KATHMANDU, Nepal — A 3-year-old girl was enthroned Oct. 7 as a “living goddess,” or Kumari, in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, in a centuries-old ritual approved by the country’s new atheist government.
Matine Shakya, daughter of a watch repairer, became a “Royal Kumari” after a series of religious rituals carried out by Hindu and Buddhist priests. Scores of people joined in a procession as the young girl was carried by family members from her home to an ancient palace in central Kathmandu where she will be confined for several years.
Three towns in the Kathmandu valley follow the age-old Kumari custom, but the “Royal Kumari” in the capital is considered the most powerful, having had the closest link to Nepal’s deposed monarchy.
Nepal became a republic after former rebel Maoists won landmark elections last April and abolished the Hindu monarchy soon after.
“In Nepal’s changed political context, President Ram Baran Yadav has taken the responsibility of approving the (new) Kumari as he is now head of state,” said Hemraj Subedi, an official on the trust board that selected the girl in Kathmandu.
Another official, Achyut Pokharel, said Shakya was chosen “after consultation with Buddhist priests, community leaders and officials who will look after her.”
Shakya replaces the previous Royal Kumari, 12-year-old Preeti Shakya, whose term ended because she is close to puberty, after which she will be considered ritually unclean.
A 6-year-old girl, Shreeya Bajracharya, was appointed the new Kumari of the temple town of Bhaktapur, near Kathmandu, at the end of September.
She was enthroned amid prayers by Buddhist priests and will be worshipped by Hindus and Buddhists alike.
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