A Hindu devotee ululates as she holds a banana tree trunk after taking a dip in the waters of the Ganges river during a ritual as part of the Durga Puja festival in Kolkata, India, September 27, 2017. (Photo by Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters)

A Hindu devotee lies on the banks of river Ganges she worships the Sun god during the religious festival of Chhath Puja, amidst the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Kolkata, India on November 20, 2020. (Photo by Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters)

A devotee offers prayers to Sun God while standing inside an artificial pond near the banks of river Yamuna on the occasion of the Hindu festival of “Chhath Puja” in New Delhi on October 30, 2022. (Photo by Sajjad Hussain/AFP Photo)

Vendors selling marigold garlands, which are used to decorate temples and homes during the Hindu festival of Durga Puja, drink tea as they wait for customers at a wholesale flower market in Kolkata, India October 6, 2016. (Photo by Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters)

A young girl dressed as living goddess Kumari drinks juice as she waits for Kumari Puja, a worship ritual at Hanuman Dhoka, Basantapur Durbar Square, Kathmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, September 27, 2023. Girls under the age of nine gathered for the tradition of worshiping young prepubescent girls as manifestations of the divine female energy. The ritual holds a strong religious significance in the Newar community that seeks divine blessings to save small girls from diseases and bad luck in the years to come. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)

An idol of Hindu goddess Durga floats in water as devotees immerse the same in the River Kuakhai after the Durga Puja festival in Bhubaneswar, India, Saturday, October 24, 2015. The immersion of idols marks the end of the festival that commemorates the slaying of a demon king by lion-riding, 10-armed goddess Durga, marking the triumph of good over evil. (Photo by Biswaranjan Rout/AP Photo)

A Nepalese devotee bows in front of a cow during the 'Gai Puja', also known as the Cow Worship Day, as part of the Tihar festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, 11 November 2015. The Tihar festival is the second most important event for Nepalese Hindus. During the celebrations people worship cows, considered the incarnation of Lord Laxmi, the god of wealth. (Photo by Narendra Shrestha/EPA)

Kumari Samita Bajracharya sits in front of devotees offers during a special puja at Kumari Ghar in Patan, Nepal, 09 April 2011. It is believed that worshipping Kumari and receiving tika from her reduces illness and avoid problems. Kumari, or Kumari Devi, is a “living goddess”. The word literally means virgin in Nepali. The Living Goddesses are young pre-pubescent girls that are considered to be incarnations of the Hindu Goddess of Power, Kali. The Kumari retires when she reaches puberty. (Photo by Narendra Shrestha/EPA)