"Royal Castle Square"

#12812399

30 September 2025

Two-and-a-half-year-old Aryatara Shakya, in red regalia, is escorted to the Taleju Bhawani Temple in Kathmandu Durbar Square, Nepal, on September 30, 2025, to formally anoint her as the new Royal Kumari, the living goddess of Nepal. Nepal has a unique tradition of worshipping the ''Kumari,'' the living goddess, who is appointed at certain intervals following a strict selection process. A young Newar girl with no blemishes is chosen to represent the Goddess Kumari as an incarnation of Goddess Taleju, the tutelary deity of the Malla dynasty and the Shah dynasty, which inherited the tradition. The young candidates from the Shakya caste among the Newars, many as young as four years old, must go through an extremely strict selection process before one of them is chosen to represent the Goddess. She must remain calm and show no signs of fear even when put through scary tests. Once chosen, she has to live within the Kumari Ghar (Kumari's House), her feet must never touch the ground, and she leaves her residence only during certain festivals. She remains a Living Goddess until any form of bleeding occurs, which is usually when she reaches puberty. The Living Goddess is worshipped with great reverence, and even the Shah Kings follow the tradition of receiving tika and blessings from her. Dating back to the 17th century, the practice is institutionalized by a Malla king. Legend has it that King Jaya Prakash Malla, under the influence of alcohol while playing a game with the visiting Goddess Taleju in the form of a human, starts lusting after her. This offends the goddess, and she orders the king to make an oath that he will select a virgin girl within whom she will always reside. The tradition continues to this day. The Malla dynasty is ousted by King Prithvi Narayan Shah, but the tradition of revering the Goddess Kumari is continued by the conquerors. Until 2008, the Shah King goes to the Kumari to receive tika on his forehead, which symbolizes the empowering.

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#12790075

24 September 2025

WARSAW, POLAND — SEPTEMBER 17: A general view of the Stadium Narodowy seen from the square outside the Royal Castle in Warsaw's Old Town, in Warsaw, Masovian Voivodeship, Poland, on September 17, 2025.

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#12790078

24 September 2025

WARSAW, POLAND — SEPTEMBER 175: The Royal Castle in Warsaw, Masovian Voivodeship, Poland, on September 17, 2025.

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#12790076

24 September 2025

WARSAW, POLAND — SEPTEMBER 17: A view of the Sigismund’s Column (Kolumna Zygmunta) in Old Town in Warsaw, Masovian Voivodeship, Poland, on September 17, 2025.

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#12790077

24 September 2025

WARSAW, POLAND — SEPTEMBER 17: A view of the Sigismund’s Column (Kolumna Zygmunta) in Old Town in Warsaw, Masovian Voivodeship, Poland, on September 17, 2025.

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#12790068

24 September 2025

WARSAW, POLAND — SEPTEMBER 17, 2025: The Royal Castle in Warsaw, Masovian Voivodeship, Poland, on September 17, 2025.

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#12790070

24 September 2025

WARSAW, POLAND — SEPTEMBER 17, 2025: The Royal Castle in Warsaw, Masovian Voivodeship, Poland, on September 17, 2025.

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#12790071

24 September 2025

WARSAW, POLAND — SEPTEMBER 17, 2025: The Royal Castle and Sigismund’s Column (Kolumna Zygmunta) are seen in Warsaw, Masovian Voivodeship, Poland, on September 17, 2025.

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#12790072

24 September 2025

WARSAW, POLAND — SEPTEMBER 17, 2025: The Royal Castle and Sigismund’s Column (Kolumna Zygmunta) are seen in Warsaw, Masovian Voivodeship, Poland, on September 17, 2025.

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#12790074

24 September 2025

WARSAW, POLAND — SEPTEMBER 17, 2025: The Royal Castle and Sigismund’s Column (Kolumna Zygmunta) are seen in Warsaw, Masovian Voivodeship, Poland, on September 17, 2025.

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#12675825

25 August 2025

People take part in the celebration on the Independence Day Of Ukraine in Warsaw, Poland on August 24, 2025

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#12675826

25 August 2025

People take part in the celebration on the Independence Day Of Ukraine in Warsaw, Poland on August 24, 2025

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#12675827

25 August 2025

People take part in the celebration on the Independence Day Of Ukraine in Warsaw, Poland on August 24, 2025

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#12660575

19 August 2025

WARSAW, POLAND – AUGUST 15: A general view of Sigismund’s Column (Kolumna Zygmunta) and the Royal Castle (Zamek Królewski) in Warsaw’s Old Town, in Warsaw, Poland, on August 15, 2025.

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#12660585

19 August 2025

WARSAW, POLAND – AUGUST 15: A general view of Sigismund’s Column (Kolumna Zygmunta) and the Royal Castle (Zamek Królewski) in Warsaw’s Old Town, in Warsaw, Poland, on August 15, 2025.

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#12660587

19 August 2025

WARSAW, POLAND – AUGUST 15: A general view of the Stadium Narodowy seen from the square outside the Royal Castle in Warsaw’s Old Town, highlighting the contrast between modern architecture and historic surroundings, in Warsaw, Poland, on August 15, 2025.

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