Kumari – The Living Goddess of Nepal

Kumari – The Living Goddess of Nepal

Kumari, or Kumari Devi, or Living Durga – Nepal, is the tradition of worshipping young prepubescent girls as manifestations of the divine female energy or devi in Asian religious traditions. The word Kumari is derived from Sanskrit.

In Nepal, a Kumari is a prepubescent girl selected from the Shakya caste of the Nepalese Newari Buddhist community. The Kumari is revered and worshiped by some of the country’s Hindus too. While there are several Kumaris throughout Nepal, with some cities having several, the best known is the Royal Kumari of Kathmandu, and she lives in the Kumari Ghar, a palace in the center of the city. The selection process for her is especially rigorous. As of 2017, the Royal Kumari is Trishna Shakya, aged three, installed in September 2017. Unika Bajracharya, selected in April 2014 as the Kumari of Patan, is the second most important living goddess.

In Kathmandu Valley, this is a particularly prevalent practice. It is believed to be the incarnation of Taleju, a manifestation of the goddess Durga. When her first menstruation begins, it is believed that the deity vacates her body. Serious illness or a major loss of blood from an injury also causes loss of deity.

The Kumari tradition is only followed in a few cities in Nepal, which are Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Sankhu and Bungamati. The selection process and roles of the Kumari vary between the different towns.

Who started the living goddess Kumari?

The first tale is of Jaya Prakash Malla, the last king of the Malla Dynasty(12th-17th century). According to the legend, Goddess Taleju visited Jaya Prakash Malla’s chambers during night time as a beautiful woman. They would play Tripasa (a dice game). The goddess visited the king’s chamber every night on the condition that the king refrains speaking about their meetings to anyone.

One fateful evening, the king’s wife followed him to his chambers and inspected on his secret meetings with the goddess Taleju. The goddess became aware of the king’s wife and left furiously. Goddess Taleju told Jaya Prakash in his dream that she would reincarnate as a living goddess in children among the Shakya and Bajracharya community of Ratnawali. In his attempt to make amends with Goddess Taleju, Jaya Prakash Malla searched for children possessed by Taleju’s spirit and hence started the Kumari Goddess tradition. Jaya Prakash also built a house for Kumari to stay near the palace and named it “Kumari Ghar.”

A second myth about the origin of Kumari Goddess circles around King Trailokya. According to myth, Goddess Taleju and King Trailokya played Tripasa every night and discussed the welfare of the country.  One night, Trailokya made sexual advances towards the Goddess and infuriated her. As punishment, Goddess stopped visiting the King’s place. Trailokya worshipped and pleaded for her return. Later, Goddess Taleju agreed to appear in the body of a virgin girl from the Shakya family. Hence, the Kumari Goddess cult was established. 

How is the young girl selected as a Living Deity, Kumari, in Nepal?

Selecting Kumari is intense. The selection process is almost identical to selecting Dalai Lama or Pachen Lama of Tibet. Five senior Buddhist Bajracharya priests conduct the selection process, including the chief priest of Taleju Bhawani, the Caretaker of Kumari house, and head astrologer. They check on the various aspects of a child before declaring her a new living goddess.

First, she must come from a Shakya family. However, other Kumaris in the valley, except for the royal Kumari, may also include a girl from the Bajracharya family. The members, including all three generations of her, should be within the same caste as well. Other basic requirements include sound health, uncut and blemish body skin. She shouldn’t have shed a single drop of blood prior. Also, she must lose none of her teeth. Once she meets the basics requirements, the priests examine her to match Battis Lakshana’s. Battis Lakshana’s are 32 perfections of goddesses in the Hindu religion. Some perfections are from her physical appearances which include chest like lions, thighs like deer, and the eyelashes like a cow.

Further, they look at her horoscope to make it complementary to that of the king’s or president’s horoscope. If she meets every quality, they take her to another test. In this, she has to walk through a courtyard filled with beheaded animals, and dancing mask men. She should cross the courtyard without being afraid. Here, if she looks scared, she is disqualified. Again, if she qualifies through all of her previous tests, they take her for the ultimate test. In this, she should spend a night alone in a room with the ritually slaughtered goats and buffalos.

Some also believe that being kept in a room of slaughtered animals and should be able to walk through the beheaded animals is not 100% true. Nobody actually knows what happens inside the room. Also, the Kumaris themselves are too small to remember her selection process. The room part is hidden and only the priests know about it. However, many believe that she is the embodiment of blood-loving Durga so, she is only shown some animal blood by the masked men to check how she reacts.

Finally, completing all of her previous tasks, which also include staying in that hidden room, she is now asked to pick up the belongings of the previous goddess. If she picks them correctly among other goods, she is the new living goddess of Nepal.

