NEPAL'S new Maoist-led government has appointed a six-year-old girl as a "living goddess" in a town near Kathmandu, for the first time breaking the link between the ancient ritual and the ousted monarchy.
For centuries, the head priest of the Nepali monarchy appointed living goddesses, known as the "Kumaris", in several towns in the Kathmandu valley, but with the abolition of the monarchy in May, the position of head priest also disappeared.
Instead, officials at the state-run Trust Corporation overseeing cultural affairs appointed Shreeya Bajracharya as the new Kumari of the temple-town of Bhaktapur near Kathmandu, said official Deepak Bahadur Pandey.
"The government authorised us to appoint the Kumari and we have done that for the first time," Mr Pandey said. The Himalayan nation abolished the 239-year-old monarchy and became a republic in May, following elections in April that saw the country's Maoist former rebels emerge as the biggest political party in the 601-seat constituent assembly. The Maoists now head the new government. Shreeya Bajracharya was enthroned on Sunday amid prayers by Buddhist priests and will be worshipped by devout Hindus and Buddhists until reaching puberty, the girl's caretaker Nhuchhe Ratna Shakya said, adding: "She is pretty and nice."
Kumaris must pass several rituals and have 32 beautiful physical attributes. These include the colour of the Kumari's eyes, the shape of her teeth and the sound of her voice. Shreeya was chosen for, among other things, having eyelashes like a cow and a voice "as soft and clear as a duck," said one member of the trust. Shreeya replaces her controversial predecessor Sajani Shakya who retired earlier this year, after nine years in the divine role. Sajani made international headlines in 2007 after she visited the United States to promote a film by a British company about the Kumari system.
Some religious authorities criticised the trip, saying it was against tradition. She retired at the request of her family.
From time immemorial Hindus and Buddhists have adopted and worshipped an ordinary pre-pubescent girl as a source of supreme power.
They call this girl Kumari Devi and worship her on all the religious occasions.
Nepal's Supreme Court ordered the government last month to safeguard the human rights of Kumaris after complaints that the practice went against the child living a normal life. - ( Reuters)