Toddler Aryatara Shakya anointed as Nepal’s new living goddess, ‘Kumari’

Sep 30, 2025

Kathmandu (Nepal), Sep 30 (ANI): Toddler Aryatara Shakya has been officially consecrated as Nepal’s new Royal “Kumari,” the Living Goddess, after undergoing a centuries-old ritual during a grand ceremony on Tuesday. The two-and-a-half-year-old was chosen following a rigorous selection process that included the traditional test of courage. On the day of her appointment, she was carried in her father’s arms to the Taleju Bhawani temple, moving through city streets lined with thousands of devotees eager to catch a glimpse of the newly anointed goddess. Five senior Buddhist Bajracharya, Chief Royal Priest, Taleju, and a royal astrologer oversees the selection ritual of the Kumari. The Kumari is revered by both Hindus and Buddhists, but the role is limited to pre-pubescent girls, as menstruation is seen as ritually impure. This ancient practice of appointing a Living Goddess continues through a strict and symbolic selection process.