The selection process of the new living deity should be completed before late October. After being selected, she is sanctified and the priests perform various tantric rituals to cleanse her body from impurities and blemishes. Then, the goddess Taleju is believed to enter her. They now present the girl as the Goddess Kumari and shift her to Kumari Ghar. Only the Royal Kumari is shifted to Durbar square while others living in the valley live at their own home following some sort of rituals. They remain the living goddess for the duration of their divinity, which is, until they bleed. Bleeding is the commencement of the first menstrual cycle. After the first mensuration, the selectors select a new living female deity based on the above prerequisites. Sometimes, they also lose the title when they suffer a cut and lose blood.

What are the 32 requirements to be a Kumari?

The process to find a living goddess is quite vast and has many criteria. Five senior Buddhist Bajracharya, Chief Royal Priest, Priest of Taleju and royal astrologer oversees the selection ritual of Kumari. Some basic characteristics searched in children are sound health, no evidence of scars and marks on the body, uncut and blemish body skin, pre-menstrual and no loss of teeth.

Once a girl passes through the basic requirements of Kumari Goddess, she is then further examined for “Battis Lakshan” 32-body perfections to decide the future Kumari. Some of the characteristics of Battis Lakshan are:

• Body like a Banyan Tree
• Eyelashes like Cow
• Neck like a conch shell
• Chest like a lion
• Voice soft and clear as of a duck
• Same horoscope as of the King
• Sign of Serenity and Fearlessness
• Black Straight Hair and Dark Eyes
• Delicate and Soft hands and feet
• Thighs like those of a deer
• Small and moist tongue
• Sexual Organs small and well-recessed

The children also must not be scared of blood and masked man. Every child is shown several sacrificed buffalo and masked men dancing on top of the blood. If a child shows signs of fear, she is deemed not worthy of Goddess Taleju’s power. The girl that shows courage amidst the blood and dancing is then selected as the next incarnation of Goddess Taleju.

Life of Royal Kumari after she becomes Living Deity

The new living goddess is three to four-year-old girls. Their life changes drastically when they become Kumari. The royal princess cannot leave her residence casually. Neither of her family members can visit her anytime. She has to follow some specific rules and traditions. Her friend circles are minimized with only the children of her caretakers which are from the same caste. Leaving her parents, she lives with her caretakers until she is dethroned from the position of a female deity, Kumari.

Although her life is free from material troubles, there are different ceremonial duties she should fulfill. Her caretakers beautifully dress her in bright red and gold. She wears a Jama (cloak) down to her feet, a red Bhoto (T-shirt), and a red pagri (turban) and has ‘Agni Chakshu’ or ‘Fire eye’ painted on her forehead. The ‘fire eye’ represents her special power of perception.

She lives inside Kumari Ghar. People wait for a long time outside the window of that palace in a hope that they can see a glimpse of the living deity. People believe just a glimpse of the living deity will bring good fortune. It is also believed that Kumari holds a special power over the illness. Many high-profile people visit her to receive blessings and good fortune. When someone visits, her actions are recorded and interpreted to decide the future of the visitor. If she cries or laughs out loud, rubs her eyes, trembles, and picks up the food offerings, the visitor will have bad times, which may be a serious illness, financial loss, or any other bad times.

If you come to Nepal, you may also visit the area to catch a sight of the little female deity. She is taken outside only on special occasions, like Indra Jatra.

Indra Jatra is one of the major festival events in Nepal. During Indra Jatra, she is kept inside the chariot, and hundreds of exuberant pull the chariot. Thousands of visitors gather to see her. Even her small glimpse is believed to bring some good fortune. Moreover,  the dancing mask men, colorful roads, tuning of local instruments, and a large procession of devotees are a great sight to behold. Visiting Kathmandu in late August or early September will let you witness the celebration.

Traditional Dress & Ornaments of A Kumari

Preeti Shakya became the royal Kumari in 2001 when she was three and a half years old. Shakya became the royal Kumari in 2001 and lived at the official residence of the living goddess in Basantapur for eight years until the end of her tenure in 2009.

As the Kumari is considered as the perfect symbol of beauty in Nepal, especially in the Newari community, she always has to dress beautifully and brilliantly, especially in the festivals and formal occasions. A Kumari always has to be dressed in red, since red is the color of Gods and power according to Hindus’s belief in Nepal. The living Goddess often wears a red Jama (cloak), a red bhoto (shirt) with a red pagari (turban). Besides, she also has to wear ornaments, not only around her neck but also around her hand and feet. Her hair has to be gathered on a topknot and decorated with flowers. The most important thing is a third eye (tri-Netra), a metaphorical eye, which is painted on her forehead. This eye is believed to have the power to destroy all the evil in the world.

