| Username |
Post |
| rajendra |
Posted
on 26-Dec-00 11:54 AM
Here's an interesting newsitem from Reuters. Sorry I could not find the URL to post otherwise.
Nepal's "living goddess" to get pay and perks
By Gopal Sharma
KATHMANDU, Dec 23 (Reuters) - The Himalayan kingdom of Nepal will start paying a monthly maintenance to its "living goddess," a chosen girl worshipped by Hindus and Buddhists.
The living goddess Sri Kumari is revered by thousands in Nepal and is also an attraction for the many tourists who visit the Himalayan kingdom yearly.
In Nepali tradition, a young girl from a Buddhist Shakya family is chosen through a rigorous religious process to serve as the living goddess, and then moves away from home to live in a 15th century temple in Kathmandu's Basantapur area, noted for its ancient monuments.
The girl child stays on as a living goddess until retirement which usually takes place at the onset of puberty.
Narendra Man Shrestha, a finance ministry official, told Reuters on Saturday the government would pay maintenance allowance of 6,000 Nepali rupees ($80) a month to the serving living goddess and a monthly pension of 3,000 rupees after retirement from the centuries-old tradition.
Earlier, there was no maintenance allowance from the government and girls who retired after serving as Sri Kumaris were paid 1,000 rupees as pension.
The ministry said the benefits were meant to uphold the cultural and religious traditions of Nepal.
Nepal is the world's only Hindu kingdom and about 90 percent of its 23 million people are Hindus.
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| Generation X |
Posted
on 26-Dec-00 01:25 PM
3000 rupees a month after retirement is not enough, although something is definitely better than nothing.
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| Biswo |
Posted
on 26-Dec-00 03:10 PM
Btw,
I don't know if Kumari tradition itself is worth keeping! I have
heard the life becomes a lot difficult for Kumaris after dethroning.
When they become Kumari, they are not aware enough to assess
the role they are going to play.To force somebody to become
Kumari, in the age they should toil hard to become 'somebody' in
future, seems against human right concept.I predict if we become
rich, the tradition will fade away, with the lack of willing
people to become Kumari.
Or may be Kumari should be sent to Budhanilakantha school
every day, apart from playing her role as Kumari in the morning
or evening!Just a thought!
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| mabi |
Posted
on 26-Dec-00 04:56 PM
>Btw,
>
> Or may be Kumari should be sent to
>Budhanilakantha school
>every day, apart from playing her role as
>Kumari in the morning
>or evening!Just a thought!
Hi Biswo,
I did not understand why you specifically mentioned
Budhanilkantha school for the Kumari to go to,
while there are so many other better schools around?
Mabi
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| Biswo |
Posted
on 26-Dec-00 09:38 PM
Hi Mabi:
I just gave a name!Nothing more.I wanted to write my highschool's
name, but that was too far from Hanuman Dhoka.The next name that
came to my mind was Budhanilakantha..
Nothing more.Take it easy.
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| rajendra |
Posted
on 27-Dec-00 06:10 PM
Is coercion really involved in the selecting a Kumari? I doubt it. Seeing things in a positive light, to be chosen a Kumari is going much beyond becoming a 'somebody', it is becoming a "god". I find it quite reasonable for some families to accept that as an honor.
>To force somebody to become Kumari, in the age they should toil >hard to become 'somebody' in future, seems against human right >concept.
I do agree that in keeping with their godly status, the Kumari need to be accorded continuing education (they probably already do get private tutoring), respect and recognition well beyond their Kumari days. The Kumari tradition is one of those few uniquely Nepali cultural icon.
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| Biswo |
Posted
on 28-Dec-00 01:31 AM
I read some kind of controversy regarding Kumari sometimes ago
in one Nepalese newspaper.I am so sad I couldn't remember the
paper.
Rajendraji, coercion against females is a trend ,may it be in
marriage or any other thing.My grandma once told me she was
married in the age of ten, and I asked her what she felt like
when heard about the marriage."Well, naati", She said, "I was
kind of excited.Thought of those colorful saaris, the exciting
ceremony.." My point is , may be you don't need to coerce a girl
to become Kumari, but what is there for her in becoming Kumari,
this belated pension of some thousands rupees shows how they
live and used to live after descending from 'Kumari's' post.
I am not saying this, but I have read some news about abuse of
Kumaris.(Please donot ask me what kind of abuse?)In the opaque
life behind Durbar Square, who allows whom to ask everything,
or who allows whom to express everything?
I think some traditions are worth reviewing. I allow your
statement that Kumari is our unique tradition, but there is
another truth also, very few people outside KTM valley have
heard of Kumari.She is goddess for Kings, not for most of
Hindu populace.Never saw anybody lined up to worship her every
Sunday coming out from valley,like they do in Swayambhu or
Pashupati!!(correct me if I am wrong!)
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| rajendra |
Posted
on 28-Dec-00 12:14 PM
I agree. Coercion against minors exists, probably more to females than to males. Abuses have happened, agreed. Traditions are worth reviewing? Agreed.
However, none of these sufficiently justify an end to an institutionalised tradition. Why? Because if those were the basis for the termination of an institution, we would not have a single institution left in the country, or perhaps even the world.
Having said that, of course, we could discuss how to go about reviewing or changing the Kumari tradition. Regular education and pensions, as we were discussing, is one. With the government now actually making it happen, it sure is a welcome step that the government deserves credit for.
