Kumari Devi of Nepal: Custom of
worshipping Young girl as Living Goddess in Hindu-Buddhist
Tradition
August 2, 2016 newsgram.com
The
secretive world of the Kumari has created many lores of its own
including tales involving demons and the heads of dead
animals
The old
Hindu-Buddhist tradition of worshiping a pre-pubescent girl as a
manifestation of the Goddess Durga still continues on till today
in the Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal. The girl, who is not a born
goddess is selected after many trials. She is believed to be the
source of ‘Shakti’ or supreme power that envelopes the entire
creation and sustains all the beings with her love and
warmth.
There is an
elaborate process to determine the Kumari, the Living Goddess who
is entitled to sit on the pedestal for worship. Girls in the
age-group of 4-7 years who belong to the Sakya community are
screened by looking at their horoscopes and are selected on the
basis of the 32 attributes that depict perfection, like a body like
a banyan tree, eyelashes like a cow, thighs like a deer, chest like
a lion and a voice as soft and clear as duck’s, mentioned Subhamoy
Das, an Hinduism expert to hinduism.about.com.
After all
the ceremonies, the spirit of the goddess is believed to have
entered into her body. After wearing the clothing and jewellery of
her predecessor, she becomes the Kumari Devi, the living goddess
who is worshipped on all religious occasions. She begins her life
as the Goddess in her new sacred home
called Kumari
Ghar, at Kathmandu’s Hanumandhoka palace
square.
Kumari
Shobha Bhajracharya plays her sarod Image Source: BBC
Kumaris are
drawn from the original inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley.
Planets, karma and an array of gods play an important role in the
daily life of these people. It can be said that they are Buddhists
who have adopted the Hindu caste system.
According
to Subhamoy, Kumaris are believed to be the incarnation of the
fearsome Hindu goddess Durga, there are several myths supporting
this belief. One such is that Trailokya Malla, the king of the
Malla dynasty was visited by the Goddess every night until the day
he made sexual advances which made the goddess vanishes in fury.
The king in regret worshipped and pleaded for her return .The
goddess later appears to the king in a dream asking him to find a
child from the Shakya caste. The girl is asked to be worshipped as
the Goddess would have entered into her soul. The king does as he
was asked and finds the world’s only Living Goddess, starting a
tradition that continues on for centuries.
The
secretive world of the Kumari has created many lives of its own
including tales involving demons and the heads of dead
animals.
The kings
Of Nepal would seek the Kumari’s blessing before the initiation of
any scheme. After Nepal’s monarchy was abolished in 2008, the
president is said to have bowed before her.
The title
of Kumari is not given to one particular person for eternity,
mentioned Das. She ceases to be the goddess with her first
menstruation because it is believed that on reaching puberty the
Kumari turns human. So till she reaches the age of 16, she is
worshipped by all even though it is only for a few hours during
festival times. For all the days of the festivals, a name is chosen
which is determined by her age as instructed in the Tantric Hindu
texts.
A careful
life has to be led by the Kumaris as even a little bad luck can
instantly turn them back into mortals. A minor cut or bleeding can
make her unfit for worship and a new goddess is immediately
searched and. After her life as a mortal begins, she leads a
normal life and is allowed to marry despite many superstitions that
say that men who marry Kumaris die a premature death.
