Posted on 10/07/2008 1:56:58 PM PDT by nickcarraway
The three-year-old daughter of a Nepalese watch repairer became a "living goddess" on Tuesday after being approved by the country's new atheist government.
Despite Nepal being a Maoist republic after the monarchy was unseated in May, the centuries-old tradition of worshipping a young virgin as the living embodiment of a powerful Hindu goddess has survived.
"Matina Shakya was chosen after consultation with Buddhist priests, community leaders and officials who will look after her," said Achyut Pokharel, a member of the government-run trust that maintains the tradition.
"She became Royal Kumari after a series of pujas (religious ceremonies) on Tuesday at the auspicious time of 11:39 am," Pokharel said, referring to the moment chosen by astrologers as the luckiest for the Kumari succession.
Dozens of people in Kathmandu's medieval quarter joined in the procession as the young girl was carried by family members from her home to the ornate palace where she will be confined for several years.
"It was very hard to make the decision to allow her to become the Kumari," her father Pratap Man Shrestha told AFP.
"I am going to miss her terribly but it is a great privilege to have a Kumari for a daughter and we are helping maintain a unique, age-old part of our culture."
Tradition dictates that the Kumari must only leave her new home for festivals a few times per year.
Earlier this year, Nepal's Supreme Court ruled that Kumaris had the right to attend school but her family accepts that she will stay in the ancient palace in central Kathmandu.
"She will be home schooled in the palace but we can go and meet her any time," said her father.
(Excerpt) Read more at afp.google.com ...
I have a daughter that thought, when she was younger, that she was a living goddess. It took a little work but we brought her to reality.
I have a cat that is also a living godess.
Homeschool ping. :D
Homeschool ping.
LOL. I caught that too. I wonder if they have the term 'home school' in Nepalese?
With societies like this, is there any wonder why the modern world is dealing with serious culture clash?
Since Nepal is a Maoist state now, would she be addressed as “Comrade Goddess”?
All cats are living gods & godess, just look at them
It’s like the old saying about cats and dogs: A dog will look at its master and think, “this person loves me, feeds me, cares for me, he must be a God”. Whereas a cat will look at its master and think, “this person loves me, feeds me, cares for me, I must be a God”
Kumari - Selection process
Once Taleju has left the sitting Kumari, there is a frenzy of activity to find her successor. Some have compared the selection process to the process used in nearby Tibet to find the Dalai Lama or the Panchen Lama. The selection process is conducted by five senior Buddhist Vajracharya priests, the Panch Buddha, the Bada Guruju or Chief Royal Priest, Achajau the priest of Taleju and the royal astrologer . The King and other religious leaders that might know of eligible candidates are also informed that a search is underway.
Eligible girls are Buddhists from the Newar Shakya caste of silver and goldsmiths. She must be in excellent health, never have shed blood or been afflicted by any diseases, be without blemish and must not have yet lost any teeth. Girls who pass these basic eligibility requirements are examined for the battis lakshanas, or ‘thirty-two perfections’ of a goddess. Some of these are poetically listed as such:
A neck like a conch shell
A body like a banyan tree
Eyelashes like a cow
Thighs like a deer
Chest like a lion
Voice soft and clear as a duck’s
In addition to this, her hair and eyes should be very black, she should have dainty hands and feet, small and well-recessed sexual organs and a set of forty teeth.
The girl is also observed for signs of serenity and fearlessness (after all, she is to be the vessel of the fierce goddess Durga) and her horoscope is examined to ensure that it is complementary to the King’s. It is important that there not be any conflicts as she must confirm the King’s legitimacy each year of her divinity. Her family is also scrutinized to ensure its piety and devotion to the King.
Once the priests have chosen a candidate, she must undergo yet more rigorous tests to ensure that she indeed possesses the qualities necessary to be the living vessel of Durga. Her greatest test comes during the Hindu festival of Dashain. On the kalratri, or ‘black night’, 108 buffaloes and goats are sacrificed to the god Kali. The young candidate is taken into the Taleju temple and released into the courtyard, where the severed heads of the animals are illuminated by candlelight and masked men are dancing about. If the candidate truly possesses the qualities of Taleju, she shows no fear during this experience. If she does not, another candidate is brought in to attempt the same thing.
The fearless candidate has proven that she has the serenity and the fearlessness that typifies the goddess who is to inhabit her. Only a small test remains. She must be able to pick out the personal effects of the previous Kumari from an assortment of things laid out before. If she is able to do so, there is no remaining doubt that she is the chosen one.
Once the Kumari is chosen, she must be purified so that she can be an unblemished vessel for Taleju. She is taken by the priests to undergo a number of secret Tantric rituals to cleanse her body and spirit of her past experiences. Once these rituals are completed, Taleju enters her and she is presented as the new Kumari. She is dressed and made up as a Kumari and then leaves the Taleju temple and walks across the square on a white cloth to the Kumari Ghar that will be her home for the duration of her divinity.
http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Kumari_-_Selection_process/id/594651
“Homeschooling ping.”
This means she will graduate at least 2 years ahead of all the other godesses. ;-) (homeschooling mom humor).
Just a thought, what would happen if this “goddess” were to convert to Christianity when she is older?
"In addition to this, her hair and eyes should be very black, she should have dainty hands and feet, small and well-recessed sexual organs and a set of forty teeth. "
First of all. This is pitiful!!!
And it's pornographic.
And what size can a 3 year old be, but small? And with 40 teeth no less.
Well...it is sickening what mankind decides to worship.
And she's still a toddler. Beautiful, but still a toddler. ;-)
I could regale you with stories, but then, I do not want you to feel more horrified!
Don't worry. This little girl will have a wonderful childhood, and will have a fine education.And she will exit her teen years as a member of the Nepalese nobility.
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