The House of Kumari in Kathmandu

This is one of the most interesting traditions of Nepal. I am not sure exactly how to put this across, whether it is interesting or something else because my views around this may hurt sentiments of those who are following this culture. I found this tradition a little inhuman.

Kumari is the living goddess of Nepal. A girl is selected in her early childhood as this living goddess. There is a selection process to it which all the girls between the age of 3 to 4 who would want to become a Kumari will go through. Of-course the child at that age does not have any clue of this so the parents take the decision on behalf of them. The guide told me that the tests are really traumatic for some of these children. One of the test is that they make animal sacrifices in front of them, if the girl gets scared then she is rejected. If she shows no fear, she moves ahead. After going through all the tests and selection process once the girl is selected to become a Kumari then the real tests begins.

When she is selected as Kumari, she has to give up her home, life, schooling everything and come and stay in the house which is specially made for the Kumari and is called the Kumari House. Here she is not allowed to step out of the house. She will be only brought out during some special festival days, where she will be made to sit in a chariot and will be taken around the city for people to worship her. She does not go to school, she does not have any friends and the best part is she would hardly have any sense for all of this.

The real part of life hits her, when she reaches puberty. Once she gets her periods she is no longer Kumari, which would be around the age of 10 to 11. Then a new girl is selected. She has to return back to her home and by this time her life has completely changed. She has no education, I am sure being confined all the time, she would have mental health issues and then because she is given the title of goddess, people will always have a different eye for her. I really find all of this as a very traumatic experience for a small child.

Every evening she comes to the window of her house and gives a couple of seconds gaze to the visitors who are waiting to see her in the courtyard of the house, and then goes back inside. Local people say she gives her blessings through the gaze. I am not sure of that, how can a girl of that age with such living conditions be in a state to give blessings.

The visitors are not allowed to click pictures of her. I could only take the picture of the courtyard.

Sometimes it is unbelievable to know of these kind of cultures that still exist in this day and age. It may sound interesting for us, but imagine the poor little girl going through all this torture.

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