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The father of a two-year-old girl who has been proclaimed as Nepal's new 'living goddess' has spoken out after his daughter was chosen.
This week, Aryatara Shakya was carried by family members from their home in an alley in Kathmandu to a temple palace on Tuesday (30 September) during the country’s longest and most significant Hindu festival.
As tradition goes, a pre-pubescent girl is chosen to be the Kumari, or 'virgin goddess,' each time the previous one reaches puberty.
She is thought to be the living incarnation of the goddess Durga or Taleju Bhawani, and will now be worshipped at such, living in the temple until she herself reaches puberty and will be replaced by another young girl.
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Kumaris are chosen from the Shakya clans of the Newar community, indigenous to the Kathmandu valley.
Traditionally, they are selected between the ages of two and four and are required to have unblemished skin, hair, eyes and teeth. They also cannot be afraid of the dark, and must wear the colour red.
As we say, Aryatara, two years and eight months old, was the latest little girl to be chosen.
And now her dad has revealed that the little girl's mother actually 'predicted' her future, as he spoke out about their honour as parents.
“She was just my daughter yesterday, but today she is a goddess,” said her father, Ananta Shakya.
He said there were already signs she would be the goddess before her birth.
Ananta added: “My wife during pregnancy dreamed that she was a goddess and we knew she was going to be someone very special."
During the religious festivals, the living goddess was wheeled around on a chariot pulled by devotees, with her hair pinned up in topknots and a 'third eye' painted on their forehead.
Family, friends, and devotees paraded the child through the streets of Kathmandu, before she entered her new home in the temple.
Devotees lined up to touch the girl’s feet with their foreheads, the highest sign of respect among Hindus in the Himalayan nation, and offered her flowers and money.
The little girl's family, will also have a higher social standing within their clan due to her status as a goddess.
However, some very strict requirements come along with the role, and as Aryatara has to live out her childhood in the temple, she will only allowed to go out a couple of times each year for festivals.
On top of this, the youngster can only play with a few authorised friends.
This means that they can face difficulties when they reach puberty and have to adjust to normal life, learning to do chores and attending regular schools.
Over the past few years, there have been many changes in tradition and the kumari is now allowed to receive an education from private tutors inside the temple palace and even have a television set.
The government also now offers retired kumaris a small monthly pension.
