New Goddess Has Cow Eyelashes And A Voice Like A Duck
September 30th, 2008 by GiGi
Nepal’s new Maoist-led government has authorized the appointment of a six-year-old girl to be a “living goddess” or Kumaris in the temple town of Bhaktapur.
For centuries “Kumaris” in several towns in the Kathmandu valley were appointed by the head priest of the monarchy. This is the first time the appointment has been carried out by anyone else.
‘Eyelashes like a cow’
Deepak Bahadur Pandey, a senior official of the state-run Trust Corporation that selected Shreeya Bajracharya, told Reuters news agency: “The government authorised us to appoint the Kumari and we have done that for the first time.”
Kumaris must pass ritual tests and have 32 beautiful physical attributes.
Shreeya, a farmer’s daughter, was chosen for having, among other things, “eyelashes like a cow” and a “voice as soft and clear as a duck”, Keshab Bahadur Shrestha, another member of the Trust Corporation, told the AFP news agency.
“Just because we are now a republic and no longer have a king or royal priest, does not mean we should end our traditions.”
Nepal’s Kumaris live lives of extreme privilege but also isolation. They must stay in a special house and are worshipped by both Buddhists and Hindus until the onset of menstruation. That is deemed to make them human, so they retire. Shreeya’s predecessor left her post early at the age of 11. Last month, the Supreme Court ordered the government to safeguard the human rights of Kumaris, after complaints the girls are unable to have a normal life.
Posted in Around The World, Odd Tidbits