Hindus across the country celebrated Kumari Puja on the Maha Ashtami on Tuesday as part of the five-day Durga Puja.

The main attraction of Maha Ashtami is Kumari Puja where a pre-pubescent girl is worshipped as "Mother Goddess".

In the capital city, hundreds of Hindu devotees offered Anjali (prayers) before the virgin Goddess at Ramkrishna temple seeking blessings for peace, prosperity, welfare, fraternity and changing of their lot.

The worshipped girl symbolises the power that regulates creation, stability and destruction on earth.

The goddess is bathed symbolically and dressed for the final battle, according to the belief of Hindus.

In old days, a buffalo was offered as a sacrifice to the goddess. These days, bananas, pumpkins and cucumbers replaced the animal.

Meanwhile, Hindu devotees celebrated the Maha Saptami on Monday, the second day of the five-day Durga Puja.

Draped in new dresses, a large number of devotees irrespective of ages thronged puja mandaps across the country and offered prayers before the Goddess Durga, seeking divine blessings for peace, prosperity and welfare of the country and its people.

According to the Hindu religious belief, the world was under threat from demon king Mahishasura, that no man or god could defeat.

To vanquish the demon, Durga emerged from the collective energies of all the gods. Each of her ten arms brandished the deadliest weapon of gods.

On the seventh day (Mahasaptami) of Durga Puja, the goddess started her epic battle against Mahishasura which ended with his death on Bijaya Dashami (the 10th day).