KUMARI

By Zara Dittu

Introduction

To the people, Traditions are something that keeps our cultural ethics and values set in a disciplined way which further motivates them to follow the meaning of life. Traditions are kept up by civilizations generation by generation in the hopes of continuing what they have been followed for ages. It is a legacy of who they were, who they are, and what they want to be.

One such tradition is that of the Kumari worship that takes place in Nepal. Over the years it has caught significant media attention however it seems to be for all the wrong reasons. It is important to first describe exactly what it is. This tradition involves choosing a young pre-pubescent girl who the people believe to be their Hindu goddess and Durga’s reincarnation. The choice is not made on a whim. For centuries, young girls have to go through a tough test in order to be selected and qualify for the role of a Kumari. During this entire process, the child is put through a series of trials in order to assess how worthy she is. Other than coming from a Shakya clan (meaning silver or goldsmiths) the Kumari must also achieve physical perfection. There are 32 characteristics that are checked through an examination in which a child is unclothed, completely bare, and made to stand in front of her examiners. These characteristics include clear skin, perfect teeth, beautiful eyes, neck and chest, a small yet moist tongue, and long legs. The comparisons are often made with animals that Nepalis hold sacred (cow, deer and lion, etc.). The Kumari, after passing her physical examination, must also prove her fearlessness by spending a night alone in a room with nothing but the decapitated heads of

buffaloes and goats. This in turn is believed to make her worthy of accepting the drifting Durga spirit in all its glory. The chosen girl is believed to be the Kumari for the coming year till the day of her first period. Throughout the time before that, she is carried everywhere by her guardians as her feet are not supposed to touch the ground, is prayed to by thousands of people who visit her temple, is not allowed to talk to anyone other than her guardians (not even the worshippers) and is expected to maintain a neutral expression as well as be dressed in heavy makeup, jewelry, and clothes.

Today’s world is a globalized one where age old traditions die out every few years. However the Kumari tradition still lives on despite constant protests in Nepal as well as worldwide regarding the old practices of how Kumaris are chosen and then expected to live for the few years before their menstruation. This research aims to highlight the negative aspects of the Kumari tradition.

The Kumari Tradition

The cry for help regarding the whole Nepali Kumari tradition is not something too recent. After years of casual protesting a human rights petition was finally appealed to the Supreme Court in 2005. Even after the King was overthrown and Nepal became a secular state in 2007, the Kumari still remained and even blessed the president. This proved that even in democracy, the sentiments of the people regarding their living goddess were strong enough for her to stay despite the fact that they were directly against human rights. This means that this religious ritual is considered worthy enough in the eyes of the people even though the child herself is deprived of her rights without her even realizing it. Nepal was previously a Hindu monarchist state before the Maoist led revolution. It was ruled by the king and Kumari hand in hand. It is surprising to see that even being a federal democratic republic, the virgin living goddess still continues to be worshipped just as she was before.

Isabella Tree’s documentary with National Geographic about the Kumari tradition was a real eye opener for the western world who had viewed this as something that in enforced on the child. The film followed the story of a 6 year old Unika Vajracharya and how obsessive she is about obtaining the role of a Kumari. It is mentioned how this is her second time auditioning after how disheartened she was about not being chosen last time. She narrates how the last tryout went in great detail, how the examiners go over each inch of the girls naked bodies and disregard them even at the slightest of imperfections. Despite knowing all this, the parents go to great extent to make sure that their daughter is selected as Kumari. The child in her walk and talk seemed much older than her age due to the way she was brought up.

Unika seemed overly excited about her being called forth. The family informed Tree that it was her own insistence while the child described how she longed to take the Kumari place with her hair and makeup in place and hundreds coming out to worship her. On the way she also did not want to walk and insisted her mother to carry her as it is believed that the Kumari should never bleed (as it releases the Durga spirit) which is why precautions are taken even before the selection is made.The documentary then also follows the life of Chanira Bajracharya, a former Kumari who represented the role of a living goddess from the age of 5 till 11 when she got her first period. Even though she is now 19 and a business student who seems to be doing well, she recalls “It was a very drastic and challenging transitions for me. It embarrassed me for years how I could not even properly walk due to all those years of being carried around. I often cried and missed the way I was treated my entire life”. She later described the process by saying that it feels like you’re the most important person in Nepal for years, only to be replaced by someone else as soon as you hit puberty. “It’s a severe fall, especially when you don’t know how to stand”, she said wiping tears away. Another former Kumari, Anita Shakya also said in her interview that she never felt confident in doing thing on her own even after 19 years of not being a Kumari. She could not tolerate crowds and suffered from anxiety disorder for years before visiting a therapist. She described it as “it’s hard being told you’re a goddess all your life only to be stripped of that title with the first drop of blood”. Many articles also stated that preparations begin even before the period starts, letting the Kumari know of what is about to come.

