Nepal is set to get a 'living goddess' after the country deposed the monarch who was looked upon by many as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
KATHMANDU: Nepal is set to get a 'living goddess' after the country deposed the monarch who was looked upon by many as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
A religious body on the outskirts of the capital is in the final stages of anointing a 'living goddess', who was earlier choosen by the royal priests. The priests approved the selection of the 'living goddess' by checking whether the would-be Kumari's horoscope was harmonious with that of the Nepal king.
According to the process, the Kumari, who is considered a 'living goddess', must be endowed with 32 qualities.
However, now with the abolition of the 240-year-old monarchy by the Constituent Assembly last month, the Guthi Sansthan Central Office (GCSO) is reportedly working out a new framework to select the 'living goddess' in the Kathmandu Valley.
A meeting of the GSCO recommended that six-year-old Shreeya Bajracharya of Nasamana-13 be made the Kumari of Bhaktapur that has remained vacant after Sajani Shakya retired on January 19.
Narendra Prasad Joshi, chief of the Taleju temple in Bhaktapur, and Nhuchhe Ratna Shakya, a helper, picked Shreeya from among girls aged between two-and-a-half and seven years through a religious process, The Himalayan Times said on Friday.
Shemanta Raj Chapagain, chief of the GSCO, said they were holding consultations with experts on the issue.
"We have informed the Ministry of Land Reforms and Management to sort this out," he was quoted as saying by the Nepali daily.
Jaya Prasad Regmi, chief of the Guthi Sansthan Bhaktapur, said they had selected a 'future star' first-grader in Bhaktapur as the girl expressed her willingness to be the Kumari, adding that she was also good looking, had fair skin, black hair and eyes, and a clear voice.
The 'living goddess', who will stay with her parents during her tenure as Kumari, gets a monthly allowance of Rs 1,700 from the government and Rs 450 per month from Guthi Sansthan, the report said.
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