Gorakhpur: For the first time in Gorakhpur, 1,100 young girls were worshipped as nine forms of Goddess Durga during a special Kanya Pujan ceremony organised at Saraswati Vidya Mandir, Arya Nagar, on Sharadiya Navratri.The girls, dressed as the nine forms of the goddess, were seated on a stage and worshipped with Vedic chants and traditional rituals. They were offered ‘bhog’ and ‘prasad’, dakshina and gifts as devotees sought their blessings.Union govt’s backward classes commission chairperson Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti was the chief guest. Gorakshpeeth chief priest Yogi Kamal Nath and Pushpadant Jain, vice-chairman of UP govt’s Vyapari Kalyan Board, were the guests of honour. Shivji Singh, head of Vidya Mandir educational institutions, presided over the event.Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti performed the rituals and spoke about the religious and cultural significance of Navratri, highlighting the importance of worshipping feminine power and respecting girls.Brijesh Mani Mishra welcomed the guests, Sheetal Kumar Mishra conducted the programme and coordinator Sonika Kharwar proposed the vote of thanks.
