A two-year-old girl chosen as Nepal’s new living goddess was carried by family members from their home in an alley in Kathmandu to a temple palace on Tuesday during the country’s longest and most significant Hindu festival.
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Aryatara Shakya, at 2 years and 8 months, was chosen as the new Kumari or “virgin goddess,” replacing the incumbent who is considered by tradition to become a mere mortal upon reaching puberty.
Living goddesses are worshipped by both Hindus and Buddhists. The girls are selected between the ages of 2 and 4 and are required to have unblemished skin, hair, eyes and teeth. They should not be afraid of the dark.
During religious festivals, the living goddess is wheeled around on a chariot pulled by devotees. They always wear red, pin up their hair in topknots and a “third eye” is painted on their forehead.
Family, friends and devotees paraded Shakya through the streets of Kathmandu on Tuesday, before entering the temple palace which will be her home for several years.
Devotees lined up to touch the girls’ feet with their foreheads, the highest sign of respect among Hindus in the Himalayan nation, and offered her flowers and money. The new Kumari will bless devotees, including the president, on Thursday.
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