Taragaun

According to tradition, a female child is chosen to be the goddess. She is the Kumari and is chosen by how she represents 32 attributes. It is an extreme honour to have the Kumari chosen from your family. It also comes with some drawbacks. The child is chosen when she is about 3 1/2 years old. She will be the Kumari until she reaches puberty. She will not reside with the family, but will live in the Kumari Ghar with a priest and priestess who will be her guardians. She will only leave Kumari Ghar for formal functions or festivals, and will not walk on the ground but be conveyed in some manner. She is considered a Goddess, so gets her way when interacting with others. She is educated by the priest and priestess to represent divinity. When it’s all over, she goes back to her original family and assumes a normal life. A new goddess is chosen. It goes without saying that pictures of the goddess are strictly forbidden.
That sounds like the perfect way to spoil a child, although I could be accused of treating my granddaughter that way. At least she gets some reality from her father when we take her home.Read more