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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Yes ma'am. The life of the girl changed drastically. I hope they will change something on their tradition like giving education while staying in the house.😊
The Last Kumari did demand that and then they started with some kind of home education for her, Probably in the next few generations there will be more progress for them
It's good that they're trying to adapt the trend ma'am.😊
Hmm
I wish I was selected as a living goddess😅😅
That’s a fantastic tradition though
I like that!
I would never want to, it's kind of taking away the childhood of that little girl
I like the architectural design of the Kumari House Ma'am @nainaztengra it's unique. However, I was surprised about the tradition in Nepal especially about the Kumari.
True the building is magnificent
Sometimes I think it's important to be culturally sensitive with traditions like this but you are dead right .m this is inhuman. I'd be interested to hear of the reflections of an older woman looking back on her time as Kumari.
You are right, it's important to be sensitive towards various cultures but still in the past there were some very rigid traditions across the world which were not very healthy and they have been changed over the years. Like in India there were traditions of Sati, where a widow was supposed to burn herself alive after her husband's death, it was such a gross tradition and yet many people supported it in the name of religion. Thank God it was made illegal and abolished else imagine th plight of so many women in the very interior parts where people still believe in following these olden traditions and culture.
I believe that it is not right to call someone's religious belief completely wrong, but it should be improvised and all this should be done voluntarily rather than being imposed on anyone including those little kids. In fact, this should not happen to children. Someone who is compromising his entire life should know the meaning of life.
Sending Love and Ecency Vote!
True traditions and cultures should be respected and at the same time they should be followed with individual consent. Anything that is imposed on anyone without they being in that ability to make decisions for themselves is not the right way.
The way these young girls are chosen and isolated from a normal childhood is so sad. Education and mental health support should be a priority for them.
True, I did find it very sad and many local people there too do not like to support this own tradition of theirs
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I wonder if anybody has had an interview with an older woman who is/was a kumari. I am thinking of the interviews conducted with the last survivors of the foot binding practices in China. Once they were older and also the practice was 'out of fashion', several women agreed to speak about it in interviews. It would be illuminating to hear the stories of the experiences of the Kumaris. Thank you for being brave about sharing your concerns for these girls and women
I have no clue about that but many tourists come here so I am sure it must have caught their attention.
🙌