"Puberty"

#13041226

30 November 2025

Girls from the Newa community take part in the Bel Bibaha ceremony, in which they are symbolically married to a bael fruit (wood apple), at Banglamukhi Temple in Lalitpur, Nepal, on November 29, 2025. The ritual is performed for girls aged between 5 and 9 years, typically before they reach puberty. The ceremony, also called the Ihi ceremony, is rooted in Hindu and Tantric traditions and serves to protect girls from social stigma, especially widowhood. The fruit symbolizes the god Vishnu, ensuring the girl is symbolically married to a divine entity for life.

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#13041227

30 November 2025

Girls from the Newa community take part in the Bel Bibaha ceremony, in which they are symbolically married to a bael fruit (wood apple), at Banglamukhi Temple in Lalitpur, Nepal, on November 29, 2025. The ritual is performed for girls aged between 5 and 9 years, typically before they reach puberty. The ceremony, also called the Ihi ceremony, is rooted in Hindu and Tantric traditions and serves to protect girls from social stigma, especially widowhood. The fruit symbolizes the god Vishnu, ensuring the girl is symbolically married to a divine entity for life.

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#13041228

30 November 2025

Girls from the Newa community take part in the Bel Bibaha ceremony, in which they are symbolically married to a bael fruit (wood apple), at Banglamukhi Temple in Lalitpur, Nepal, on November 29, 2025. The ritual is performed for girls aged between 5 and 9 years, typically before they reach puberty. The ceremony, also called the Ihi ceremony, is rooted in Hindu and Tantric traditions and serves to protect girls from social stigma, especially widowhood. The fruit symbolizes the god Vishnu, ensuring the girl is symbolically married to a divine entity for life.

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#13041229

30 November 2025

Girls from the Newa community take part in the Bel Bibaha ceremony, in which they are symbolically married to a bael fruit (wood apple), at Banglamukhi Temple in Lalitpur, Nepal, on November 29, 2025. The ritual is performed for girls aged between 5 and 9 years, typically before they reach puberty. The ceremony, also called the Ihi ceremony, is rooted in Hindu and Tantric traditions and serves to protect girls from social stigma, especially widowhood. The fruit symbolizes the god Vishnu, ensuring the girl is symbolically married to a divine entity for life.

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#13041230

30 November 2025

Girls from the Newa community take part in the Bel Bibaha ceremony, in which they are symbolically married to a bael fruit (wood apple), at Banglamukhi Temple in Lalitpur, Nepal, on November 29, 2025. The ritual is performed for girls aged between 5 and 9 years, typically before they reach puberty. The ceremony, also called the Ihi ceremony, is rooted in Hindu and Tantric traditions and serves to protect girls from social stigma, especially widowhood. The fruit symbolizes the god Vishnu, ensuring the girl is symbolically married to a divine entity for life.

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#13041231

30 November 2025

Girls from the Newa community take part in the Bel Bibaha ceremony, in which they are symbolically married to a bael fruit (wood apple), at Banglamukhi Temple in Lalitpur, Nepal, on November 29, 2025. The ritual is performed for girls aged between 5 and 9 years, typically before they reach puberty. The ceremony, also called the Ihi ceremony, is rooted in Hindu and Tantric traditions and serves to protect girls from social stigma, especially widowhood. The fruit symbolizes the god Vishnu, ensuring the girl is symbolically married to a divine entity for life.

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#12814323

30 September 2025

Former Royal Living Goddess Trishna Shakya is seen inside her palanquin as she is carried from the historic Kumari Ghar to her family home in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 30, 2025. The ceremonial farewell features traditional music, rituals, and processions marking the conclusion of her tenure upon reaching puberty. Revered as the living incarnation of Goddess Taleju, she remains an important figure in centuries-old Hindu and Buddhist traditions. Her successor, Aryatara Shakya, 2 1/2 years old, is formally enthroned at Kumari Ghar on the auspicious day of Asthami.

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#12814329

30 September 2025

Former Royal Living Goddess Trishna Shakya is seen inside her palanquin as she is carried from the historic Kumari Ghar to her family home in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 30, 2025. The ceremonial farewell features traditional music, rituals, and processions marking the conclusion of her tenure upon reaching puberty. Revered as the living incarnation of Goddess Taleju, she remains an important figure in centuries-old Hindu and Buddhist traditions. Her successor, Aryatara Shakya, 2 1/2 years old, is formally enthroned at Kumari Ghar on the auspicious day of Asthami.

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#12812390

30 September 2025

Trishna Shakya, the retired Royal Kumari of Kathmandu, is carried back to her home in a palanquin amid a ceremony in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 30, 2025. 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 inherits 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 lives 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 of the monarch.

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#12812391

30 September 2025

Aryatara Shakya, two and a half years old, in red regalia, is carried by her father as she is brought 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 will leave 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.

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#12812392

30 September 2025

Aryatara Shakya, two and a half years old, in red regalia, is carried by her father as she is brought 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 will leave 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.

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#12812393

30 September 2025

Aryatara Shakya, two and a half years old, in red regalia, is carried by her father as she is brought 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 will leave 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.

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#12812394

30 September 2025

Aryatara Shakya, two and a half years old, in red regalia, is carried by her father as she is brought 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 will leave 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.

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#12812395

30 September 2025

Aryatara Shakya, two and a half years old, in red regalia, is carried by her father as she is brought 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 will leave 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.

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#12812396

30 September 2025

Aryatara Shakya, two and a half years old, in red regalia, is carried by her father as she is brought 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 will leave 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.

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#12812397

30 September 2025

Aryatara Shakya, two and a half years old, in red regalia, is carried by her father as she is brought 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 will leave 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.

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