What(WTF) is the history behind the 10 yr old Nepal princess?

Question

i read she had to spend the night with 108 decapitated animal heads and not be scared to prove her worth?

Daughter of poor goldsmiths, inspected by ? for physical imperfections.

Does anyone know anything about this bizarre story/religion?

Answer 1

Kumari, or Kumari Devi is a living goddess in Nepal. Kumari literally means virgin in Nepali and was the name of the goddess Durga as a child. A Kumari is a prepubescent girl selected from the Shakya caste of the Nepalese Newari community. The Kumari is revered and worshipped by some of the country's Hindus as well as the Nepali Buddhists, though not the Tibetan Buddhists.

While there are several Kumaris throughout Nepal, with some cities having several, the best known is the Royal Kumari of Kathmandu, and she lives in the Kumari Ghar, a palace in the center of the city. The selection process for her is especially rigorous. The current Royal Kumari, Preeti Shakya, was installed on July 10, 2001 at the age of four.

A Kumari is believed to be the bodily incarnation of the goddess Taleju until she menstruates, after which it is believed that the goddess vacates her body. Serious illness or a major loss of blood from an injury are also causes for her to revert to common status.

Once Taleju has left the sitting Kumari, there is a frenzy of activity to find her successor. Some have compared the selection process to the process used in nearby Tibet to find the reincarnations of Tulkus, such as the Dalai Lama or the Panchen Lama. The selection process is conducted by five senior Buddhist Vajracharya priests, the Panch Buddha, the Bada Guruju or Chief Royal Priest, Achajau the priest of Taleju and the royal astrologer . The King and other religious leaders that might know of eligible candidates are also informed that a search is underway.

Eligible girls are Buddhists from the Newar Shakya caste (the clan to which the Buddha belonged) of silver and goldsmiths. 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. Girls who pass these basic eligibility requirements are examined for the battis lakshanas, or 'thirty-two perfections' of a goddess. Some of these are poetically listed as such:

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

In addition to this, her hair and eyes should be very black, she should have dainty hands and feet, small and well-recessed sexual organs and a set of twenty teeth.

The girl is also observed for signs of serenity and fearlessness (after all, she is to be the vessel of the fierce goddess Durga) and her horoscope is examined to ensure that it is complementary to the King's. It is important that there not be any conflicts as she must confirm the King's legitimacy each year of her divinity. Her family is also scrutinized to ensure its piety and devotion to the King.

Once the priests have chosen a candidate, she must undergo yet more rigorous tests to ensure that she indeed possesses the qualities necessary to be the living vessel of Durga. Her greatest test comes during the Hindu festival of Dashain. 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.

There are claims contrary to the commonly-believed ritual and screening process, however. The ex-Royal Kumari, in her autobiography "From Goddess to Mortal" (2005), states that this has nothing to do with the selection process, but rather is a ritual the Royal Kumari goes through each year, there are no men dancing around in masks trying to scare her, there are many less heads than claimed, perhaps a dozen or so. She also discusses in the book how the physical examination (discussed in the preceding paragraph) is not very intimate or rigorous.

The fearless candidate has proven that she has the serenity and the fearlessness that typifies the goddess who is to inhabit her. Only a small test remains. She must be able to pick out the personal effects of the previous Kumari from an assortment of things laid out before. If she is able to do so, there is no remaining doubt that she is the chosen one.

Once the Kumari is chosen, she must be purified so that she can be an unblemished vessel for Taleju. She is taken by the priests to undergo a number of secret Tantric rituals to cleanse her body and spirit of her past experiences. Once these rituals are completed, Taleju enters her and she is presented as the new Kumari. She is dressed and made up as a Kumari and then leaves the Taleju temple and walks across the square on a white cloth to the Kumari Ghar that will be her home for the duration of her divinity.

Answer 2

Never heard of it.

Answer 3

the history is roughly ten years on a ten year old princess

I can teach you how to calculate this if you wish!

Answer 4

no idea

Answer 5

Yes.  In Nepal, a child is chosen as a "living goddess" to hold the spirit of Taleju. A young girl is evaluated to make sure that she is "perfect" with regards to 32 points of perfection (black eyes and hair, "thighs like those of a deer, neck like a conch shell, and small and moist tongue, sexual organs small and recessed..." , etc.)   She must come from the Shakya clan, and her family background must be impeccably pious.  She must maintain calm and poise, her horoscope must match the current kings.  Taleju is a rather blood-loving spirit, which is why she must be able to calmly endure the decapitated buffalo heads and dancing priests who try to frighten her. Oh, and they are usually very young, just weaned and learning to walk.

When the proper girl is found, she undergoes rites that give Taleju a home in her, and she becomes a Kumari ("Princess"), and a living icon who houses the protecting diety of her people.  She lives an extremely pampered existence -- for example, if she cuts herself at all or becomes ill, the spirit will fly out of her, so her attendants do everything for her and watch her like a hawk.  People believe that every thing she does affects their lives -- if she cries, it will rain, for example.

However, when she starts mensturating, the spirit is thought to have found a way out, and she loses her title, and another Kumari is found.  Former Kumaris have it rough, because no man will marry them (otherwise, they may die young), they aren't used to crowds or have learned to do anything for themselves and have no social skills -- tough for a young woman. But it's a poor society, and a great honor for the family, who willingly turn their daughters over to have the honor of having raised a Kumari -- and one less mouth to feed.

Edit: Rachelle, why do you bother cutting-and-pasting the Wikipedia stuff?  Why not just put a link and say, "Look here" ?