We can see easily that a Kumari has to wear garlands of gold coins and diamonds, as well as two necklaces having special symbolic meaning. One necklace is a golden chain in the shape of the serpent god called “Basuki Naga”. This ornament has several symbolic meanings. Firstly, it is considered as the symbol of the national treasury’s guardian. The Kumari Goddess is also the Goddess of wealth, Laxmi, in the Tihar festival. Secondly, the serpent is usually considered as the symbol of anger. Thirdly, the most important season among all the seasons of farmers is closely related to the serpent god, because, during this time, snakes often bite farmers. As a result, people worship god Naga in Kumari Puja in order to protect their wealth from the anger of the serpent god Naga.

Another ornament of the Kumari is a long golden tayo. The Kumari often wears it on her neck to show her authority with the eight mother goddesses. Another ornament is a red tika placed on the Kumari’s forehead. It is the symbol of the cosmic earth’s energy. This bright and glowing tika is a sign of property, health and a bright future of the nation.

List of Kumari in Nepal – Former and Current Kumaris

Royal Kumaris in Kathmandu

Name	Hometown	Dates as Kumaris	City
Hira Maiya Shakya	Wotu	1922 – 1923	Kathmandu
Chini Shova Shakya	Lagan	1923 – 1931	Kathmandu
Chandra Devi Shakya	Asonchuka	1931 – 1933	Kathmandu
Dil Kumari Shakya	Lagan	1933 – 1942	Kathmandu
Nani Shova Shakya	Ombahal	1942 – 1949	Kathmandu
Kayo Mayju Shakya	Kwahiti	1949 – 1955	Kathmandu
Harsha Lakshmi Shakya	Naghal	1955 – 1961	Kathmandu
Nani Mayju Shakya	Naghal	1961 – 1969	Kathmandu
Sunina Shakya	Ombahal	1969 – 1978	Kathmandu
Anita Shakya	Sikamoobahal	1978 – 1984	Kathmandu
Rashmila Shakya	Kwahiti	1984 – 1991	Kathmandu
Amita Shakya	Asanbahal	1991 – 2001	Kathmandu
Preeti Shakya	Itumbahal	2001 – 2008	Kathmandu
Matina Shakya	Kathmandu	2008 – 2017	Kathmandu
Trishna Shakya	Kathmandu	2017 –	Kathmandu

Kumaris in Patan

Name	Hometown	Dates as Kumari	City
Sumika Bajracharya	Patan	1994-2001	Patan
Chanira Bajracharya	Patan	2001–2010	Patan
Samita Bajracharya	Patan	2010–2014	Patan
Yumika Bajracharya	Patan	2014–2018	Patan
Nihira Bajracharya	Patan	2018–	Patan

Kumaris in Bungamati

Name	Hometown	Dates as Kumari	City
Ganga Bajracharya	Bungamati	1996 – 1997	Bungamati
Jamuna Bajracharya	Bungamati	1997 – 1998	Bungamati
Rashmi Bajracharya	Bungamati	1998 – 2001	Bungamati
Sophiya Bajracharya	Bungamati	2007 – 2011	Bungamati
Diya Bajracharya	Bungamati	2011 – 2014	Bungamati
Smrity Bajracharya	Bungamati	2014 – 2015	Bungamati
Kinjal Bajracharya	Bungamati	2015 – 2018	Bungamati
Kripa Bajracharya	Bungamati	2018 –	Bungamati

Kumari Ghar

The Kumari Ghar, popularly known as the Kumari Bahal, is of town house design. It is the first structure to meet the visitor of Durbar Square as it lies at the Bashantapur Durbar Square. It is above all the sacred home of the living goddess or vestal virgin and it has housed goddess- children since it was built by King Jay Prakash Malla in 1757 A.D. (1813 B.S.) The three-step entrance to the shrine is guarded by two stone lions painted white. The outer doorway has a huge wooden Toran a very impressive display of the temple artistry as do each of the four wooden windows of the first floor and seven windows of the second floor. The four large outer windows of the second level have famous peacock designs filling them. The windows of the third floor are more usual including black-painted triple groupings at the center which slants forward, and round windows in rectangular frames between these groups. Deeply carved Cornices (an ornamental molding around the wall of a room just below the ceiling) stands below the upper two rows of windows. The title roof has a very gradual slant and is supported by small struts of simple divine figures which do not rest on the cornices far below them but attached directly to the wall. A triple spire pinnacle with triple umbrellas on a floral framework of three arches over the spires completes the exterior.

The Kumari is a young girl who is believed to be the incarnation of the demon-slaying Hindu goddess Durga.There are about 11 kumaris across Nepal, but the Kumari Devi (or Raj Kumari – royal goddess) in Kathmandu is the most important.The selection process for finding the Kumari Devi resembles that of the Tibetan lamas, who are believed to be reincarnations of their predecessors. She is chosen from girls aged three to five in the Buddhist Shakya clan. Elders meet with hundreds of girls, approving only those with 32 auspicious signs of divinity (mostly to do with natural perfection and symbolically significant features.The girls’ horoscopes are also checked to ensure they are compatible with those of the current king.The Kumari’s reign comes to an end when her menstruates or slight injury on her body. The girl reverts to mortal fame and seeks for her replacement begins. She is given a modest state pension, and it is believed marrying former Kumari will die young.

