Why Nine Girls Are Worshipped on Ashtami
Kanjak puja is one of the most tender rituals of Navratri - the act of seeing the goddess in the face of a child.
The Nine Kanjaks = Nine Durgas
On Ashtami, families invite nine young girls (usually aged 2–10) to their home. Each girl represents one of the nine forms of Nav Durga - from Shailputri to Siddhidatri. By worshipping the girls, the devotee directly worships the goddess in her most innocent and pure form.
The Sacred Foot-Washing
Before the meal, the girls' feet are washed with water and kumkum (red powder) is applied to their toes. Then the mother of the house performs aarti and applies tilak to each girl's forehead - the same gestures used in puja before a deity.
The Prasad Thali and Gifts
The girls are served the Kanjak thali - halwa, puri and kale chane - and after eating, are given gifts: a coin, a red chunri (cloth), bangles and sometimes new clothes. Their blessings after the puja are considered the most auspicious of the year.
Why This Specific Food?
Sooji halwa is warming, nourishing and sweet - fitting for the goddess. Black chickpeas are iron-rich, sattvic and have been considered auspicious in North Indian tradition for centuries. Puris made with regular atta (unlike Navratri vrat food) are offered because Kanjak food is for the goddess - not for the fasting devotee.
Sooji Ka Halwa - सूजी का हलवा
- Make sugar syrup first: Boil 2½ cups water with sugar until sugar dissolves completely. Add saffron strands to the syrup. Keep warm on low heat.
- Roast the sooji: Heat ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan on low flame. Add sooji and roast, stirring constantly, until it turns light golden and smells nutty - 12 to 15 minutes. Do not rush. Low and slow is the secret.
- Fry the nuts: In the last 2 minutes of roasting, add the almonds, cashews and raisins to the sooji and stir until the nuts are lightly golden.
- Add the syrup: Carefully pour the warm sugar syrup into the roasted sooji - it will splutter vigorously. Stir continuously. The mixture will look liquid at first - keep stirring.
- Cook to halwa consistency: Cook on medium heat, stirring, until the halwa thickens, leaves the sides of the pan and comes together in a mass - about 5 minutes. Add cardamom and mix.
- Offer and serve: Transfer to the puja thali, garnish with a pinch of saffron threads, and offer to the goddess before serving to the Kanjaks and family.
Puri - पूरी
- Make a firm dough: Combine atta, sooji, salt and ghee. Rub the ghee in well. Add water gradually and knead into a firm, smooth dough - firmer than chapati dough. Cover and rest 10 minutes.
- Heat the oil: Heat ghee or oil in a deep kadhai to 180°C. The oil must be properly hot - test with a small piece of dough that should rise immediately.
- Roll the puris: Divide dough into 20–24 equal balls. Roll each into a small round (about 10 cm) - not too thin, not too thick. Keep them uniform for even cooking.
- Fry to golden puff: Slide a puri into the hot oil. Gently press the centre with a slotted spoon - this encourages it to puff up. Fry 30–40 seconds per side until golden. Do not over-fry.
- Drain and serve immediately: Remove onto absorbent paper. Puris are best served hot - they soften as they cool. For Kanjak puja, make the puris fresh just before serving.
Kale Chane - काले चने
- Soak overnight: Wash kale chane and soak in plenty of water for at least 8 hours or overnight. They will double in size. Drain and rinse.
- Pressure cook: Add the soaked chane to a pressure cooker with 2 cups fresh water and ½ tsp salt. Cook for 4–5 whistles until completely tender but still holding their shape. Drain and reserve the cooking liquid separately.
- Make the tadka: Heat mustard oil in a kadhai until it reaches smoking point (important for mustard oil - removes the raw smell). Let it cool slightly then reheat. Add cumin seeds and let them splutter. Add hing.
- Add the spices: Reduce flame to low. Add ginger powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and red chilli powder. Stir for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the chane: Add the boiled chane to the spiced oil and toss well to coat. Add amchur, kala namak and regular salt. Mix thoroughly. If the mixture seems too dry, add 2–3 tablespoons of the reserved cooking water.
- Simmer and finish: Cook on medium flame for 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all the spices coat the chane well and any excess moisture evaporates. The chane should be dry but glistening. Garnish with fresh coriander and serve.
How to Perform Kanjak Puja Step by Step
Invite nine young girls (ages 2–10 traditionally) to your home on Ashtami morning. Also invite one young boy - he represents Bhairava, Shiva's guardian. They should be from different families ideally, so that they represent a wider community.
Lay a clean red cloth on the floor. Place a small vessel of water, kumkum (red powder), roli, chawal (raw rice), flowers and a diya. Keep the prasad thali covered with a cloth nearby, along with gifts for the Kanjaks.
Ask the girls to sit on the red cloth. With reverence - as if washing a deity's feet - wash each girl's feet with clean water from the vessel. Pat dry with a clean cloth. Then apply kumkum to their toes.
Apply roli and chawal tilak to each girl's forehead. Offer them flowers. Perform aarti with a lit diya, moving it in circles before each girl as you would before a goddess. Ring a bell during aarti. Bow and seek their blessings.
Serve each Kanjak a plate of halwa, two or three small puris, and a generous portion of kale chane. Ensure the food is served with love and the girls are comfortable. Also serve them water or juice. The boy (Bhairava) receives the same thali plus one puri extra.
After eating, give each girl her gift - traditionally a coin (for prosperity), a red chunri or dupatta, bangles, and optionally new clothes or sweets to take home. Bow before each girl, place your hands together and seek her blessings. Her blessing as the goddess in this moment is considered extraordinarily powerful.
हलवा, पूरी और काले चने - अष्टमी का पवित्र प्रसाद
नवरात्रि की अष्टमी को कन्या पूजन का विशेष महत्व है। इस दिन नौ कन्याओं को घर पर आमंत्रित करके उन्हें नवदुर्गा के नौ स्वरूपों के रूप में पूजा जाता है। पूजन के पश्चात् उन्हें हलवा, पूरी और काले चने का प्रसाद अर्पित किया जाता है।
सूजी का हलवा - सूजी को देसी घी में धीमी आँच पर सुनहरा भूनकर, चाशनी और मेवे मिलाकर तैयार किया जाता है। यह नवरात्रि प्रसाद का सबसे मीठा और पोषक अंग है।
पूरी - गेहूँ के आटे की छोटी-छोटी गोल पूरियाँ घी या तेल में खूब फूलने तक तली जाती हैं। पूरी का फूलना शुभ माना जाता है।
काले चने - रातभर भिगोए हुए काले चनों को प्रेशर कुकर में पकाकर, सरसों के तेल, जीरा, हींग और सूखे मसालों से बनाई गई सूखी सब्जी - यही कन्या पूजन का परम्परागत प्रसाद है। अष्टमी की शाम इस प्रसाद को ग्रहण करके व्रत खोला जाता है।