Kathmandu [Nepal], September 30 : Toddler 'Aryatara Shakya' has been anointed as the Royal "Kumari" the Living Goddess of Nepal undergoing ancient ritual in a ceremony on Tuesday.
The two-and-half year old goddess passed the selection process which included a traditional trial of bravery. On Tuesday she was brought to the Taleju Bhawani temple, carried by her father, where thousands of people queued in line to get a glance of her.
Five senior Buddhist Bajracharya, Chief Royal Priest, Taleju, and a royal astrologer oversees the selection ritual of the Kumari.
"There are total of twelve criteria that are to be met to formally anoint a Kumari. Following those twelve criteria we asked for the name of children in Shakya clan from which Kumari is made, we sent the notice to 12 Bahal (areas). It was to collect the name of those eligible to be the Kumari. From the collected names, we then sorted out those who fulfill the criteria. It is our duty to recommend one name to be the Kumari. This time we had sorted out three names and sent to the core selection committee. One of those recommended also included the new Kumari- Aryatara Shakya. After passing all the criteria and meeting the required qualifications she is being anointed," Sangaratna Shakya, member of the Kumari selection committee told ANI.
Some characteristics searched in children are good health, no evidence of scars and marks on the body, uncut and blemished body skin, pre-menstrual and no loss of teeth.
The child will also undergo a tests of courage where she is shown several sacrificed buffalos and masked men dancing in the blood. If she shows any sign of fear, she is not deemed worthy of becoming the incarnation of Goddess Taleju.
After being selected as Kumari, she will leave her parents' home until another living goddess takes her place, as she is transferred to the Kumari Ghar - an old palace building without any modern facilities.
The parents are not allowed to visit their daughter and only see their child when the Kumari ventures to special events and places, around 13 times a year.
On Tuesday after performing the rituals at the Taleju Bhawani Temple she was formally taken to the Kumari Ghar after taking over the position from Trishna Shakya, the reigning Kumari who has now retired.
Trishna had served as Kumari until she reached puberty, a traditional threshold that a marks the end of a Kumari's tenure.
The Kumari is considered a living embodiment of the Hindu goddess Taleju, and her selection follows a rigorous process based on ancient tantric criteria and astrological assessments. Largely unknown to the outside world, Nepal's centuries-old tradition of the child deity, the Kumari Devi, is believed to bring luck and fortune to those who see her.
The Kumari is the only living goddess worshipped by both Hindus and Buddhists. Nepal has a unique tradition of worshipping "Kumari" the living goddess who is appointed in certain interval of time following strict selection process.
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