How Nepal Chooses a

Living Goddess

The five stages of selecting the Royal Kumari of Kathmandu

The Eligible Pool

She must be a pre-pubescent girl of the Shakya clan of the Newar community — in perfect health, and never having lost a significant amount of blood. Most are aged 2 to 5.

The 32 Perfections

Elders assess her against the battis lakshanas — thirty-two traditional marks of divinity. A neck like a conch shell. A body like a banyan tree. A voice as clear as a duck's.

The Horoscope

Royal astrologers read her birth chart. It must be compatible with the chart of the reigning head of state. An incompatible horoscope ends a candidacy outright.

The Test of Fearlessness

On Kalratri, the "black night" of Dashain, she is brought into a courtyard of masked dancers and ritual sacrifice. A vessel of Taleju stays calm. A child who cries is not chosen.

The Recognition

In a final test echoing Tibetan reincarnation rites, she must pick out the belongings of the previous Kumari from among a set of near-identical objects. Then she is enthroned.