It was on the front page of yahoo.

here is the link to

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081007/ap_on_re_as/as_nepal_living_goddess

Once the chosen girl completes the Tantric purification rites and crosses from the temple on a white cloth to the Kumari Ghar to assume her throne, her life takes on an entirely new character. She will leave her palace only on ceremonial occasions. Her family will visit her rarely, and then only in a formal capacity. Her playmates will be drawn from a narrow pool of Newari children from her caste, usually the children of her caretakers. She will always be dressed in red, wear her hair in a topknot and have the agni chakchuu or ‘fire eye’ painted on her forehead as a symbol of her special powers of perception.

The Royal Kumari's new life is vastly different from the one to which she has been accustomed in her short life. Whilst her life is now free of material troubles, she has ceremonial duties to carry out. Although she is not ordered about, she is expected to behave as befits a goddess. She has shown the correct qualities during the selection process and her continued serenity is of paramount importance; an ill-tempered goddess is believed to portend bad tidings for those petitioning her.

 

Name	Hometown	Dates as Kumari	Marital Status
Hira Maiya Shakya	Wotu	1922-1923	married, 0 children
Chini Shova Shakya*	Lagan	1923-1931	married, 2 daughters
Chandra Devi Shakya*	Asonchuka	1931-1933	married, 2 daughters
Dil Kumari Shakya	Lagan	1933-1942	married, 3 sons ,1 daughter
Nani Shova Shakya	Ombahal	1942-1949	married, 4 sons, 2 daughters
Kayo Mayju Shakya*	Kwahiti	1949-1955	married, 1 son, 1 daughter
Harsha Laxmi Shakya	Naghal	1955-1961	married, 2 sons
Nani Mayju Shakya	Naghal	1961-1969	married, 1 son, 2 daughters
Sunina Shakya	Ombahal	1969-1978	married, 1 son, 1 daughter
Anita Shakya	Sikamoobahal	1978-1984	unmarried
Rashmila Shakya	Kwahiti	1984-1991	unmarried
Amita Shakya	Asanbahal	1991-2001	unmarried
Preeti Shakya	Itumbahal	2001-2007	unmarried
Matani Shakya	Kathmandu	2008-Present	unmarried

 

I am against it!!! pick someone make her do all that tradition for one day then leave the child alone

yoo ta hatauna nai parcha.yoo ta danab jungali partha hoo.

kati paisa paucha gadha shakya la  maby 5thousand maby 15 thousand .

Look at the moron bastards like Bimal Thapa; he sees everyoneelse as his own mother and father, and curse at them. These people prevent from having any kind of healthy discussions.

Because of disgusting people like Bimal Thapa, other nepali may also be prejudiced.

One of the famous celebrity gossip website perezhilton also has covered this story in its website.

http://perezhilton.com/2008-10-07-theres-a-new-goddess-in-town#respond

 

How is Kumari chosen? anyone know?

Did you read the following lines? What a fu cking tradition. It's freaky scary, that too for a three year old. I am against this damn fu cking stupid wrong deed in the name of a culture and tradition. This tradition should either be modified to be rational [Kumari's should be allowed to marry whenever they are no more Kumari's], or should be uprooted.

"As a final test, the living goddess must spend a night alone in a room among the heads of ritually slaughtered goats and buffaloes without showing fear."


This is extremism/fundamentalism.

How the F!!k do you explain these sort of mumbo jumbo to other people. Man, just to see it on the yahoo's headline, it was embarassing, was hoping no friends will call me with "QUESTIONS"

Words like-LIVING GOD---------- 3 year girl---------- tested for purity, perfect hair, eyes, teeth and skin with no scars, and should not be afraid of the dark--------forced to live among mutilated animal heads.

Try explaining the process and the belief to your international friend or even your host family, see the reaction. You will not be taken seriously and the pratice will be labeled "inhumane". Give it a shot.

Come on guys, no offence. Every culture and civilization had some sort practises like these in the past, but they have left those beliefs a long time ago. Any fool can learn from their own mistake, but the smart one learns from other people's mistake. Get over it, MOVE ON.

Yea, yea, you can name anything you want. It's easier to do name calling like that. Look at your own culture, there'll be thousands of things that're obscure. By saying that, I'm not trying to defend this tradition. Some ramifications may be necessary, but I'm not for abolishing it. You seem to be REALLY worried about Nepali girls, aren't you? or nepali children? Are you really worried or do you want to address the real issue or you get entertained by attacking others' cultures?

