Up close with a Living Goddess in Nepal
The Kumari Ghar, or House of the Living Goddess, is an imposing red brick palace built by a Nepali king in 1757 on the south side of Kathmandu’s iconic Durbar Square.
Only as I entered and settled beneath a third-floor balcony overlooking a small courtyard, where a blend of foreign tourists and humble locals who looked the part of devotees had gathered, did it sink in that I was about to witness the worship of a pre-pubescent girl.
She is the so-called Living Goddess, or Devi, believed to be a manifestation of the goddess Durga. Like others before her she was chosen at a young age from the Shakya clan of the Nepalese Newari Buddhist community. Her exalted role ends upon the onset of puberty.
As you’ll see in the video, her appearances at the palace like the one I observed are strictly policed against photography. But from what I’m able to show I think you get a good idea about one of Nepal’s more intriguing religious and cultural practices.
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