BHAKTAPUR, NEPAL, September 29, 2008: The state-run Trust Corporation, authorized by Nepal’s new Maoist-led government, has selected six-year-old Shreeya Bajracharya to fulfill the role of Kumari (“living goddess”) in the temple town of Bhaktapur.
Always before, Kumaris have been appointed by the royal high priest; but the monarchy was abolished after the Maoists, who are atheists, won elections earlier this year. Still, the Nepalese honor their Kumari tradition.
Kumaris must pass ritual tests and have 32 beautiful physical attributes. Shreeya, a farmer’s daughter who wishes to become a nurse when she is older, was chosen in part for her lovely voice and eyelashes.
Worshipped by both Buddhists and Hindus, Kumaris live lives of extreme privilege, but are isolated in a special house. They retire at the onset of menstruation, which is deemed to make them human. After complaints that the girls are unable to have a normal life, the Supreme Court last month ordered the government to safeguard the human rights of Kumaris.