I am always fascinated by Kumari – the living goddess or rather a girl child worshipped as a goddess. I believe I have a special kind to attraction towards her as I never miss the opportunity to see her whenever I visit Basantpur, where her home known as Kumari Ghar is. I feel freshened whenever I see her smiling face added with her childish activities.
Today, as it was my day-off at the office, I went to Kathmandu with my sweetheart; we roamed around the park, took a few photographs, ate in a restaurant and walked lazily around the New Road. We also went to Kumari Ghar, where we saw the goddess looking down from the window.
She was not the one I had seen earlier. The first time I saw a Kumari live was some three years ago. I along with my good friend Jayaram Subedi, who I called Juhi, of Nepal Samacharpatra went to see her. We walked up to her sitting place, on the third storey along with a few other prayers. Seeing us, a woman called her into the room. She came running, jumped onto her altar and sat on smiling towards us. I was happy to know that she was happy and playing like a child.
Just outside her house, you would get two or three women selling postcards with her pictures (it is prohibited to take her photo inside). I bought two at that time.
Today, I showed my wife Tara her home and she told me she had no knowledge about it. So I figured out she had never seen Kumari on her window and took her inside the house into a chowk where tourists gather to have a dekho at her.We stayed a few minutes there admiring the woodcraft on the windows and doors. A tourist guide asked a man on the window for the appearance of Kumari and she appeared – standing and curiously looking atus. I did the Namaste and we returned. I didn’t forget to buy a postcard of the newest Kumari for Rs. 10.
I had always read with apt attention stories about Kumari; how they live, what they do and what happened once she retires from her duty as the goddess (after her first menstruation).I never liked the idea of putting her up in a house without letting her play around, go to school and under such condition where it would be very difficult for a child to live. That specific point always makes me feel emotional towards her.
But I don’t want to see the system abolished – all I would like is to give her more freedom. Why can’t we keep our goddess in a house with big garden where she can play, why can’t we let her put off all the dresses and makeup of goddess for a specific period everyday and why can’t we let her play with her mates around in the garden freely?
