Living Goddess Kumari

 

Living Goddess Kumari

 

Old Lavani asked Agudenba:

“Did you know there are living goddesses in Nepal?”

"Living Goddess? Are you talking about living gods who are successful in cultivating Taoism? I only heard that there are living Buddhas in Tibet."

"No, the definition is completely different. It is a real god residing in the little girl's body. She is Kumari."

"Kumari...Kumari..." Agudemba didn't know, who was Kumari?

Old Lavani said:

The history of Kumari is actually quite long. In Nepal, it even goes back 2,300 years. At that time, it was a relatively simple worship of the "perfect virgin" who had not yet had her menstruation. Local people believed they had special powers, but they were not as highly respected as they are now. By the 13th century, the selection system, decoration and worship of Kumari began. However, the modern worship of Kumari began around the 17th century.

Old Lavani continued:

The legend about Kumari today is as follows: The last king of the Mala Dynasty in Nepal and his friend the goddess Taleju often hide in the room at night and play a dice game together. The more they played, the more addicted they became. The goddess came to play every day and warned the king not to let anyone know. She didn't want anyone to see her.

But the queen noticed something strange: "The king disappears without a trace every night. Who is he going to have a tryst with?" That night, the queen secretly followed the king to see who he was meeting - and ended up with Ta The thunder bead goddesses collided with each other!

The goddess was very angry about this and told the king: "If you still want to see me again and want me to protect your country, come and find me! I will transform into a Sakya girl."

In order to bring back the goddess Taleju, the king left the palace and embarked on a journey to find the girl who was transformed into a goddess, which is what we call Kumari today.

The old man Lavani added that over hundreds of years, Nepal has developed a "selection system" to identify Kumaris one term after another. To become a Kumari is very strict, and there are many restrictions on innate conditions. For example, you must meet the following conditions:

 

A girl from the Sakya goldsmith caste

Must be a young girl before menarche

Good health, no injuries, no bleeding, no illness

There should be no spots or birthmarks on the body

Neat teeth with no missing teeth

The horoscope should match the king

Neck as smooth as a shell

Body shaped like a banyan tree

Eyelashes as long as cows

Thighs like a deer

Breasts like lions

The voice is soft but as loud as a duck

…

 

A total of 32 "perfect characteristics" must be met to become a Kumari candidate.

Then, on the dark night of the Desai Festival every year, ritualists will sacrifice 108 buffaloes and goats to God Kali, and decorate the darkroom in the temple with 108 animal heads and candles, while masked men perform ritual dances.

The young Kumari candidate will be brought here to face the horror scenes throughout the night: if she remains calm and does not show any fear, it means that the goddess Taleju is in her body; otherwise, it will The next candidate is taken through the same ritual until the "Chosen Girl" is found.

Finally, the girl who passes the terrifying test must pick out the clothes of the former Kumari from a pile of clothes. This is considered to be truly certified.

After becoming a Kumari, a girl must leave home and live in a Kumari home, usually a Taleju temple, to accept worship from believers. They are not allowed to go to school, are not allowed to go out at will, and are not allowed to touch the ground with their feet. It is not until the menarche comes and the goddess Talezhu leaves her body that she can "resign" and go home. By then, since the goddess has found a new girl, the selection system will be restarted to find a new Kumari.

In Nepal today, there is more than one goddess. There is a Kumari of her own in Kathmandu and some big cities. However, it is said that it is generally believed that the Kumari in the ancient capital of Bataan is relatively representative.

Old Lavani showed Agudumba a photo of the front of the ancient Bataan temple. There was a photo of the living goddess posted on the temple door in the square of the temple, with "Lalitpur Living Goddess" written in English.

Agudengba said: Well, why does it feel a bit touristy?

Old Lavani took Agudengba to the Bataan Temple in the ancient capital. When he stepped into the temple, Agudengba saw three foreign tourists standing in the inner square with a red dot common in Hinduism on their foreheads. The tour guide was foaming at the mouth. Introducing Kumari culture across the sky. Old man Lavani said: In fact, tourists do not need to make arrangements with a travel agency to visit Kumari, they can just go there on their own.

