Hindustan Times
Photo Credits: AP
Who is Kumari Aryatara Shakya? Nepal welcomes new living goddess
Nepal has chosen a 2-year-old girl to be the new Kumari, following a centuries-old tradition.
Photo Credits: AP
Aryatara Shakya replaces the previous living goddess during the country’s longest Hindu festival, Indra Jatra.
Photo Credits: @photokhichuwa/Instagram
The young goddess was dressed in a bright red dress, with bangles on her hands and a bindi on her forehead.
Photo Credits: AP
Kumaris are required to wear red, tie their hair in a topknot, and have a “third eye” painted on their forehead.
Photo Credits: AP
Girls chosen as Kumaris come from the Shakya clan of the Newar community in the Kathmandu Valley.
Photo Credits: @photokhichuwa/Instagram
Selected girls must have flawless skin, hair, eyes, and teeth, and should not be afraid of the dark.
Photo Credits: @photokhichuwa/Instagram
Both Hindus and Buddhists in Nepal revere the Kumari as a living goddess.
Photo Credits: AP
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