A two-year-old girl has been selected to be a new ‘living goddess’ during Nepal’s Hindu festival.
The little girl was handpicked on Tuesday, 30 September, during the country’s longest celebration.
Aryatara Shakya is two years and eight months old, and once chosen, was carried by her family members to a temple palace, where she will remain until she reaches puberty.
She will be the new Kumari, or ‘virgin goddess’, which will see her as a goddess until she becomes of age. From there, she will become mortal and will be able to reintegrate into society, picking up her education, chores, and life as normal.
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Beforehand, the Kumari will be raised by the Shakya clans of the Newar community, where she will bless devotees and the president today.
At the temple, she will be expected to live there, having only a couple of outings each year for festivals and a selection of playmates they can socialise with.
As for the girl’s family, they will gain access to a higher social standing within their clan due to her status.
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Traditionally, Kumaris are girls between the ages of two and four years old, and will be selected if they have unblemished skin, hair, eyes and teeth. They also cannot be afraid of the dark, and must wear the colour red.
The girls are believed to be reincarnated versions of goddesses and are revered until they reach adolescence.
Legend has it that King Jaya Prakash Malla and Goddess Taleju, used to play dice in secret.
One day, the Queen became suspicious and followed the King to a location, where he entered in an odd manner. Being confused at first, she barged into the room and found the goddess and the King playing their game - leading to the goddess to leave and refuse to return to the King.
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Instead, she said she would be found again in the form of a young community girl, leading to the tradition to begin of selecting a girl who met the King’s recollection of what Taleju looked like.
“The new Kumari — who is chosen from the Shakya clans from the Kathmandu Valley — will be worshipped by both Hindus and Buddhists. She was just my daughter yesterday, but today she is a goddess,” Aryatara's father, Ananta Shakya, said, as per AP.
“My wife, during pregnancy, dreamed that she was a goddess, and we knew she was going to be someone very special.”
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According to legend, former Kumaris who marry will have husbands who will die young, which leads to them often living unmarried.
However, according to the outlet, there have been some changes to tradition over the years, and the Kumari will be allowed a TV, homeschooling from private tutors, and even a monthly pension of about $110 in her pot.
Topics: World News
Britt Jones