Mothers accompanied their daughters, dressed in traditional Bengali attire, to take part in Kumari Puja at the Kankali Kali Temple in Kankalitala, Birbhum district, West Bengal, on 24 October 2026. (Photo: NationPress)
Girls dressed in traditional Bengali attire took part in Kumari Puja celebrations at Kankalitala, Birbhum district, West Bengal, on 24 October 2026, upholding a ritual in which young girls are venerated as embodiments of the divine feminine. (Photo: NationPress)
Participants in traditional dress joined the Kumari Puja festivities at Kankalitala, Birbhum, West Bengal, on 24 October 2026 — a sacred occasion observed annually during the Durga Puja season across Bengal. (Photo: NationPress)
A priest conducted sacred rites during Kumari Puja — a ritual in which young girls are venerated as living manifestations of the goddess — at the Kankali Kali Temple, Kankalitala, Birbhum, on 24 October 2026. (Photo: NationPress)
Priestly rituals honouring young girls as embodiments of the goddess formed the centrepiece of Kumari Puja at the Kankali Kali Temple, Kankalitala, Birbhum district, West Bengal, on 24 October 2026. (Photo: NationPress)
A girl carefully adorned a younger participant ahead of Kumari Puja at the Kankali Kali Temple, Kankalitala, Birbhum, on 24 October 2026 — a ritual in which young girls are worshipped as divine manifestations of the goddess. (Photo: NationPress)