Navratri 2022: Know date and shubh muhurat for Kanya Pujan; puja vidhi and significance of ritual

Navratri 2022 is the most festive and auspicious time for Hindus across the world and is celebrated for the period of 10 days in autumn. This year, Navratri is celebrated from September 26 to October 5, as per the Hindu calendar.

The Hindu community takes part in several pujas and rituals throughout the Navratri period. One of the most essential pujas of Navratri is the Kanya Pujan, which involves worshiping girls and seeing them as a reincarnation of goddesses.

Significance of Kanya Pujan

Kanya pujan is a Hindu holy ritual, carried out on the eighth and ninth day of the Navaratri festival. The ceremony primarily involves the worship of nine girls, representing the nine forms of Goddess Durga.

As per Hindu philosophy, these girls have considered as the manifestation of the natural force of creation. 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.

Date and Shubh Muhurat of Kanya Pujan

According to the Hindu calendar and the ritual details, the Kanya Pujan is performed during the eighth and ninth day of Navratri i.e. the Ashtami and Navami. On Maha Navami, Kanya Pujan can be performed from the morning of October 4 till 1:33 pm.

Navtratri 2022: Kanya Pujan puja vidhi

The girls who are invited for the Kanya Pujan are seated and their feet are washed. The girls are made to sit on pedestals and Moli (red and yellow holy thread) is tied to their wrists. Traditional Ashtami Prasad- Puri, Chana, and Halwa, is first offered to Goddess Durga first and then served to all the girls. Girls are also given some presents in form of money, a red dupatta, and bangles.

The ritual of Kanya Pujan ends with the girls giving their blessings to the elders by patting them on the back. It is believed that by worshiping the girl, devotees get the real merit of their prayers.

READ | Ayudha Puja 2022: Know history, shubh muhurat, tithi of the auspicious day