Have you seen a living goddess on Earth ascended from the
heaven in form of a virgin young girl (kumari)? Actually, it is not easy to
believe so, but the Kumari Ghar in Nepal is the abode of such a goddess who is
believed by the Nepalese to be the manifestation of the Goddess Durga as a
virgin young girl (the Kumari), who is actually the multi-handed goddess of
power and evil destroyer.
The sacred mansion in which the goddess stays is known as
the House of the Living Goddess situated in the Durbar Square in Kathmandu. It
is a three-storey brick temple built in 1757 by King Jaya Prakash Malla. The
king being known for his fear and weakness, once is said to have outraged a
virgin young girl for which he repented and built this home temple as a sign of
his apology.
Who is the Living Goddess?
Belonging to the Buddhist Shakya sect, the alleged goddess
is a young girl between three to five years of age chosen from a set of 32
probable females. This tradition is observed both by the Hindus and Buddhists
in Nepal. These 32 girls are first selected by a few elder, but knowledgeable
people who is said to possess some divine or natural unique characteristics
along with the matching horoscopes with that of the present ruler.
Once this selection is done, all of them have to bypass a
fearful test based on which only one attains the victory at the end. In this
test, they all are locked in a dark room where the scary buffalo heads and jumping
men wearing demon masks try to frighten these small ones. According to the
belief, the girl who does not get frighten from all this and remain fearless is
regarded as the supreme embodiment of the Goddess Durga. This is to prove that
a goddess does not have any kind of fear at all. As a formality, the brave girl
is then requested to identify the robes of her ancestor to indicate that she is
aware of all aspects even though nobody has told her so.
Life at Kumari Ghar
Finally, the girl is then shifted to the Kumari Ghar where
she is revered as the living goddess. Her entire childhood is then devoted to
studying the sacred texts and performing spiritual rites. The main feature here
is that the girl’s feet should never ever touch the ground and that she should
never come out of the home except for special occasions. There are caretakers
to look after the girl requirements and both of them are met by the Nepalese
government.
The girl enjoys this immortal status as long as she doesn’t
bleed irrespective of any reason. The day she loses even a drop of blood or
menstruates – she is no longer then regarded as a goddess and so has to leave
the sacred temple. This now mortal girl is taken care by providing a pension.
Now, the need of another Kumari is felt and the same process begins once more.
The left Kumari’s marriage is a problem because it is customarily said that a
man who marries an ex-Kumari loses his life at quite a young age.
In the country, there are around 11 kumaris, but the Kumari
Devi – the Raj Kumari in the capital is of much more importance.
The Temple
The House of Living Goddess is where you encounter the
divine beliefs and glorious carvings. Besides the Kumari, it is the home of the
rich wooden reliefs exhibiting gods and symbols. Visitors are only permitted to
explore the courtyard where the beautiful reliefs on the doors, pillars, and
near the windows are worth spending some time with. It is somewhat a matter of
fortune if you can spot the young goddess from the courtyard. And in case, you
see here, do not even attempt to take her photo because it is strictly
prohibited. You are only allowed to take your own and of the reliefs.
In order to see the goddess, look in one of the windows on
the first floor in the morning or afternoon. While she is here, people seek for
solutions of the problems and questions, which are given via the facial
expressions only.
The Best Time to See the Kumari
In late August or early September, the Indra Jatra festival
is the celebration of the harvest during the period that holds much importance
for the locals. Be there on its third day to see the Living Goddess on a
chariot as a part of the procession taken around the Durbar Square.
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