Devotees honour Goddess Durga in Kumari Puja on Ashtami

Hindu devotees across Bangladesh have marked Ashtami, the eighth day of Durga Puja, by worshipping the goddess in the form of a young girl -- a ritual known as Kumari Puja. The largest ceremony took place at the Ramakrishna Mission in Dhaka's Gopibagh, where thousands of worshippers gathered on Tuesday. According to Hindu belief, the cosmic energy that creates and sustains the universe resides in the form of a seed within a young girl, making her worthy of veneration as Durga. Scriptures describe the ritual as affirming respect for women, dignity, and devotion to God. This year, 6-year-old Labannya Chatterjee from Nilphamari was chosen as the Kumari -- the living embodiment of the Goddess Durga, dressed in red, and adorned...