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last mo.

Nepal Installs 2-Year-Old Aryatara Shakya as New Kumari During Dashain

The living goddess role places her in seclusion under a centuries-old tradition now offering private tutoring plus a modest pension.

Nepal's newly appointed living goddess, Kumari Aryatara Shakya, is carried by her father as they walk towards Kumari Ghar, the temple palace where she will be residing in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
Tourists watch as Nepal's newly appointed living goddess, Kumari Aryatara Shakya, is carried toward Kumari Ghar, the temple palace where she will be residing in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
Nepal's newly appointed living goddess, Kumari Aryatara Shakya, is carried by her father and mother as they pose for photographs at their personal residence in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
Nepal's newly appointed living goddess, Kumari Aryatara Shakya, is carried by her family member as they get ready to walk towards Kumari Ghar, the temple palace where she will be residing in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Overview

  • Aryatara Shakya, aged 2 years and 8 months, was carried from her Kathmandu home to the Kumari House during the festival procession as devotees offered respect by touching her feet.
  • She replaces Trishna Shakya, whose tenure ended with puberty, with the new Kumari scheduled to bestow blessings on devotees and the president on Thursday.
  • The selection required strict physical criteria for pre‑pubescent girls and a trial of bravery that tests fearlessness in darkness with buffalo heads and masked figures.
  • As Kumari, she will live largely sequestered in the palace, appear publicly only on select festival days, be carried so her feet do not touch the ground, and wear red attire with a painted third eye.
  • The living goddess is revered by both Hindus and Buddhists, and recent adjustments to the tradition include private tutoring, limited media access inside the palace, and a small pension for former Kumaris.