Kumari is the term for Nepalese girls fortunate to become the living embodiment of the goddesses. The election of Kumari began in the 17th century, despite the fact that the rituals associated with this practice appeared much earlier. Kumari was recruited from girls 3-5 years old. And those girls will not be able to go to school, lose the ability to walk normally, have trouble communicating and even be unable to get married.
It is believed that goddess Kumari came to Earth in the form of a pure, innocent girl. Therefore, the Kumari are only selected from 3-5 year old girls, but not everyone can participate in the selection of Kumari, but only girls who are the children of wealthy and noble families in the region. Here is the process of selecting Kumari and the strict requirements to be able to become this goddess:
Criteria for girls participating in the Kamuri selection: No damaged teeth, no scars and no blood loss. Hair condition, appearance, voice, the compatibility of the girl’s horoscope with the horoscope of the ruler of the country also need to be clearly verified.
Once they have passed the selection to be the Kumari, the girls will have to go through a purification ceremony. From the temple where the selection took place, the girls were transferred to their permanent residence, the Kumari Ghar palace.
Kumari is only allowed to leave the palace when having to attend certain ceremonies and parties. Kumari rarely gets to see her relatives.
Kumari is not allowed to go to school. Also Kumari doesn’t have to do any kind of work either. Kumari’s friends were also carefully selected and belonged to the same elite group of aristocrats.
The color of the Kumari costume is red. Kumari girls are obliged to correspond to the divine image, every action and mood of the girl is assigned mystical meaning. If Kumari’s mood is not good then it is a bad omen for the petitioners.
According to custom, the Kumari is the place where the spirit of the sacred goddess resides. Therefore, Kumari cannot walk on the ground, Kumari is always carried in a palanquin if it is necessary to leave the palace.
Kumari’s feet are worshiped by people who pray to get rid of troubles and diseases. Ordinary people are forbidden to touch Kumari.
Every request of the Kumari is fulfilled by servants, known as kumarim. They were tasked with instructing the Kumari when to perform this or that ritual.
Bathing, applying makeup, preparing for visitors and much more – everything is left to the servants.
According to custom, Kumari does not need to study because of the concept that Kumari already knows everything. This is why girls are not taught anything. Only recently has Kumari been studying at the palace with private teachers.
Girls will not be Kumari until a tooth falls out, a period occurs, or an injury bleeds. Because those things will make the divinity disappear. Then the girls will become a normal mortal and no longer a Kumari.
Each former Kumari is entitled to a stipend much higher than the cost of living in Nepal. Socializing is not easy for former Kumari. They can hardly walk normally due to long periods of inactivity and difficulty in communication.
According to popular belief, girls who used to be Kumari will not be able to get married. Because it is believed that if a man marries such a woman, he will not live long. But many former Kumari have married and given birth as normal people.
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