Did you ever raise your moronic voice when a boy was given sacrifice ('human sacrifice') last week in Nepalgunj?

Kumari tradition is related with one girl. Have you ever raised voice about other traditions, which affect thousands of more? Do you know how many nepali women die or suffer, when they've to live with animals during puberty or post-natal time in Humla, Jumla? If you're following nepali news, did you ever try to think about 'Teej tradition' without any of your biasness? Aren't you one of them who likes to boast about 'animal sacrifices'? The list will go on and on.

Again, I'm saying that I'm trying to defend for it. But it's too much, when you go and attack and use abusive words to others' culture? For your kind information, I've talked about this tradition with few of foreign friends.

Don't try to act like a hypocrite!

Getting embarassed by 'kumari'? You don't get embarassed by thousands of things happening in Nepal, and you come to attack 'kumari tradition'. You all seem to have a hypocritical nature like 'Baburam Bhattarai' who cuts off the fund (about 10,000 rupees) for cultures in the name of cutting the expenditures, and allocate billions of rupees for non-productive maoist slaves and on top of that they're getting a raise this year. Congratulations to all you hypocrites, we're soon going to keep our name and fame by spreading communism.

Well, from a neutral perspective, how would you judge the following facts? My feelings are in small letters.

• 3-year-old girl who was appointed a living goddess [Halleluiah, man started appointing Goddesses, I think God /Goddesses are superior to mandkind and they create man. But here it does not fit my normal logic. Please someone provide me a tuition for Theism 101 course ]
• Select the goddess from several 2- to 4-year-old girls who are all members of the impoverished Shakya goldsmith caste. [Some one please help me, why only Shakya's can be Goddesses. Why so unfair? Why so biasedness /favorism towards a certain caste/culture? I am not Shakya, so if I happen to have a daughter in future and although can pass "physical perfection test", can't be a Goddess, I can't be a father of a Goddess.]
• As a final test, the living goddess must spend a night alone in a room among the heads of ritually slaughtered goats and buffaloes without showing fear. [I almost fainted, someone please Dial 911 for me]
• Having passed all the tests, the child will stay in almost complete isolation at the temple. [Why not keep her in Nakkhu Jail?, Bichara, why are we playing with her beautiful life on this earth making her so lonesome? What about her formal education? Does she go to school? Does she get a chance to learn math, java programming, discrete mathematics? who are her childhood friends? "Dead goat heads"? "Buffalo Heads?"]
• Critics say the tradition violates both international and Nepalese laws on child rights. [I loved this point. If this fact is correct, then it's illegal. We are promoting illegal culture in Nepal]
• Nepalese folklore holds that men who marry a former kumari will die young [Scary Myth Again to ruin her beautiful life, in the name of culture. No one can predict none's death. Simply stupid.]
• and so many girls remain unmarried and face a life of hardship. [Obviously, so many of us who are promoting this blindly are forcing her life of hardship. Bravo to ourseves. Well Done.]

I am proud of my culture, but I dont agree with this Kumari System. How can people be so selfish. They take a 3 year old who doesnt know anything to decide. Does she have any choice??? How is a 3 year old child suppose to decide? Shame on her parents too. She is suppose to be going to school, making freinds, playing, socializing. Rather she is bound to the four corners of her house with limited freinds. She is totally segregatted from outside world except indrajatra and few other days. This is totally BS system, cant imagine people can be so selfish.

There are 3 types of people : YES, NO and SORT OF. At least I'm against it with a solid NO unlike some who are SORT OF. Living under the shades of western democracy and capitalism somewhere in the US, educated (maybe an IT by profession-coming here at Sajha) and enjoying all aspect of a free society where such acts have already been abolished, it is absurd that you have the audacity to support such backward belief.Thennnnnnnnnnnnnnnn you call me hypocrite? Do you know what hypocrite really mean?

Take this word of advice, education means nothing unless it is utilized. So you can have 10 Phd degree from ivy league colleges, that doesn't mean you will do anything important to the society.It's people like you who never want to change and always want to uphold the old tradition (like the old farts- politicians to everyday dad back home), that your country in such mess. You call yourself patriotic and culture lover by favoring such practices, I oppose it.  It's all in the perspective.

