WUNRN
Reuters
Nepal Looks for Girl to Serve as New
"Living Goddess"
By Gopal
Sharma - August 13, 2008
Reuters Photo: Kumari is brought out for the
public to
worship during the Chaitya Dasain festival.
KATHMANDU
(Reuters) - Religious authorities in Nepal
have begun the search for a girl who could be as young as three or four to
serve as the new Kumari, or the virgin "living
goddess," in a centuries-old tradition.
Astrologers
were consulting horoscopes of candidates from Buddhist Shakya families to
replace the current Kumari, Preeti Shakya, who is 11 and should retire during
the annual Hindu festival of Dasain in October, temple officials said.
"If we
don't change her now, we'll have to wait until next year which could be
late," said Deepak Bahadur Pandey, a senior official of the state-run
Trust Corporation that oversees the country's cultural matters.
"If the
girl starts menstruating while serving as Kumari, it is considered
inauspicious," Pandey told Reuters on Tuesday.
Under the
Kumari tradition, a girl selected from a Buddhist Newar family goes through a
rigorous cultural process and becomes the "living goddess."
She is
considered by many as an incarnation of the powerful deity Kali and is revered
until she menstruates, after which she must return to the family and a new one
is chosen.
Pandey said
the keepers in Kathmandu's elaborately carved wooden temple where the
"goddess" lives, have already started the secret selection process.
The
"Kumari" must have perfect eyes, teeth, hair and must not have even a
small scratch to her skin.
Traditionally
it was believed that the girl's horoscope should be in harmony with that of the
king of Nepal. It is not clear how this formality will be completed now that
Nepal has abolished the monarchy.
Many Nepali
Hindus and Buddhists consider Kumari as an
embodiment of Taleju Bhavani, the goddess of strength.
"I
believe she is the goddess," said 50-year-old Saili Tamang, selling the
present Kumari's pictures outside the temple. "Otherwise why would people
respect her ?"
But critics
say the child is denied a normal life and the practice violates her fundamental
human rights.
Those who
support the tradition say parents were free to decide whether they want to send
their daughter to serve as Kumari or not, the girl gets state allowances and is
looked after well.
During many
Hindu and Buddhist festivals the Kumari, dressed in red and gold colored
costumes, is carried in a wooden chariot pulled by men through the capital.
In the past
even the kings of Nepal sought her blessings, but foreigners are barred from
the upstairs chamber of Kumari, a leading tourist attraction.
(Editing by
Bappa Majumdar and Sanjeev Miglani)
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