Nepal chooses a 2-year-old girl as new living goddess worshipped by both Hindus and Buddhists

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KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — A two-year-old girl chosen as Nepal’s new living goddess was carried by family members from their home in an alley in Kathmandu to a temple palace Tuesday during the country's longest and most significant Hindu festival.

Aryatara Shakya, at 2 years and 8 months, was chosen as the new Kumari or “virgin goddess,” replacing the incumbent who is considered by tradition to become a mere mortal upon reaching puberty.

Living goddesses are worshipped by both Hindus and Buddhists. The girls are selected between the ages of 2 and 4 and are required to have unblemished skin, hair, eyes and teeth. They should not be afraid of the dark.

During religious festivals the living goddess is wheeled around on a chariot pulled by devotees. They always wear red, pin up their hair in topknots and a “third eye” is painted on their forehead.

Family, friends and devotees paraded Shakya through the streets of Kathmandu on Tuesday, before entering the temple palace which will be her home for several years.

Devotees lined up to touch the girls’ feet with their foreheads, the highest sign of respect among Hindus in the Himalayan nation, and offered her flowers and money. The new Kumari will bless devotees including the president on Thursday.

“She was just my daughter yesterday, but today she is a goddess,” said her father Ananta Shakya.

He said there were already signs she would be the goddess before her birth.

“My wife during pregnancy dreamed that she was a goddess and we knew she was going to be someone very special,” he said.

The former Kumari Trishna Shakya, now aged 11 years old, left from a rear entrance on a palanquin carried by her family and supporters. She became the living goddess in 2017.

Tuesday is the eighth day of Dashain, a 15-day celebration of the victory of good over evil. Offices and schools are closed as people celebrate with their families.

Kumaris live a sequestered life. They have few selected playmates and are allowed outside only a few times a year for festivals.

Former Kumaris can face difficulties adjusting to normal life, learning to do chores and attending regular schools. According to Nepalese folklore, men who marry a former Kumari will die young, and so many girls remain unmarried.

Over the past few years, there have been many changes in tradition and the Kumari is now allowed to receive an education from private tutors inside the temple palace and even have a television set. The government also now offers retired Kumaris a small monthly pension.