Oct 01, Kathmandu - President Ram Chandra Poudel performed the sacred 'Navakanya Puja' (worship of nine girls) today as part of the nine-day Navaratri festival, a major component of Bada Dashain.

The ritual was conducted at Shital Niwas, the President's Office, on Wednesday (Ashwin 15), coinciding with the auspicious occasion of Mahanawami, the ninth day of Navaratri.

During the ceremony, President Poudel washed the feet of the nine young girls, applied the ceremonial tika, and presented them with gifts. According to the President’s Secretariat, the girls were brought from Bal Mandir (Children’s Home) in Naxal for the occasion.

The ritual of the head of state performing the Navakanya Puja on Mahanawami is a long-standing tradition. The nine girls are seen as representatives of the nine forms of the Goddess Durga: Shailaputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandamata, Katyayani, Kalaratri, Mahagauri, and Siddhidatri.