Agudemba stood downstairs in Kumari's room. Next to the door was a sign saying "Please ring the bell before going upstairs."

At this time, someone poked his head out of the second-floor window. A woman who appeared to be around 30 years old stared at Agudenba, and then gave him a kind smile.

"Hello, I'm here to visit Kumari. Are you..."

"I am Kumari's mother."

"Can I go up and see Kumari?"

"Okay, take off your shoes and go upstairs first."

Agudemba and Lavani took off their shoes, walked upstairs on the creaking wooden stairs, and stood in front of the closed wooden door to wait. Then the wooden door opens, and you first enter a small space filled with Kumari photos. If you take a closer look, you will see that they are all photos taken during the festival.

Kumari's mother stood in front of Agudumba and Lavani: "Come, wash your hands first."

Then, Agudumba and the old man Lavani passed through a small space full of photos and came to a room about 5 square meters in size. I saw a little girl in the depths, sitting on a gold and silver throne. There was a golden plate under her feet. There was a small piece of wood between her feet and the plate. Various metal utensils were scattered around her. . She is the living goddess──Kumali.

The Kumari in front of me looks only 4-5 years old. She pursed her lips tightly and looked at Agudumba and Lavani.

Kumari's mother spoke to Agudumba: "Kneel on the mat in front of Kumari! Accept the blessings given to you by the goddess."

Agudemba knelt and approached the throne, reaching the mat only 10 centimeters away from Kumari. He looked at the girl with childish eyes and looked back at him.

Her face was expressionless. That's the best case scenario - if her face showed any emotion, it wouldn't be a good sign.

At this time, Kumari stretched out her thumb and dipped it in the vermilion mud on the side, and put a red dot on Agudengba's forehead. This is called an auspicious mole, which is the blessing given to Agudengba by the living goddess.

At this time, Agudenba's head was in chaos, with many thoughts mixed together as if in knots, and he didn't know what to do next. Kumari's mother broke the silence and said to Agudemba, "You can put some donations on the plate next to you."

Agudenbadu almost forgot about this. Old Lavani once told him: The tradition of visiting Kumari is to give some donation, usually around 20-50 rupees.

Is it a bit touristy to meet a living goddess in Nepal? Does the girl in front of me really understand her identity?

The silence in the space brought a little pressure to Agudengba. Agudemba stepped back silently, nodded to Kumari and her mother, said, "Thank you," and left the room.

Agudemba asked a brief question to the old man Lavani: "How long has this girl been the living goddess of Kumari?"

Old Lavani said: "Well, let me think about it...it's been 11 months."

After the wooden door was closed, Agudemba and Lavani left the Kumari House.

In the Bataan Temple Square in the ancient capital, someone sang a prayer song "Living Goddess Kumari":

 

Our Living Goddess Kumari

You are the protector of Nepalese people

Your existence is the will of Buddha

You can make us safe and happy

 

Two holy rivers in Kathmandu

One is the Bagmati River

The other is the Westnuti River

Your ancestors lived on the shore

 

You are a descendant of the Shakya family

A clean and unblemished birth

You possess thirty-two virtues

You have no flaws or shortcomings

 

You have never been sick or bled

There are no scars on the body

The neck shines like a shell

The body is as tall and straight as a bodhi tree

 

Your legs are as straight as a deer

The hands and feet are particularly slender and beautiful

Eyes and hair are all shiny black

You don't have any missing teeth either.

 

Your zodiac sign matches the king

You are calm and fearless, not afraid of the dark

You successfully passed the final competition

You were still a young virgin at that time

 

Selected by the royal priests

You have superhuman abilities and wisdom

You become the Kumari of the temple

Believers worship her as a living goddess

 

You leave this worldly life

Sitting on the golden throne

Wearing unique red clothing

Wearing silver jewelry for tourists to admire

 

You live in a temple all day long

Until puberty arrives and leaves office

Kumari comes from a commoner family

After retirement, he returned to the private sector

 

Our Living Goddess Kumari

You are the protector of Nepalese people

Your words and deeds are signs of good and bad luck

you will bring us good luck