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The Royal Kumari, Kathmandu
The Nepali's have an interesting custom: the worship of a living child goddess which they call the Kumari Devi (Kumari means "Virgin")--a prepubescent, virgin girl from the Shakya clan of the Newari community. Although the Shakya's are Buddhist, the Kumari Devi is worshipped as a Hindu goddess and is seen as the living incarnation of Durga. There are many Kumari Devi's in Nepal, but the most famous is the Royal Kumari who lives in Kumari Ghar, a place in the Durbar Square in Kathmandu. The practice of worshipping a living virgin child is said to have originated in the 17th century when a pedophile Malla king had intercourse with a prepubescent child who died as a result of the trauma. In penance, the king began the practice of venerating a young girl.
Thousands of girls from the Shakya caste (Newari gold and silversmiths) compete for the title of child goddess. To be eligible, the Kumari must be between 3 years old and puberty. She must meet 32 strict physical characteristics (the 32 perfections of a goddess), her skin must be without blemish, she must never have shed blood, been afflicted by disease, and must not have yet lost any teeth. Other eligibility requirements include having: "a neck like a conch shell, a body like a banyan tree, eyelashes like a cow, thighs like a deer, chest like a lion, and a voice soft and clear as a duck's. Her hair and eyes should be very black, she should have dainty hands and feet, small and well-recessed sexual organs and a set of twenty teeth." See Wikipedia. Girls that meet these criteria must undergo a series of rigorous tests to prove that she is the "living vessel" of Durga. They must show that they are fearless and possess great intuition.
On Kalratri or "black night" during the Hindu festival of Dashain 108 buffaloes, goats, chickens and other animals are sacrificed to the goddess Kali. The test of fearlessness involves placing the child in a dark room with the severed heads which are illuminated by candle-light while men in scary masks dance around them. The child must show no fear and remain calm. The final test of serenity involves locking the child alone in a dark room with the severed heads of the dead animals. If the child remains calm throughout the night, she moves on to the final test of intuition. An assortment of items are placed in front of her and she must pick out those that belonged to the previous Kumari. If the child passes this test, then there is no doubt. She will be taken to priests to undergo a series of tantric rituals designed to cleanse her body and then she will walk on white cloth across Durbar Square from the Taleju temple to the Kumari Ghar and she will be presented as the new Kumari. She will reign until the day she menstruates (or accidentally loses a significant amount of blood)--at that time she will lose her godliness and return to society as a normal human. "The Kumari's walk across the Durbar Square is the last time her feet will touch the ground until such time as the goddess departs from her body. From now on, when she ventures outside of her palace, she will be carried or transported in her golden palanquin. Her feet, like all of her, are now sacred. Petitioners will touch them, hoping to receive respite from troubles and illnesses. The King himself will kiss them each year when he comes to seek her blessing. She will never wear shoes; if her feet are covered at all, they will be covered with red stockings." See Wikipedia.
Durbar Square, Kathmandu
Although the Kumari was a royal invention, the tradition did not die out with the fall of the Nepali Monarchy in 2008. The current Kumari is the first Kumari to be selected by the Maoist regime instead of royal priests. It is said that marrying an ex-Kumari is unlucky, but according to Lonely Planet, it is believed more likely, that taking on a spoiled ex-goddess is just too much work!
Kumari Ghar, Kathmandu
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