Kumari: 5 Amazing Facts About Nepal’s Living Goddess
The Meaning. The Culture. The Change
According to the Hindu philosophy, God is omnipresent, formless and experiential.
It means that you can experience God in everything and any form provided that you have devotion.
While temples and idols represent the recognition of the supreme through inanimate materials, worship of a human represents veneration and recognition of the same supreme in conscious beings.
Kumari, Nepal’s Living Goddess is perhaps one powerful symbolic manifestation of this. Recognition of the divine in the form of female energy.
Here are some fascinating facts about Kumari, Nepal’s Living Goddess:
1. The Buddhist Princess Revered by Hindus
In Nepal, the Kumari is a prepubescent girl selected from the Shakya clan of the Nepalese Newari Buddhist community. She is believed to be the manifestation of Taleju or Durga, the mother Goddess Mahadevi, who is associated with protection, strength, and power.
The word Kumari is derived from Sanskrit meaning princess, and there is popular belief that the Goddess vacates the prepubescent girl’s body once there is loss of blood be it through illness, injury or onset of menstruation.
In Nepal, Kumari is worshipped only for a day, and the main objective of Kumari puja is believed to realize the potential divinity in every human being.
2. 16 Names Depending upon their age.
According to the “Jñanarnava Rudrayamala tantra”, a Kumari can be assigned a name depending upon her age. These all are name of divine females with powerful virtues in Hindu scriptures.
There are different oral traditions on how the selection of Kumari started, however the core idea behind it is the realization and acceptance that the divinity is formless and manifests in everything from the animate as well as inanimate.
3. The Fascinating Selection Process
The Kumari selection process is an enigma on its own. While many including the former Kumaris reveal that the process is no longer hard and fast as mentioned, still, it is something mysterious and mythical, fit for an interesting novel or movie.
Here is how enigmatic and interesting the process is:
The selection process is conducted by five senior Buddhist Vajracharya priests: namely the Panch Buddha, the Bada Guruju or Chief Royal Priest, Achajau, the priest of Taleju and the royal astrologer.
They look for certain attributes, which a candidate must fulfil before being selected as the Kumari:
These include possessing excellent health and never have shed huge blood, be without blemish and not have lost any teeth, and attributes known as “Battis lakshanas” or thirty-two perfections of the goddess, which some refer to personality traits, while others relate them with physical features.
Interestingly, there is also a night called “Kalratri” where it is believed that the young candidate is taken to the Taleju temple and released into the courtyard, where there are severed heads of animals illuminated by candlelight.
Legend states that if the candidate truly possesses the qualities of Taleju, she shows no fear during this experience. If she does, another candidate is brought in to attempt the same thing.
Conquering your fear is vital be it becoming the princess, the “Kumari” or even the princess of your own tale.
4. Interesting Inferential Symbols
You love tarot reading. You feel everything is connected. You love silence and symbols.
This means you will find the Kumari culture absolutely interesting. Here are some interesting inferences visitors can make or interpret of the Kumari’s actions:
· Crying or loud laughter: Serious illness or death
· Weeping or rubbing eyes: Imminent death
· Trembling: Imprisonment
· Hand clapping: Reason to fear the king
· Picking at food offerings: Financial losses
If the Kumari remains silent and impassive throughout the audience, her devotees leave elated. This is the sign that their wishes have been granted.
Silence is Golden when it comes to the Kumari.
5. Modernisation Incorporated
By traditional standards, many believed Kumari did not need any education as she was omniscient.
However, the winds of change have made many realize that the world is so dynamically different that even if you internalized the secrets of the universe, life and existence is impossible by undermining the economic realities.
Former Kumari Rashmila Shakya played a vital role in changing this perception through her book “From Goddess to Mortal: the True Life Story of a Former Royal Kumari” ,where she highlighted the predicaments and challenges the Kumari faces once she has to return back to normal life.
Nowadays Kumaris attend public schools and have a life inside the classroom, although bit different from other students. Some opt to receive education through private tutors.
Kumari is the manifestation of the idea that God is omnipresent, formless and can manifest in any form be an inanimate idol or a living Kumari PROVIDED YOU HAVE DEVOTION.
The Kumari tradition is one the unique and intangible heritages of Nepal, and a part of Nepalese national identity.
References:
https://www.factopedianepal.com/kumari-the-living-goddess-of-nepal/
https://www.michael-murr.de/index.php?page=173&languageid=en
https://www.michael-murr.de/index.php?page=174&languageid=en
https://blackplatinumgold.com/royal-kumari-of-kathmandu-the-strange-life-of-nepals-living-goddess/
