Nepal appoints 3-year-old as new living goddess

KATMANDU, Nepal - Hindu and Buddhist priests chanted sacred hymns and cascaded flowers and grains of rice over a 3-year-old girl who was appointed a living goddess in Nepal on Tuesday.

Wrapped in red silk and adorned with red flowers in her hair, Matani Shakya received approval from the priests and President Ram Baran Yadav in a centuries-old tradition with deep ties to Nepal's monarchy, which was abolished in May.

The new "kumari" or living goddess, was carried from her parents' home to an ancient palatial temple in the heart of the Nepali capital, Katmandu, where she will live until she reaches puberty and loses her divine status.

She will be worshipped by Hindus and Buddhists as an incarnation of the powerful Hindu deity Taleju.

A panel of judges conducted a series of ancient ceremonies to select the goddess from several 2- to 4-year-old girls who are all members of the impoverished Shakya goldsmith caste.

I disagree completely with their ‘goddess’ assessment.

Careful evaluation of the personality, intelligence, cute-factor, and let’s face it - genetics, proves beyond all doubt that my 1.5 year old daughter is in fact the cutest little girl in the world.

She will refrain from title of ‘goddess’ knowing that she has one true Lord and Savior. She may choose to be a CEO, hockey-mom, astronaut, formula 1 racer, pastor, or pehaps (if she’s willing to accept a pay cut) President.

What can be given, can be taken away. Odd system.
Goddess has Deity Stripped After US Trip

From the article:

Jai Prasad Regmi, the head of a trust that manages the affairs of the Kumari tradition in Bhaktapur, said that the girl's deity status would be revoked on her return from the US this week. "It is wrong and against the tradition for her to go on a foreign tour without any permission," he said. "This is impure in our tradition. We will search for a new Kumari and install her as the living goddess."
Temple elders have also threatened to deprive Ms Sajani of the modest state pension that all former living goddesses receive when they lose their title on reaching puberty. Her replacement will be chosen from girls aged between two and four from the Buddhist Shakya family.
The girls undergo a rigorous selection procedure. The successful candidate must have the 32 attributes of perfection, which include the shape of her teeth and the pitch of her voice. She must not have any scars or wounds and must have perfect skin, hair and eyes.
It is also a requirement that she not be afraid of the dark. One of the last tests sees the small group of would-be goddesses placed in a dark room where they are surrounded by dancers wearing demonic masks and subjected to eerie noises.
It is believed that as the goddess would not be afraid of such things, the girl who is not scared by the experience should be the one chosen as the new Kumari.
As a final task, she selects her clothing from those worn by the previous living goddess. Living goddesses appear in public only very rarely for religious festivals, spending most of their time blessing devotees who visit their temple.
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The main Kumari, who lives in a palatial temple in Katmandu's Durbar Square, is only allowed outside for a small number of festivals, and she can only mix with playmates selected for her by temple officials.
Many former Kumaris remain unmarried and impoverished after losing their title, as Nepalese folklore holds that men who marry a former Kumari will die young.
The Nepalese government has recently shown a willingness to address the difficult conditions under which the tradition places young girls. Serving and retired Kumaris now receive a monthly pension of $40. Before the changes last year, former Kumaris had to survive on the offerings made to them by their devotees.

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