Combination of vertical columns and horizontal beams i.e. trabeated system. It consists of square based timber columns.Cornice are formed by carved timber ties. Cornice differentiate the level betweeenthreestoreys.The wall (Gara) are of 24-18 inches thick which are made up of ‘A’ class bricks and are later on polished using varnish to give it a smooth finishing.The sculpture is three storied and is in square shaped with a chowk at middle. The chowk consists of open space.The house of the living goddess has walls that are artistically painted with many different religious crafts. The wall paintings are found only inside the KumariGhar, wherein one can find rare and colorful paintings of gods and goddesses belonging to various tantric traditions like Mahaganesh, Mahabhairav, Mahakumari,Vaishnavi, Tulaja Bhawani, Mahavarahi, Mahaindrayani, Mahachamunda, Mahalaxmi, Mahabrahmayani and Manamaheshwori. The plinth of kumarighar is made up of coursed as well as un-coursed stones using mud mortar which is in 24 inches higher from ground level. Plinth level is placed all around the walls.Post is of 17-18 inches.

Roofing rafters are closely spaced and laid in fan pattern.Struts-Carvings of gods. Top roof main rafters along edges, also fanning rafters.KumariGhar consist of Top-Leaves and creeperstoranas. Middle celestial image. And at bottom there is image of carrier of animals.

The ground floor has exquisitely carved doors with tympanums worked with equal mastery. Among the three doors, only the middle one is open. The stone steps leads to the main door and has two life-size lions placed on either sides as guards to both, the temple and the deity. The northern side has 22 exquisitely carved windows in various forms. There are a total of 11 TikiJhyas or AkhiJhyas, three Ga Jhyas, two ChaklaJhyas and six Sa Jhyas. The main Ga Jhya directly over the main entrance is gold-plated in the centre and it is believed that no one but the Kumari can only see outside this window. This KumariJhya was established with tantric rituals on the occasion of Varshabandhan puja (annual worship) in Nepal Sambat 878 Ashwin (i.e. AD 1758) by king Jaya Prakash Malla and queen Dayalakshmi Devi. This window is again elegantly carved with 39 flying-horses at the bottom.Except the two AakhiJhyals and a set of three Sa Jhyals in the eastern façade, there are no other elaborate windows. The southern façade has simple windows.Lacking ornate woodwork and the western side has no windows as it is attached to SikhaMubaha.

Inside the Kumari Ghar is an open courtyard (or bahal) in the midst of which is a chaitya (locally called the Chiba Dya). The stone chaitya, as many other chaityas in the Nepal Mandal, is crafted with Pancha Buddhas or Five Buddhas. The bahal also contains the two Chakras one of which is carved with the tantric Kumari Yantra.In a typical Newar residential style, the KumariChhen can be distinguished as Chhidi (the ground floor), Maatan (the first floor), Chwata (the second floor) and the roof. Straight inside the bahal is a long passage wherein five Buddhas namely Vairochan Buddha, Amitabh Buddha, Amogh Siddhi Buddha, Akshyobhya Buddha and RatnaSambhav Buddha are established.Directly over this, at the second floor is another Sa Jhya from where the Living Goddess gives a short glimpse everyday to the devotees.Before stepping down into the bahal, there are two holes on either side of the walls which are worshipped as Nasadya (the god of dance and other arts) and Mahankal Bhairav especially in annual Varshabandhan. At the top floor is the grand throne of the living goddess. Set in a special room, the golden throne is carved with peacock as the seat (aasan). On the final day of Indra Jatra and in Dashain, devotees worship the Goddess Kumari seated on this throne in this room. Alongside this magnificence, terra cotta images carved at the plinth of the bahal too bear artistic excellence. However, the story to those carvings has not been worked out.

The Kumari Ghar is the work of king jay Prakash Malla in 1757AD. It is typically based on Newari architecture. It was renovated in 1966AD. No modern materials were used while rebuilding the Temple. The Interior portion of the kumari Ghar is still cracked due to devastating earthquake.But the government hasn’t pay attention to this problem which is bad aspect of the government. The government pays 40000 per month for the food,education and other activities of the Kumari. The temple is only painited or rebuilt externally on in Kumari jatra.

The Kumari Ghar is located near the south entrance of Durbar Square in Kathmandu. The best time to see the living goddess is between 9-11 a.m. and 4-6 p.m. No photography or video is allowed of Kumari. There’s a small entrance fee to visit Durbar Square, but no additional fee to visit Kumari Ghar.