Navratri Ashtami 2022: Kanya Puja Vidhi, Significance, and Gift Ideas

Ashtami is the eighth day of the sacred Hindu festival of Navratri, and devotees of Goddess Durga worship Goddess Mahagauri on this day. Each of the nine days of Navratri is dedicated to the nine forms of Goddess Durga, namely-Shailaputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skada Mata, Katyayni, Kaalratri, Mahagauri, and Siddhidatri.

Navratri Ashtami is one of the most revered and important Hindu festivals. In this regard, we have curated this special blog for you consisting of Navratri Ashtami’s significance, timings, Ashtami Kanya Puja Vidhi, and much more. So read till the end to garner all the information.

Speak with World’s Best Astrologers On Call & Learn More About Navratri Ashtami

Navratri Ashtami 2022: Date

The festivities of Chaitra Navratri begins from the Pratipada, i.e. the first day on Navratri, and lasts till Navami, i.e. the ninth day and the last day of Navratri, of the Shukla Paksha during the month of Chaitra. As per the English calendar, Chaitra Navratri falls during the months of March-April. It is believed that it was on the eighth and the ninth day of Navratri that the Durga form was taken by Shakti on the request of Devtas to kill the demon Kalasura.

The eighth day of Navratri, i.e. Navratri Ashtami will be observed on Saturday, April 9, this year.

Navratri Ashtami 2022: Rituals

On the day of Navratri Ashtami, devotees wake up early in the morning and take a bach.
Then they worship Maa Durga by offering her flowers, fruits, sandalwood paste, Kumkum, incense, etc.
Devotees also recite Devi Mantras on this day.
Then both the men and women read the Goddess Durga Vrat Katha and Durga Chalisa.

Devotees also perform Kanya Puja on this day. It is an important day for the people who observe the Navratri Fast as it is the day they break their fast by feeding young girls with the traditional Bhog, consisting of Halwa, Puri, and Chane. As per the Devi Bhagwat Puran, it is believed that the young girls worshipped on this day are Goddess Durga’s form. This is why nine girls along with a boy (Langur) are worshipped on this day and fed good food. This Puja is known as Kanjak Puja or Kanya Puja.

AstroSage Brihat Horoscope For All The Valuable Insights Into Future

Let’s move ahead and learn more about Kanya Puja and its rituals.

Navratri Ashtami: Kanya Puja

Who Should We Worship?

The girls who have not hit puberty yet are worshipped on this day. In other words, girls from 5-9 years of age are mostly worshipped.

Kanya Puja: Significance

Every household has different ways of performing the Kanya Puja. Some people observe it on the eighth day of Navratri, i.e. on Ashtami, while the others perform it on the ninth day, i.e. on Navami. Likewise, the number of girls people invite to their houses for this Puja also differs. However, ideally, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 girls are invited for this ritual.

Let us tell you the significance of inviting these girls:

Worshipping one girl gives you Aishwarya (prosperity)
Worshipping two girls bless you with Bhog and Moksha
Worshipping three girls will provide Dharma, Kaam, and Artha
Worshipping four girls will give you Rajyapad (authority)
Worshipping five girls increases your Vidhya (Knowledge)
Worshipping six girls bless you with 6 kinds of Siddhi.
Worshipping seven girls will help you attain Rajya (power and kingdom)
Worshipping eight girls improves Sampada (wealth)
Worshipping nine girls will provide Prabhutva (Ownership)

To Attain Success In Your Career & Education: Order Your CogniAstro Report Now!

Kanya Puja: Vidhi

The Kanya Puja is mostly performed during the daytime. Brunch or early lunch is served to the girls.
All the members of the house must wake up early on this day and take a bath. Then clean the kitchen and prepare the ‘Satvik Bhoj’, which consists of Halwa, Puri, and Chana.
Then an offering is prepared for Maa Durga, known as Athavari. In this, 8 Puris are stacked together, along with some Halwa and Chana on top. Some money is also kept with this stack.
The men and women of the house then worship Goddess Durga and sing Durga Aarti. The prepared Athavari is offered to the goddess, which becomes a Prasad that is later offered to the girls. A very small portion of Puri, Halwa, and Chana is offered in the Agnee lit in front of Devi Maa.
People then invite the little girls and seat them on the ground.
The men and women of the house wash the feet of these girls in a Paraat (big bowl) of water and then dry them.
Kumkum or Roli is applied to their forehead, and a red coloured thread called Mauli/ Kalawa is tied on their right hands.
Then Aarti is offered to them in the clockwise direction.
Finally, the food is served to the girls with devotion and love.
In the end, people give money and different kinds of gifts before bidding them goodbye.

Is Luck Favourable or Unfavourable? Raj Yoga Report reveals it all!

Kanya Puja 2022: Gift Ideas

People these days prefer giving gifts to little girls on the day of Kanya Puja or Kanjak. This makes the kids especially happy and excited for this occasion. There are numerous items that you can choose from, but if you are clueless about what to gift little girls on Kanya Puja 2022, AstroSage is here to help! Find below a few amazing ideas that will make your Kanjak 2022 special.