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कुमारीपूजा (kumArIpUjA)

 
Monier Williams Cologne
English
कुमारी—पूजा
f.
 the worship of Kumārī or Durgā (a ceremony performed at the great Durgā festival, when a girl between ten and twelve years old is placed on a pedestal as the representative of the goddess, and fed with offerings made to the idol).
Aufrecht Catalogus Catalogorum
English
कुमारीपूजा tantr. L. 636. Burnell 146^b.
--by Harakumāra Ṭhakkura. L. 255.
पुराणम्
English
कुमारीपूजा / KUMĀRĪPŪJĀ. It is a special item in Navarātripūjā. According to the definition ‘Kumārikā tu sā proktā dvivarṣā yā bhavediha, ’ kumārī is a two-year old female child. To worship such a child is Kumarīpūjā, and it should be conducted accompanied by sumptuous feasts and presentation of clothes etc. There are no hard and fast rules as to how many Kumārīs should be worshipped and as to the manner and method of the worship. The same kumārī may be worshipped during all the days of the Pūjā, or every day one more girl may be worshipped like this:--one girl on the first day, two on the second day and so on. Or it may be in the order 4, 6, 8 etc or 4, 8, 12, 16 etc. Even if the daily number be nine it is in order. There is no rule that Kumārīs alone should be worshipped
any one of the navakanyakās would do. A girl two years old is called kumārī, three years old Trimūrti
four years old kalyāṇī
five years old rohiṇī
six years old kālī
Seven years old caṇḍikā
eight years old Śāmbhavī
nine years old durgā and ten years old subhadrā. These girls are called navakanyakās. But, a child less than two years of age should not be worshipped, because it will not be fully sensitive to taste, smell etc. Also, age alone does not render Kumārīs suitable for worship. They should be absolutely free from ulcers, leprosy, ugliness, squint-eyes, dwarfishness, lameness, bad odour, stigma of low birth etc. For the achievement of special objects a Brahmin child should be worshipped
for victory, a kṣatriya child and for profit, a vaiśya or a Sūdra child should be worshipped. The Brahmin may worship brahmin childern
the kṣatriya, Brahmin and kṣatriya children
the vaiśya, Brahmin, kṣatriya and vaiśya children
and the śūdra, Brahmin, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra children. (devī bhāgavata, 3rd skandha).