Nepal names little girl, 3, as a living goddness… and she’s now been taken away to be raised in a palace she can only leave 13 days a year
19:10, Saturday, 30 September, 2017
 A THREE-year-old girl was made the new living goddess of Nepal's capital city, as Hindu priests rejoiced: "We have found our new Kumari".  Nepal names little girl, 3, as a living goddness… and she’s now been taken away to be raised in a palace she can only leave 13 days a year Wearing a red dress, Trishna Shakya was carried by her father from her home to a religious ceremony in the ancient Durbar Square in Kathmandu.She will live in a temple palace in the heart of the Nepalese capital under the care of specially-appointed guardians.  Nepal names little girl, 3, as a living goddness… and she’s now been taken away to be raised in a palace she can only leave 13 days a year Shakya was flanked by her family and barefoot men in red tunics on the short walk, the last time she will be seen in public without the elaborate makeup of the Kumari, or living goddess, until puberty.  Nepal names little girl, 3, as a living goddness… and she’s now been taken away to be raised in a palace she can only leave 13 days a year Her father Bijaya Ratna Shakya said: "I have mixed feelings. My daughter has become the Kumari and it is a good thing. But there is also sadness because she will be separated from us." Shakya leaves behind a twin brother, Krishna, who cried as his sister was taken from the family home. As the Kumari, Shakya is considered the embodiment of the Hindu goddess Taleju and will only be allowed to leave the temple 13 times a year on special feast days.  Nepal names little girl, 3, as a living goddness… and she’s now been taken away to be raised in a palace she can only leave 13 days a year The tradition of the Kumari, meaning princess in Sanskrit, comes from the Newar community indigenous to the Kathmandu Valley. It blends elements of Hinduism and Buddhism and the most important Kumaris represent each of the three former royal kingdoms of the valley: Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur. The practice was once closely linked to the royal family, but has continued despite the end of Nepal's Hindu monarchy in 2008.  Nepal names little girl, 3, as a living goddness… and she’s now been taken away to be raised in a palace she can only leave 13 days a year |
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