When a 6-year-old girl cried for a few days, the King murdered himself along with the rest of his family.
This was the case in Nepal in 2001 when a girl who was worshiped as a goddess cried for four days.
The same girl, Chanira Bajracharya, just got her master’s degree. She works at a financial service firm, handling loan applications. She is different from other Kumari (young women who are considered the embodiment of a Hindu goddess) because they are excluded from education.
“People used to think because she’s a goddess, she knows everything,” said Ms. Bajracharya, “and who dares to teach a goddess?”
She said this at a family home in Patan, where she was the divine child for ten years.
During those years, she spent most of her time watching as long lines of visitors came and went, offering up food and money. The goddess would then paint the visitor’s heads to bless them.
This has been a tradition since the 14th century. Girls as young as two-years-old are chosen from Buddhist families in the Newar community to become goddesses.
12 are given the title of Kumari, but only three assume the role full-time; the others basically switch in and out of the position.
Most Kumaris never received an education, so once these girls became adults and entered the world, they more or less had no place in society. Even when she was a goddess, she was never fully introduced to society. The only times she was allowed out of the temple was when there was some sacred holiday or festival. She wasn’t allowed to speak to strangers either.
While sudden outbursts from the goddess can cause much turmoil within the country, she positively impacts Nepal. For example, in 2008, the country officially became a democratic republic after a 240-year-old monarchy.
After her duties as a goddess, Bajracharya spent a lot of her time studying, playing games, and watching movies.
Excluding the fact that she is a “living embodiment of a goddess”, Bajracharya was very much like the kids around her. After her time there, she still commands respect from the community and advocates for other young goddesses to receive an education and live a normal life outside “goddessing.”
This was the case in Nepal in 2001 when a girl who was worshiped as a goddess cried for four days.
The same girl, Chanira Bajracharya, just got her master’s degree. She works at a financial service firm, handling loan applications. She is different from other Kumari (young women who are considered the embodiment of a Hindu goddess) because they are excluded from education.
“People used to think because she’s a goddess, she knows everything,” said Ms. Bajracharya, “and who dares to teach a goddess?”
She said this at a family home in Patan, where she was the divine child for ten years.
During those years, she spent most of her time watching as long lines of visitors came and went, offering up food and money. The goddess would then paint the visitor’s heads to bless them.
This has been a tradition since the 14th century. Girls as young as two-years-old are chosen from Buddhist families in the Newar community to become goddesses.
12 are given the title of Kumari, but only three assume the role full-time; the others basically switch in and out of the position.
Most Kumaris never received an education, so once these girls became adults and entered the world, they more or less had no place in society. Even when she was a goddess, she was never fully introduced to society. The only times she was allowed out of the temple was when there was some sacred holiday or festival. She wasn’t allowed to speak to strangers either.
While sudden outbursts from the goddess can cause much turmoil within the country, she positively impacts Nepal. For example, in 2008, the country officially became a democratic republic after a 240-year-old monarchy.
After her duties as a goddess, Bajracharya spent a lot of her time studying, playing games, and watching movies.
Excluding the fact that she is a “living embodiment of a goddess”, Bajracharya was very much like the kids around her. After her time there, she still commands respect from the community and advocates for other young goddesses to receive an education and live a normal life outside “goddessing.”