The Kumari Tradition

The cry for help regarding the whole Nepali Kumari tradition is not something too recent. After years of casual protesting a human rights petition was finally appealed to the Supreme Court in 2005. Even after the King was overthrown and Nepal became a secular state in 2007, the Kumari still remained and even blessed the president. This proved that even in democracy, the sentiments of the people regarding their living goddess were strong enough for her to stay despite the fact that they were directly against human rights. This means that this religious ritual is considered worthy enough in the eyes of the people even though the child herself is deprived of her rights without her even realizing it. Nepal was previously a Hindu monarchist state before the Maoist led revolution. It was ruled by the king and Kumari hand in hand. It is surprising to see that even being a federal democratic republic, the virgin living goddess still continues to be worshipped just as she was before.

Isabella Tree’s documentary with National Geographic about the Kumari tradition was a real eye opener for the western world who had viewed this as something that in enforced on the child. The film followed the story of a 6 year old Unika Bajracharya and how obsessive she is about obtaining the role of a Kumari. It is mentioned how this is her second time auditioning after how disheartened she was about not being chosen last time. She narrates how the last tryout went in great detail, how the examiners go over each inch of the girls naked bodies and disregard them even at the slightest of imperfections. Despite knowing all this, the parents go to great extent to make sure that their daughter is selected as Kumari. The child in her walk and talk seemed much older than her age due to the way she was brought up. Unika seemed overly excited about her being called forth. The family informed Tree that it was her own insistence while the child described how she longed to take the Kumari place with her hair and makeup in place and hundreds coming out to worship her. On the way she also did not want to walk and insisted her mother to carry her as it is believed that the Kumari should never bleed (as it releases the Durga spirit) which is why precautions are taken even before the selection is made.

The documentary then also follows the life of Chanira Bajracharya, a former Kumari who represented the role of a living goddess from the age of 5 till 11 when she got her first period. Even though she is now 19 and a business student who seems to be doing well, she recalls “It was a very drastic and challenging transitions for me. It embarrassed me for years how I could not even properly walk due to all those years of being carried around. I often cried and missed the way I was treated my entire life”. She later described the process by saying that it feels like you’re the most important person in Nepal for years, only to be replaced by someone else as soon as you hit puberty. “It’s a severe fall, especially when you don’t know how to stand”, she said wiping tears away. Another former Kumari, Anita Shakya also said in her interview that she never felt confident in doing thing on her own even after 19 years of not being a Kumari. She could not tolerate crowds and suffered from anxiety disorder for years before visiting a therapist. She described it as “it’s hard being told you’re a goddess all your life only to be stripped of that title with the first drop of blood”. Many articles also stated that preparations begin even before the period starts, letting the Kumari know of what is about to come.

The Effects of Kumari Tradition in Nepal

Imagine being born into a household where you are told all your life that your primary purpose is to strive to become the Kumari. In the ages where a child is supposed to grow, play and act their age, potential Kumaris are made to behave a certain way at the mere age of 2 years. They are made used to the silence that they have to hold by leaving them alone for hours and are also trained to hold their expression in a neutral way to display no discomfort or joy. In order to pass the fearlessness test, they are exposed to violence from a young age. If you will treat a child like an empty shell that is just supposed to sit there dressed up but not talk to anyone at all or display any emotion, then how does this not qualify as child abuse?

Over the years there have been two counter arguments. The first is how one needs to respect other religions and traditions without interference especially when the young girls themselves know what they are getting into. It is safe to say that such arguments are entirely flawed. The girls most certainly do not know what they are getting into. They are raised to believe that this is all they are meant to do. This affects their psychological growth where they are unable to form cognitions or rational thoughts of their own. Moreover the constant physical pressure such as not talking or walking hinders their sensorimotor responses. They cannot talk properly and even walking seems like a big task. Almost all former Kumaris that have given interviews have talked about how their parents had to help them walk, eat and adjust themselves to their silence due to all the years of no exposure. This is not living. Countless interviews with former Kumaris have shown how they felt about it and how hard it was first adjusting themselves as an immortal living goddess and then a mortal commoner.

Puberty is a sensitive stage for every girl due to a series of hormonal changes taking place in the body. To suffer being replaced in such times makes it even worst so. Both the former Kumaris in Nat-Geos documentary recall being torn between wanting to get their period so they would be done with being a Kumari and also wishing to stay infertile because they were scared of not being able to survive. The pre-pubescent growth defines our entire life which has been proved through physiological and psychological theories over and over again. When this tradition hinders that very growth in the first place, then yes it is a violation of human rights. The idea that a girl is impure after she gets her period is stands directly against movements like feminism which is why it has gotten media attention over the years. No matter how uncomfortable it makes others, nothing can be done until the Nepali people themselves take a stand.

Conclusion

The Kumari tradition in Nepal is in direct violation of human rights and endorses child abuse. It has severe impacts on the girls’ physical and psychological growth as proved through interviews and proven scientific theories. Thus, it needs to be altered in a way that is acceptable to international laws or be banned.