CHENNAI: In a grand celebration of the girl child, a mass ‘Kanya Puja’ was performed at the ongoing Hindu Spiritual and Service Fair at Sri Ramachandra Medical University grounds here on Friday. Around 250 Hindu organisations are participating in the week-long fair, showcasing their service activities across the country. Competitions for students, cultural and religious programmes, seminars and medical camps have marked the annual event organised by the Hindu Spiritual and Service Foundation.
On Friday, ‘Kanya Puja’ was performed on 1,008 girls — all below the age of 10 — drawn from across government schools in the city. Traditionally, the puja is performed on the eighth and ninth day of Navaratri, when nine young girls representing the nine forms of Goddess Durga are worshipped. It is a custom for devotees to wash the feet of the girls as a mark of respect for the goddess and offer new clothes to them as gifts. There is also a ritual purification and chanting of mantras. A celebration of the feminine power, Kanya Puja is performed to give equal importance to girls and boys in the social fabric.
The ceremony, accompanied by the chanting of mantras, was performed in two batches of 504 girls each. Around 50 volunteers washed the girls’ feet, applied ‘nalangu’ and adorned their hair with flowers. They were presented with a pair of skirt and blouse donated by Vellore Narayani Peedam and other gifts. The young girls were later served lunch.
Explaining the puja’s objective, Arthi Ganesh, pro chancellor, Vels University, said that at a time when girls across the country were being subjected to rape, molestation and other crimes, the ritual was intended to make them and others aware of the need to respect the sanctity of their bodies. “First, the girls themselves should realise that they are pure and respect their bodies,” she said.
Puja is also being performed to the deities in the ‘rathas’ that have arrived at the fair from different temples, according to Nambi Narayanan, media coordinator for the fair. The seven majestic ‘rathas’ from Kalahasthi, Tirupati, Dwaraka Tirupati, Kanipakam, Kanagadurga and Srisailam temples, have been modelled after the shrines. “Puja is performed to the deities as per the temple tradition,” Narayanan added.