and destruction on earth.
The goddess is bathed symbolically and dressed for the final battle, according to the belief of Hindus.
In old days, a buffalo was offered as a sacrifice to the goddess. These days, bananas, pumpkins and cucumbers replaced the animal.
Meanwhile, Hindu devotees celebrated the Maha Saptami on Saturday and Sunday.
Draped in new dresses, a large number of devotees irrespective of ages thronged puja mandaps across the country and offered prayers before the Goddess Durga, seeking divine blessings for peace, prosperity and welfare of the country and its people.
Meanwhile, Maha Nabami will be celebrated on Tuesday, while the biggest religious festival of the Hindu community will end on October 21 with the immersion of idols on Bijoya Dashami.