I knew that this would create some controversy when I wrote the comment. I 100% agree with mysticboy. There are some traditions where we have to make some judgment and corrections. Remember we used to have Sati Pratha until about 100+  years ago. We used to have Bal Bibah. But we have given up on such traditions. This is 21st century.. Hellooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.....

Living alone at that age without parents being near, i am sure the girls go through a lot emotionally which might affect their entire life. Not to forget that they will be called Kumari and worshipped at a such a young age and once her days are over (i am not sure for how long), she will be sent back and have to be normal again. All this will definitely impact the psychology of the child. Seriously, our country should get rid of this tradition.

Certain ramifications are obviously necessary, but I'm not for abolishing it. I can see some of you've clearly got ill-intentions here, of being entertained on attacking others' cultures and traditions.

If  you're really worried about the sufferings of nepali girls, shouldn't you first  be worried about the nepali girls in Jumla n' Humla who're suffering because they've to live with animals during menstruation? There're nepali women in Terai who eats only once a day to avoid going out to toilets. There're hundreds of other traditions, which are causing suffering to nepali women, but you instead chose to rescue one girl because it happen to be from a tradition and cultures of people you always envied (or perhaps hated). I'm not saying that everything with 'kumari pratha' is good, but I can clearly see some cunning minds working here to abolish and destroy others' traditions.

 

Someone's culture, pride, history is [your] taboo....

Not sure if I agree everything mentioned  but .. Some Nice views here ..

But I was sick of reading gahugoro mentioning "don't attack others' culture" again and again. When did you started personalizing National culture as yours and yours' only ?
DUDE ...  its NOT others' culture. Its MY culture as well . Why do you think we should have been so concerned if it wasn't our culture to begin with? Its Nepal's Culture, MY Country's culture, embarrassing culture, hard to defend kind of culture, something like sacrificing Goat to fix airline engine problem culture ...that's the problem.
If it wasn't ours' , we would have probably just laughed around as we do with so many other stupid things from OTHERS' culture.

I do not call for Total abolishment of a certain tradition as each has its own importance within community...but helloooo ... I guess we can atleast do some modifications when the concerns has been being raised for YEARS now all over the world, especially voilating International Laws on National stage.
Ofcourse there are Child labor problems, Girl education problems too and I am sure many many others as well which I may or may not be aware of ... But I am sure they donot get CELEBRATED like this tradition in a national stage, not to mention WITH the help of the Government. Plus, You cannot leave a LAKH rupee Chor in front of your eyes saying that we have someone else to catch first who stole Two Lakhs. You should start from somewhere. Thats how things gotta be done.
Ofcourse, as someone mentioned, I am myself sitting this far away with IT degree and not doing anything directly to fix anything.
But Dudes .. I am at least changing my views and accepting Wrong things are actually Wrong. Thats a Start.. I suggest , you better Start doing the Same cause it will need a Lot of view changings before we stop feeling just jeolous about others' progress and actually start looking for a brighter and better future.

No logic can justify this inhuman tradition! Noone, even her parents, has the right to destroy one innocent girl's childhood. This should be abolished as soon as possible.

Mr. Vince, I second you opinion. There're many areas that need to be modified and changed. May be a kumari can be made only for a week or so during the time of Indrajatra because the main focus of Indrajatra is Kumari. That way, a festival is also preserved and kumari also doesn't become the victim as everyone is trying to portray her. All the animal sacrifice rituals can be abolished; cruelty to animal and any other rituals that bring sufferings should be abolished. But there're some people, who just doesn't want to see any of newari traditions; they have a big problem with newars speaking newari; calls 'chariot pulling' a joke as if all their traditions are rational. I don't like to play a game of mud throwing. Mr. Vince, if you call this as your culture and tradition and be part of it for the improvements; we can certainly do it and as I said, it needs to go on time and needs to be changed. But I'm still saying that I hate some people calling for the complete abolishment of it just because it's not their cultures.

Mr. Mysticboy, I was going to reply to you, but the reason I didn't reply is that it seems that you're arguing just for the sake of arguing with all your energy to prove it wrong. Your statement saying that 'if Kumari is made from any caste, it can still be continued' reflects your true intention.

I agree with Gahugoro that some reform is needed - not just the Kumari tradition but all aspects of our culture and religion, and that will happen with time. But, the self proclaimed IT crowd who live in a western world must look around them and understand that every culture, religion has their idiosyncharsies which doesn't resonate with the rationale of someother culture.