\nTHE LIVING GODDESS OF
\nBHAKTAPUR LOSES HER JOB<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nBy Nick Gier, Professor Emeritus,
\nUniversity of Idaho (ngier\u2202<\/span><\/span>uidaho.edu<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\nThe Royal Kumari Amita Shakya<\/span><\/p>\n

\nTo see all images go to www.class.uidaho.edu\/ngier\/kumari.htm<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n          In 1999 I took eight students to Nepal for a one-month
\nintensive study of Hinduism and Buddhism.  We spent the first night in the
\nsacred city of Bhatkapur just outside Kathmandu.  Because of jetlag, we were all
\nup before dawn and we had breakfast overlooking the main city square. 
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nWe sat there in awe and wonder as
\nthe city’s residents\ufffdwomen, big sisters carrying a sibling, gangs of boys, and
\nmen in both western and native dress\ufffdall paid their respects at the temples on
\nthe square.  (All bets that the men in suits would not perform puja<\/i> were
\nlost.) They touched their heads, their most sacred areas, and then placed the
\nsame hand at the foot of the goddess temple.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/a><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/a><\/span>Ten-year-old
\nSajani Shakya, the living embodiment of that goddess, visited Washington, D.C.
\nthis month to promote a British film on the living goddesses of Nepal.  Because
\nof their belief that foreign travel makes one impure, some Hindu and Buddhist
\npriests in Bhatkapur have declared that Sajani can no longer hold the office of
\nliving goddess.  (Photo by Andy Carvin)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
\nDuring
\nour 1999 study tour a local guide made arrangements for us to visit Amita
\nShakya, royal kumari of Kathmandu. (Kumari<\/i> means virgin girl.) We stood
\nfor the longest time in the courtyard of her palace as the guide pleaded with
\nthe goddess’ guardian standing on the balcony.  We could hear some serious
\nchildren’s play in the background. Suddenly, the goddess appeared for a very
\nbrief wave and quickly rejoined her boisterous playmates.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nThe royal goddess’ feet never touch the ground, and she is
\nallowed to go outside her palace only once a year.  At that time she tours the
\ncity in a grand procession that includes her royal attendants and members of her
\nextended family.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n                                                  
\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\nI returned to Nepal in the fall of l999 just in time to document
\nthis spectacle. It was difficult to get any good pictures of Amita Shakya
\nbecause men covered her chariot like a swarm of bees.  Interestingly enough, no
\nwomen were participating and male priests control everything dealing with the
\ngoddess cult. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nGoddess worship in South Asia goes back at least 2,500 years, but
\nthe cult of the royal goddess of Kathmandu
\nwas initiated by Hindu King Jaya Prakash Malla in the 18^{th<\/sup> Century. 
\nThe goddess was so intimate with the king that they played a game of dice every
\nevening.  One night the king made some sexual advances, and as punishment the
\ngoddesses withdrew and declared that she would now appear only as a Buddhist
\nvirgin girl. <\/span><\/p>\n}

 <\/p>\n

\nEach year the Hindu kings of
\nNepal, considered to be incarnations of the Hindu God Vishnu, must visit the
\ngoddess’ palace and receive her blessing, because the sovereignty of the nation
\nlies with her and not with the king.  One year the goddess placed the tika<\/i>,
\na sacred mark just above the middle of the eyebrows, on the crown prince rather
\nthan the king himself.  The kumari’s act proved prophetic because the king died
\nlater than year. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nThe living goddesses of Nepal
\ncome from the Buddha’s own clan, the Shakyas, so all the kumaris have the
\nsurname Shakya. They are chosen by a procedure very similar to that of the Dalai
\nLama.  The real kumari must have signs of physical and spiritual perfection, and
\nshe must pass a terrifying test of mental and emotional endurance.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nA new royal kumari, Preeti Shakya,
\nwas chosen in 2001, and she is currently withholding her services over a dispute
\nover distribution of substantial tourist contributions that flow into her palace
\nevery day. The goddess did give the traditional blessing to King Gayanendra when
\nhe ascended the throne after the crown prince shot his father and six other
\nfamily members in 2001. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nGayanendra, however, is now
\ndisgraced because he abolished Parliament and shut down the press in response to
\nthe threat of a Maoist insurgency.  A new prime minister now takes his place at
\nreligious festivals and that means that Gayanendra will not get his annual
\nblessing this year.  Indeed, an upcoming vote on a new constitution may abolish
\nthe monarchy and many royal properties have already been expropriated.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nWhen I was first in Kathmandu in
\n1992, I experienced the congestion caused by tens of thousands of Nepalis
\nstanding in line to have a personal audience with then King Birendra on his
\nbirthday.  This year only 1,000 people were present to celebrate Gayanendra’s
\nbirthday, Birendra’s brother.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nThe end of the monarchy may also
\nmean the demise of the kumari tradition. Women’s rights activists have also
\npetitioned Nepal’s Supreme Court to abolish this sacred office, but
\nconservatives have filed a counter claim stating that living goddesses are an
\nintegral part of Nepal’s religious tradition and that it is a matter of
\nreligious freedom.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nEach goddess’ tenure ends when
\nshe has her period, or becomes impure by any other means. Former kumaris receive
\nabout $80 per month from the government.  There is a legend that any man who
\nmarries a kumari will experience a premature death, but of the 12 royal kumaris
\nsince 1932, nine of them have married and have had a total of 23 children.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nRash<\/span>milla Shakya ruled as the
\nroyal kumari from 1984-1991, and after a difficult transition, she now has a
\ndegree in information technology.  She was put off by another royal kumari whom
\nshe visited briefly: "I saw her sitting in her room, quietly, all made-up the
\nway we used to be at the Kumari House. She still believed she was a goddess,"
\nshe says. "I told myself this is not the way I am going to spend the rest of my
\nlife."  You go, former goddess!<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nThe conflict between human rights
\nand traditional religion is one of the most serious problems in our world
\ntoday.  It will be very interesting to see how the Nepalis solve this dilemma.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

THE LIVING GODDESS OF BHAKTAPUR LOSES HER JOB   By Nick Gier, Professor Emeritus, University of Idaho (ngier\u2202uidaho.edu)   The Royal Kumari Amita Shakya To see all images go to www.class.uidaho.edu\/ngier\/kumari.htm             In 1999 I took eight students to…<\/p>\n