"loving symbol"

#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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#12812398

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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#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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#12812400

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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#12812401

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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#12812403

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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#12812380

30 September 2025

Kumari Puja is performed at Ramakrishna Mission in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on September 30, 2025, with a seven-year-old worshipped as the living goddess.

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#12812381

30 September 2025

Kumari Puja is performed at Ramakrishna Mission in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on September 30, 2025, with a seven-year-old worshipped as the living goddess.

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#12812382

30 September 2025

Kumari Puja is performed at Ramakrishna Mission in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on September 30, 2025, with a seven-year-old worshipped as the living goddess.

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#12812383

30 September 2025

Kumari Puja is performed at Ramakrishna Mission in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on September 30, 2025, with a seven-year-old worshipped as the living goddess.

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#12812384

30 September 2025

Kumari Puja is performed at Ramakrishna Mission in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on September 30, 2025, with a seven-year-old worshipped as the living goddess.

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#12812385

30 September 2025

Kumari Puja is performed at Ramakrishna Mission in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on September 30, 2025, with a seven-year-old worshipped as the living goddess.

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#12812386

30 September 2025

Kumari Puja is performed at Ramakrishna Mission in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on September 30, 2025, with a seven-year-old worshipped as the living goddess.

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#12812387

30 September 2025

Kumari Puja is performed at Ramakrishna Mission in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on September 30, 2025, with a seven-year-old worshipped as the living goddess.

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