>another truth also, very few people outside
>KTM valley have
>heard of Kumari.She is goddess for Kings,
>not for most of
>Hindu populace.Never saw anybody lined up to
>worship her every
>Sunday coming out from valley,like they do
>in Swayambhu or
>Pashupati!!(correct me if I am wrong!)
But it is not correct that she is a goddess for Kings, and not for the Hindu populace. She is a symbol of divinity for whomever that idea appeals. And yes, I have _seen_ people line up to take a glimpse of her and worship her, even when she was fast asleep.
Perhaps very few people outside Kathmandu have heard of Kumari. But again forcing myself to see things in a positive light, this just might be the best-kept secrets of uniquely Nepali traditions. Sure, it deserves more elucidation.
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| Biswo |
Posted
on 28-Dec-00 01:25 PM
Rajendraji:
First of all, as a person who isn't very much fascinated by
religions at all, I may sound little bit atheist in my comments.
(I am not fully atheist though!)Please be considerate on that
point.
I have seen tourists lined up to see Kumari, I have seen a few
Nepalese lined up to see her, but that queue wasn't different from
the queue that filed through the gate of Shahid Smriti Multiple
Campus,Chitwan when Ganesh Man Singh(May he be in peace now!) was there
for the first time after 2047:a mass imbued with pure curiosity!
May be I don't have power of looking at people's religious feeling
but ,hey, I must say I haven't seen the same shining and respect
in the eyes of beholder in Durbar Square, as it can be seen in
the eyes of beholder in Pashupati or in the eye of those old
Tibetans circling about Potala Palace.
Why?
Or what type of goddess is she who can't speak for herself? What
type of goddess is she who doesn't have power?To quote a lady
journalist(damn, this is exactly the same report that was
published in the controversy about Kumari that I wrote in the
previous comment), when she tried to ask something to Kumari,a
chaperone stopped Kumari from answering.After reading the report,
I felt like the little kid is not a goddess at all, she is just
kind of hostage there. Far from being goddess, she was not even
entitled to the same right that our constitution provides to
all other Nepalese.
To me, it is analogical to this situation:
Somebody asks me to be god of the village Ratna Nagar, and
confines me inside the palisades.I may be subjected to duress
of some people working there, and people will ogle at me from
outside the palisade as if I am a quadripode confined inside
zoo.And the highest honor I get is get an annual homage from a
king who wouldn't care about me after I start menstruation!
I support your view that we should look at positive aspects
also.Still, I think we should be considerate about the life of
the little girl and her ,if there are any, unexpressed pains. If
money and those honors can bring her back the joy of her lost
childhood, lets give her more of those.
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| rajendra |
Posted
on 28-Dec-00 02:02 PM
Biswoji, I guess we both agree that you would certainly not make for a good candidate for a Kumari! :)
Anyway, the fascination about religion and "gods", at least to me, is not what powers the gods manifest on the earthlings, but what influence the gods have on them. Let's keep Kumari aside for now, what type of any goddess is there who has really spoken for herself, or what god do we know of having real demonstrable powers?
You and I both are well aware that Kumari as a "living goddess" is a concept, bound to our traditions, with symbolically the highest honor in the land (with the king bowing to her). Symbolism in our culture abound everywhere, from Swoyambhu's eyes to Dashain tika to saying Namaste! Doing away with them is doing away with our culture.
>
> Or what type of goddess is she who can't
>speak for herself? What
>type of goddess is she who doesn't have
>power?To quote a lady
>journalist(damn, this is exactly the same
>report that was
>published in the controversy about Kumari
>that I wrote in the
>previous comment), when she tried to ask
>something to Kumari,a
>chaperone stopped Kumari from answering.
>After reading the report,
>I felt like the little kid is not a goddess
>at all, she is just
>kind of hostage there. Far from being
>goddess, she was not even
>entitled to the same right that our
>constitution provides to
>all other Nepalese.
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| Biswo |
Posted
on 28-Dec-00 03:00 PM
About two things:
1.Power of living god/goddess:
I guess yes, there are powers with living god/goddess.Dalai
Lama enjoys /traditionally enjoyed absolute power inside
Tibetan community.Kings,symbolism for god Vishnu, are invested
with absolute power in Hindu states traditionally.
Shankaracharyas,other symbolic heads, are powerful heads of
four Hindu Piths in India.They can make or break the whole system
in those Piths.
Kumari,in our own unique culture, is impuissant and silent.She
can't even tell her story to a journalist, don't imagine if she
can manage the Hanuman Dhoka!No sweeper will clean the corridor
because of her edict.If she is symbolism, she is symbolism of
one more thing:that is how ladies are treated in our society.
2.Keeping our tradition:
I amn't the cultural revolution freak,who wants to exterminate
all the traditions.I actually understand that religious bonds are
,surprisingly, very tenacious and difficult to dissolve.Until
there is one person who is ready to respect Kumari as goddess,I
don't think it is good to do away with the traditions.
But we can review its aspects.That's why I said what about
sending the goddess to a reknowned school in KTM?You know, we
also worship our sisters in home, but we do send them to schools,
don't we?
If the pension showed anything to me,then that is the miserable
aspects of former Kumaris.They didn't even have the pensions,and
perhaps they didn't have good education either.
and hey, Thanks for the joke, I can't become good Kumari.You
show great promises,however!!
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