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In Nepal, some girls, only three to four years of age are picked by Buddhist priests as kumaris, or “living goddesses”, who are then confined to temples until puberty. Is it justified to deprive these children of their basic rights of health and education, in this age who are to return to their homes after few years.
The Himalayan Hindu kingdom of Nepal is not only the land of many mountain peaks and natural beauty, but also of many gods and goddesses, deities, Bodhisattvas (near Buddhas), avatars and manifestations. And unique amongst all of them is the living, breathing goddess – Kumari Devi, a deified young girl.
The custom of worshipping a pre-pubescent girl, who is not a born goddess, as the source of supreme power is an old Hindu-Buddhist tradition that still continues virtually to this day in every household in Nepal. The Kumari Devi is a young girl who lives in the building known as the Kumari Ghar, right beside Kathmandu's Durbar Square and is worshipped on all religious occasions. The predominance of the Kumari cult is more distinctly evident among the Newar community inside the Kathmandu Valley as she has become an inevitable feature of their worship in all Newari settlements. However, it was the Vajrayana sect of Mahayana Buddhism that was responsible for establishing the tradition of worshipping a girl from the Sakya community as the royal Living Goddess. The god-house Kumari Ghar is a store-house of magnificent intricate carvings where the Living Goddess performs her daily rituals. During her tenure in the god-house, Guthi Sansthan, the government trust fund bears her entire expense including that of her caretakers. Under normal circumstances, her days in the god-house come to an end with her first menstruation, but if she turns out to be unlucky, as they say, even a minor scratch on her body that bleeds can make her invalid for worship. She then changes back to the status of normal mortal and the search of a new Kumari begins. The selection of the Living Goddess is a highly elaborate ritual. Upon passing the preliminary test, this is merely concerned with their 32 attributes of perfection, including the color of her eyes, the shape of her teeth and the sound and quality of her voice. Her horoscope must also be appropriate. These 4 to 7 years old, poor girls from the Sakya community are made to confront a goddess in the darkened room. The sight of the Buffalo heads scattered around, the demon- like masked dancers, the terrifying noises they encounter scare some of these innocent babies. The real goddess is unlikely to be frightened, so the one who is calm and collected throughout the tests is the only girl who is entitled to sit on the pedestal for worship as the Living Goddess. Then as a final test similar to that of the Dalai Lama, the Kumari then chooses items of clothing and decoration worn by her predecessor. On Indra Jatra, a religious festival held in September, the Living Goddess in all her jeweled splendor travels through the older part of Kathmandu city in a three tiered chariot. In this grand gala thousands of people throng in and around the Kathmandu Durbar Square to pay their homage to the Living Goddess. However, it is clearly evident that this child, who is selected to be worshipped by thousands of people, is truly deprived of her childhood. And critics consider this tradition a mere violation of the children’s rights which leaves them unprepared to face real life when they return to their families after reaching puberty. Thus, after a long struggle of NGOs and UN, Nepal’s Supreme Court has finally ordered the government to ensure basic health care and education for living goddesses in a centuries-old tradition in the Himalayan nation. The court has also ordered the recent government to submit a detailed report within one year about the reforms and facilities provided to former kumaris, as well as existing ones. And has also openly announced that there should be no bar on Kumaris from going to school and enjoying health-related rights. The Kumaris should not be treated as bonded laborers, and restrictions on free movement should not be imposed at all. 
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