Priest conducts Kumari Puja on Maha Ashtami in Patna

A priest performs the Kumari Puja ritual at a Bengali Akhara in Patna on 19 October 2026, the sacred occasion of Maha Ashtami during Navratri. (Photo: NationPress)

The Kumari Puja, a traditional Navratri observance in which a young girl is venerated as the goddess, was performed by a priest at a Bengali Akhara in Patna, Bihar on 19 October 2026. (Photo: NationPress)

On Maha Ashtami, the eighth day of Navratri, priests at a Bengali Akhara in Patna conducted the Kumari Puja — also known as Kunwari Kanya Puja — venerating a young girl as an embodiment of Goddess Durga. (Photo: NationPress)

Devotees sought blessings from a young girl revered as the divine during the Kumari Puja ceremony at a Bengali Akhara in Patna on 19 October 2026, the occasion of Maha Ashtami. (Photo: NationPress)

Faithful gathered at a Bengali Akhara in Patna, Bihar on Maha Ashtami, 19 October 2026, to take blessings from a girl during the Kumari Puja — a cherished Navratri tradition marking the goddess's presence on earth. (Photo: NationPress)