Kathmandu, Nepal
AP
–
The two-year-old girl, chosen as Nepal’s new living goddess, was transported by her family from her home in an alley in Kathmandu on Tuesday to the temple palace.
Aryatara Shakya was chosen as the new Kumari or “virgin goddess” in two years and eight months, replacing the incumbent, who was thought to be merely human by tradition upon reaching puberty.
Kumaris is chosen from the Shakaya clans of the Newar community of indigenous peoples in the Kathmandu Valley and is respected primarily by both Hindus and Buddhists of the Hindu state.
Girls are chosen between the ages of 2 and 4 and should have undamaged skin, hair, eyes and teeth. They should not be afraid of the darkness.
At the Indra Jatra Festival earlier this month, the former Kumari was moved around in tanks pulled by followers. Kumari always wears red, her hair is pinned up with a top knot, and the “third eye” is painted on her forehead.
The week-long Indrajatra Festival was the first of a series of celebrations, including the main festival in October, Tihar or Diwali festivals.
Tuesday marked the eighth day of Dashain, a 15-day celebration of the victory of good over evil. Offices and schools have been closed to help people celebrate with their families.
Family, friends and followers paraded new kumaris through the city of Kathmandu before entering the temple palace that will become her home for several years.
The followers provided her flowers and money in line to touch the girls’ feet with their forehead, a sign of the highest respect among the Hindus of the Himalayas. The new Kumari will congratulate believers, including the president, on Thursday.
“She was my daughter yesterday, and today she is a goddess,” said her father, Ananta Shakiya.
He said there were already signs that she would become a goddess before her birth.
“My pregnant wife dreamed that she was a goddess and so she knew that she would become a very special person,” he said.
Former Kumari Trishna Shakiya, now 11, set out from the entrance behind Parankin, carried by family and supporters. She became a living goddess in 2017.
Shasha families who qualify for this prestigious seat compete to be chosen by their daughters. Kumari’s family has achieved high status in society and within their own clan.
However, the bears live in isolation. They have few chosen playmates and are only allowed outside a few times a year due to the festival.
The former bears have been adapted to normal life, learned to do chores, and faced the challenges of attending regular school. According to Nepali folklore, men who marry former Kumari are younger and so many girls remain unmarried.
Over the past few years, there have been many changes in tradition, and Kumari has been educated by private tutors within the temple palace and is even allowed to have a television.
The government is currently offering retired Kumaris a small monthly pension of around $110, slightly above the minimum wage revised by the government.
