An elderly devotee blows a conch shell to mark the start of Kumari Puja rituals as young girls dressed as goddesses assemble at Karunamoyee Kali Mandir in Kolkata on 8 November 2026, Kali Puja day. (Photo: NationPress/Kuntal Chakrabarty)
Young girls adorned as living goddesses participate in Kumari Puja at Karunamoyee Kali Mandir, Kolkata, as an elderly woman sounds the sacred conch shell on Kali Puja, 8 November 2026. (Photo: NationPress/Kuntal Chakrabarty)
A devotee applies vermilion to a young girl dressed as a goddess during Kumari Puja rituals at Karunamoyee Kali Mandir, Kolkata, on 8 November 2026 — a centuries old rite venerating the divine feminine. (Photo: NationPress/Kuntal Chakrabarty)
A priest leads sacred rites as two young girls dressed as goddesses hold lotus flowers and bless devotees during Kumari Puja at Karunamoyee Kali Mandir, Kolkata, on 8 November 2026. (Photo: NationPress/Kuntal Chakrabarty)
Two young girls dressed as kumari goddesses hold lotus flowers and offer blessings to worshippers as a priest performs accompanying rituals at Karunamoyee Kali Mandir on Kali Puja, 8 November 2026. (Photo: NationPress/Kuntal Chakrabarty)
A young girl dressed as a kumari goddess holds lotus flowers and blesses worshippers during Kumari Puja at Karunamoyee Kali Mandir, Kolkata, as part of Kali Puja observances on 8 November 2026. (Photo: NationPress/Kuntal Chakrabarty)
Two young girls adorned as kumari goddesses hold lotus flowers and bestow blessings on assembled devotees at Karunamoyee Kali Mandir, Kolkata, during the Kali Puja celebrations of 8 November 2026. (Photo: NationPress/Kuntal Chakrabarty)
The spirit of Kumari Puja — venerating the divine feminine through young girls — fills Karunamoyee Kali Mandir, Kolkata, on 8 November 2026, as devotees gather to mark Kali Puja with lotus offerings and blessings. (Photo: NationPress/Kuntal Chakrabarty)