Former living goddesses of Nepal embrace change (Feature)

By Pratibha Tuladhar Sep 22, 2010, 6:32 GMT

Kathmandu - Rashmila Shakya is a software engineer by profession, but her mornings begin with her family members worshipping her - a reminder that she was once the Kumari, or living goddess of Nepal.

Once, the designation of being a former Kumari meant that a woman was single and did not attend school, but as Shakya shows, those old traditions are changing.

The reigns of the Kumaris, who are revered as the incarnations of the Hindu goddess Taleju, are short. They are usually chosen at 4 after a rigorous religious process and live in confinement in Kathmandu's Palace of the Goddess until they reach puberty when they are replaced.

Shakya, now 28, became the first Kumari to get a formal education and to speak to the media about the conditions of the child goddesses, a cause of controversy.

Her room is on the fourth floor of her family's home, located in the labyrinths of old Kathmandu. Her room is decorated with family photos, maroon silk cushions she made and a Minnie Mouse soft toy.

On the wall hangs a plaque that reads, 'A woman should be a feminist during her college days and dare to remain happily unmarried all her life.'

Does the single Shakya identify with it?

'The belief that Kumaris should not marry is changing,' she said. 'There are many who have been happily married.'

The belief that a man who dared to marry a Kumari died coughing blood left the former living goddess single in the past, but the belief changed gradually. Former Kumari Ratna Sobha Shakya, 80, is a grandmother, for instance, and Shakya said she might herself get married one day.

Shakya also broke the convention against going to school, but she said she has always been received with curiosity in the classroom and at her office.

'It is why I don't join social sites like Facebook,' she said. 'It will only mean more questions, and the questions are always the same.'

After demands by the family of one of the Kumaris, the goddesses are now tutored while in confinement. The reigning goddess receives 6,000 rupees (80 US dollars) per month while serving as the Kumari and the retired goddesses receive 3,600 rupees.

'It is all right to give a tradition continuity,' Shakya said, 'but timely changes should be made so that the children are not deprived of basic rights, such as education.'

On Tuesday, Shakya, clad in the traditional attire of Nepalese women, the salwar kurta, her nails painted red and her eyelids light green, joined eight other former Kumaris in Kathmandu's Durbar Square, where they were celebrated.

Residents of the capital thronged the square next to the palace of the Malla kings to catch a glimpse of the Kumaris.

Dil Kumari Shakya, 90, was the oldest among the nine former goddesses who were venerated, the youngest being a 13-year-old high school student.

'It is a special opportunity for us,' said Ram Maya Maharjan, who had come to see the Kumaris. 'It is not everyday that you get to meet all the deities in one place.'

While a dancing troupe, clad in heavy ornaments and red brocade, entertained the onlookers, the former Kumaris sat lined up against an ancient temple.

The occasion was marred by controversy after the government barred its main guest, former king Gyanendra Shah, from attending the ceremony and all religious events in the future.

Traditionally, the king was the main guest presiding over the function as the Kumaris are believed to be the protector of his kingdom. However, with the abolition of the monarchy in 2008, the festival has been subject to rows over who should replace the king.

The current living goddess, Matina Shakya, 5, was to be taken around the major thoroughfares of old Kathmandu on her chariot on Wednesday and Thursday. The chariot ride is a part of the annual Indra Jatra festival for the god kind of heaven, Indra.