Many many years ago...
The king received advice on ruling his kingdom by a wise and powerful goddess. One of these times, the queen interrupted the king and the goddess. The goddess became very angry, and told the king she would no longer help him run his kingdom. The king begged for forgiveness until the Goddess finally gave the king specific instructions: “I will come back, but in a different form. Find a beautiful pre-pubescent girl and worship her as you worship me, and she will guide you.”
The Kumari of Bungmati
Kinjal Bajracharya is 6 years old.
Her favorite color is pink. She enjoys juice and junk food, going to school and playing with her friends, working on her school work and playing with her hula hoop.
Kinjal Bajracharya is also a goddess.
Kinjal At six years old, Kinjal is worshiped as the divine virgin goddess by Budhist and Hindu alike in the village of Bungmati, a small village on the outskirts of Kathmandu, Nepal.
Its a hundreds of years-old tradition unique to only Nepal.
There are at least 12 Kumari in Kathmandu, but only three are funded by the government. Nepal’s national or Royal Kumari, otherwise known as the Kumari of Basantapur. is the most celebrated and widely worshiped. Behind her are the Patan Kumari and the Kumari of Bucklapur.
Kinjal is not funded by the government. All of the responsibilities and expenses of being a Kumari fall on her family.
Everyday her mother must dress her in red, fix her hair, and apply the traditional cat-eye make up and tika. Twice a day she must be given offerings and worshiped. Her family must hold expensive ceremonies four times a year and buy expensive makeup, garb and jewelry.
"Sometimes we get confused," Man Ratna, Kinjal's father, said. We don't know whether to to worship her as a goddess or yell at her to do her homework"
Kinjal is restricted. She is unable to leave her village, wear the same clothing as her classmates, or share food with her friends. She also is treated differently. Many children are forbidden to play will Kinjal in fear that they may fall under the Kumari’s curse.
"What worries us the most is that she might think 'it is a bad thing to be a Kumari. If I wasn't a Kumari, I could play with the other children," Ratna said.
Carrying out the Kumari tradition has been passed down from generation to generation. Once Kinjal loses her firs tooth, her younger sister will take over the role of Kumari in the family.
After years of being a goddess, Kinjal will return to mortal status. It's a transition that an be shocking to a Kumari.
Although the they feel honored to keep up such an important transition, Kinjal's parents wish things could be different for both Kinjal and her little sister.
If I were able to choose, I would like my daughter to be a regular child," Ranta said.
Credits:
Photography by Alyssa Mae