A 2-year-old girl has been chosen as Nepal’s new living goddess, a centuries-old tradition revered by both Hindus and Buddhists in the Himalayan nation.
On Tuesday, Aryatara Shakya, aged 2 years and 8 months, was carried by her family from their home in a narrow Kathmandu alley to a temple palace, where she will live as the new Kumari, or “virgin goddess.” She succeeds 11-year-old Trishna Shakya, who relinquished her divine role after serving since 2017. By custom, a Kumari is considered a goddess until she reaches puberty, at which point she is believed to return to mortal life.
Ancient tradition and modern ceremony
The selection of a Kumari is deeply rooted in the Newar community of the Kathmandu Valley. Girls are chosen between ages 2 and 4 from Shakya Buddhist families and must meet strict criteria, including flawless skin, unblemished eyes and teeth, and fearlessness, even in darkness.
On Tuesday, Aryatara was paraded through the streets of the capital during the Hindu festival of Dashain, Nepal’s longest and most important celebration. Devotees lined up to bow before her, touching their foreheads to her feet — the highest sign of respect in Nepalese Hindu tradition. Many offered flowers and money in exchange for her blessing.
“She was just my daughter yesterday, but today she is a goddess,” her father, Ananta Shakya, said. He added that before her birth, his wife dreamed of a goddess, a vision the family believed foretold their daughter’s divine destiny.
The new Kumari will make her first official blessing Thursday, when she is scheduled to receive Nepal’s president.
Life of the goddess
The Kumari lives a sequestered life inside the ornate Kumari Ghar, or temple palace, with limited playmates and only a few appearances each year during festivals such as Indra Jatra, Dashain, and Tihar. She is dressed in red, with her hair tied in topknots and a painted “third eye” on her forehead symbolizing divine vision.
Although her family gains prestige and elevated status, Kumaris face a unique life of isolation. Past Kumaris often struggled to adapt after stepping down, facing difficulties with everyday tasks, attending school, or even marriage. Folklore holds that men who marry former Kumaris risk dying young, a belief that has discouraged many from marriage.
In recent years, however, traditions have softened. Current Kumaris receive private tutoring inside the palace and may even have modern amenities such as a television. Once they leave their divine role, the Nepalese government provides them with a monthly pension of about $110, slightly above the country’s minimum wage.
Outgoing goddess
Former Kumari Trishna Shakya, who served since 2017, quietly exited the temple palace Tuesday through a rear entrance carried on a palanquin by her family and supporters. At age 11, she now returns to the life of an ordinary schoolgirl, though her years as a living goddess will remain an indelible part of her identity.
For Aryatara, her journey as Nepal’s youngest goddess is just beginning, as the nation looks to her for blessings during major religious and cultural milestones in the years ahead.
AP
