Nepal: New 2-year-old girl chosen as Living Goddess

A 2-year-old girl has been anointed as Nepal's new living goddess on Tuesday during the country's longest and most significant Hindu festival.

Aryatara Shakya, who is 2 years and 8 months old, was carried by family members from their home in a Kathmandu alley to a temple palace. 

She was chosen as the new Kumari, or "virgin goddess," as the incumbent is considered by tradition to have become mortal upon reaching puberty. 

Who are Kumaris?

Kumaris are chosen from the Shakya clans of the Newar community, indigenous to the Kathmandu valley. They are revered by both Hindus and Buddhists in the predominantly Hindu nation of Nepal.

Girls between the ages of 2 and 4 years old are required to have unblemished skin, hair, eyes and teeth in order to be selected. They are also required not to be afraid of the dark.

Family, friends and devotees paraded the new Kumari Shakya through the streets of Kathmandu before she entered the temple palace, which will be her home for several years.

Devotees lined up to touch the girls' feet with their foreheads, the highest sign of respect among Hindus in the Himalayan nation, as well as offering her flowers and money.

The new Kumari will bless devotees including the president Thursday.

"She was just my daughter yesterday, but today she is a goddess," her father Ananta Shakya said.

Kumaris face difficulty after puberty

Families of the Shakya clan who qualify for the seat compete to have their daughters selected as the family of the young girl chosen gains an elevated position in society and within their own clan.

However, Kumaris live a sequestered life and are allowed outside only a few times a year for festivals.

Those who age out often face difficulties adjusting to normal life and attending regular schools.

Nepali folklore also claims men who marry a former Kumari will die young, which has resulted in many of the girls remaining unmarried.