Four-year-old Shakya girl selected new ‘Kumari’
By Chet Bahadur Singh
KATHMANDU, July 10 - A 4-year-old girl has been enthroned as the new living goddess "Kumari."
Preeti Shakya, left her home at Itumbahal and moved into the Kumari House at Hunumandhoka today which will be her home until she reaches puberty.
At 11:55 a.m. today, the new Kumari was taken into the Kumari House amid a special ceremony where traditional religious rituals by the Royal priests were performed.
As per tradition, she was taken to the Royal Palace on Monday for an audience and seeking approval of His Majesty the King.
A special necklace was transformed to the new Kumari during the ceremony.
The old Kumari, now aged 14, also from the same neighbourhood, was carried back to her house amid a colourful ceremony. For the next four days, there will be religious pooja at her house too. On the fourth day, priests from the Kumari House will come to her and take away all the jewellery she is wearing. Then she will be a ‘mortal’ once again.
The tradition of Kumari goes back to the Lichhabhi era but the Kumari House was believed to be built by Malla King Jaya Prakash Malla around 1814 B.S.
During the Indrajatra Festival just days before Dasain, the new Kumari will be taken around on a chariot pulled by humans through the traditional route in the heart of the city.
The royal priests and officials responsible for the affairs of the Kumari had spent the past few months looking for the new Kumari. Though the process of both selecting and "testing" the candidates is a very secret process, it is believed that the new Kumari has to be perfect with all the 32 "lachhins" (good qualities) and from a pure Shakya family, who number just a handful.
During their search for a new Kumari, they hit a lot of snags with many families not ready to give their daughter away to become the living goddess with most parents opting for their daughters to take up careers like engineer or doctors.
It is believed that once the Kumari reaches puberty, a new one is chosen and the day she starts to menstruate, the new one is enthroned. Once a Kumari bleeds, then she loses her status as goddess and is reduced to the status of a mere mortal.
There are about eight former Kumaris in the valley and many of them are still unmarried.
(Source: http://www.nepalnews.com.np/contents/englishdaily/ktmpost/2001/jul/jul11/)