Onward (finally!) to some specifics of Durbar Square.
Continuing the tradition of really interesting phenomena illustrated by incredibly crappy photography, let me introduce you to the concept of the Living Goddess: the Kumari Chowk. In a nutshell, every dozen years or so, a four year old girl is chosen to become the human incarnation of the Hindu mother goddess, Durga.
She lives in this house.
The choosing process is lengthy and intense. First, girls are reviewed to be sure that they meet the basic criteria: she must be a Buddhist from the Newar Shakya caste, she must be in excellent health, never have shed blood or been afflicted by any diseases, be without blemish and must not have yet lost any teeth. There are an additional list of physical characteristics that read a bit like the description of a Disney Princess: a neck like a conch shell, a body like a banyan tree, eyelashes like a cow, thighs like a deer, chest like a lion, voice soft and clear as a duck's, etc.
Once a candidate has been identified, she runs through the final selection gauntlet. Remember, this is a four year old girl we're talking about:
On the kalratri, or 'black night', 108 buffaloes and goats are sacrificed to the goddess Kali. The young candidate is taken into the Taleju temple and released into the courtyard, where the severed heads of the animals are illuminated by candlelight and masked men are dancing about. If the candidate truly possesses the qualities of Taleju, she shows no fear during this experience. If she does, another candidate is brought in to attempt the same thing.
As a final test, the living goddess must spend a night alone in a room among the heads of ritually slaughtered goats and buffaloes without showing fear. The fearless candidate has proven that she has the serenity and the fearlessness that typifies the goddess who is to inhabit her. After passing all other tests, the final test is that she must be able to pick out the personal belongings of the previous Kumari from an assortment of things laid out before her. If she is able to do so, there is no remaining doubt that she is the chosen one. Wiki
And what does the winner receive behind the proverbial Door Number Three? Basically, life in a gilded cage. Here's a fun bit: her feet are never allowed to touch the ground. On the rare occasions she leaves her small compound, she is carried in a palanquin. She's not allowed to touch other children. For many years, she recieved no education (although, that is no longer true).
Until she hits puberty, whereupon they toss her back out to live like a normal human again, and the choosing process begins again. It is said that any man who marries a Kumari Chowk is doomed to die within six months by coughing up blood, but given the way the young girls are completely spoiled during their time as Living Goddesses, and then the harsh realities of the real world when they return to it, one imagines that men may well have swallowed glass to get away from being married to an ex-Living Goddess.
The Raj Kumari may not be photographed by lowly tourists, although, she does poke her head out at specific hours of the day if you wish to see her. We didn't really think it was worth hanging around. Honestly, I felt more sorry for the poor child than anything else. If you are interested in seeing what she looks like (or has looked like, as there are multiple photos of different Kumari on the wiki page): click.
She does seem to get one treat, though. Poor thing. I wonder if she has problems with homesickness?
Next: The Gurkhas
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