In Hindu and Buddhist traditions, the appointment of living goddesses is perfectly normal. Yes, that's right folks, you too could become a living deity! If you are a prepubescent female, with a suitable horoscope and perfect teeth that is.
The only living deity that I have ever knowingly been in proximity to (what a ridiculous phrase that must sound to those who were until now, unaware that god has been made woman many times over) is the Kumari Devi of Kathmandu, Nepal. I didn't actually see this living goddess, but I visited her home (or at least, I admired the outside of it).
The Kumari Devi is a prepubescent girl who lives in a building known as the Kumari Ghar, near Kathmandu's Durbar Square. It is said that this young girl is a source of supreme power who brings prosperity to Nepal. The living goddess is chosen from amongst the young girls (under seven years old) of the Sakya tribe. Preliminary tests must confirm that she has an auspicious horoscope and that her physical characteristics correspond with 'the 32 attributes of perfection', which include the colour of her eyes, the shape of her teeth and the sound of her voice.
The girls who make it over this first hurdle are then placed inside a darkened room where the infants are confronted with buffalo heads, demonic masked dancers and other tricks that are designed to scare them. According to tradition, the true Kumari Devi will not be perturbed by this madness and will remain calm in the face of extremely odd and ugly icons and contortions. Finally, the placid infant faces a test similar to that that confirms the identity of the Dalai Lama, during which she is asked to select items of clothing and decoration that belonged to her predecessor.
Once chosen, the living goddess takes up residence in the ornate Kumari Ghar. Traditionally, she appears on a regular basis at an ornately carved window where tourists can see her and ask questions, to which she will apparently respond by making particular facial expressions. However, in 2003, the living goddess 'Preeti' stopped appearing at the window where visitors could see her. Preeti's guardians told BBC reporters that they were dissatisfied that the Kathmandu municipality earned money in the name of the Kumari Devi, while the guardians did not receive a share of the spoils to maintain the rituals associated with the living goddess. Eleven months later, a deal was struck and she began once more, to show her perfectly formed face behind her window.
Once a year the Kumari Devi makes a rare appearance outside of her home. On Indra Jatra, in September, the Living Goddess is borne in a three tiered chariot around the older parts of Kathmandu. This festival is the focus of worship for the Kumari Devi and traditionally, during this festival she blesses the King of Nepal.
For most living goddesses, the days of being the object of worship by many come to an end just as those difficult teenage years begin. A Kumari Devi remains goddess in residence until either, her first menstrual period, or a loss of a substantial amount of blood due to a cut or similar event. When blood-loss has occurred the goddess falls back to earth and becomes a human adolescent, just like her peers.
Unlike her peers, the once-god-now-human will have lived a life of luxurious isolation. While fulfilling the role of Kumari Devi, she rarely will have left her intricately carved home and will have been permitted few playmates. Furthermore, it is deemed unlucky to marry an ex-living goddess and few of the previous Kumari Devis who are still alive have been able to convince potential suitors that their attractions merit throwing karmic caution to the winds.
The bad luck associated with marrying an ex-goddess may stem from the assumption that a little girl who gives her blessing to the king and is worshipped by Nepali people far and wide is probably going to grow up to be a very spoilt little lady - but this is merely an assumption suggested by my own experiences with one too many a daddy's princess.
Personally, I feel sorry for Kathmandu's living goddess. Firstly, she can't fly and has no super powers... but seriously, the child is essentially sequestered for between six and ten years of her childhood and then becomes a regular mortal, with little training to equip her for the process of coming back down to earth. It sounds like a very lonely existence and one that would ill prepare a young woman to cope with the rigours of modern life in Nepal, where poverty and unemployment are common and where women are expected to marry and produce children in order to fulfill their role in society.
Being worshipped as a god on earth may sound like a great deal in theory, but the reality is most likely disappointing. Many people find meaning worshipping gods, but being one doesn't sound like a very meaningful experience. Plus, in my research for this posting I didn't come across one mention of sushi, or for that matter, champagne - this goddess business is clearly not all it's cracked up to be!
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