Overview

• She was paraded through Kathmandu during festival celebrations and installed at the Kumari Ghar, where she will reside for several years.
• On Thursday she is scheduled to bless devotees, including Nepal’s president, during her first public duties.
• Candidates are selected from the Shakya clan of the Newar community, typically between ages 2 and 4, with strict physical criteria and tests of fearlessness.
• The outgoing Royal Kumari, 11-year-old Trishna Shakya, concluded her service after reaching puberty and left the palace in a ceremonial procession.
• Kumaris live largely in seclusion with limited outings and selected playmates, while recent reforms allow private tutoring, television access, and a roughly $110 monthly pension after retirement.