Nepal worships pre-pubescent girls as re-incarnation of God in "Kumari Pooja"

Kathmandu [Nepal], September 8 : Donned in regalia-alike living goddess Kumari, a total of 501 Nepali Hindu girls below the age of 12 years on Thursday morning performed various rituals to please Goddess Taleju Bhawani seeking blessings.
Locally called "Kumari Pooja", Newari girls in their pre-pubescent perform the rituals to ward off bad luck and diseases. This special ritual which is held annually is performed in front of the Taleju Bhawani Temple which is known for its earthly incarnations of divine feminine energy, and manifestations.
Living Goddess Kumari is the one who is believed to have come to the earth in the form of a human who also is regarded as Goddess Durga.
"Girls are brought here and taken part in the rituals with the prayers that they don't fall ill, no evil forces trouble them as well as bring fortunes to the parents and families as well," Teju Sayami, father of a participating girl who took part in the procession held at Basantapur Durbar Square told ANI.
The procession of worshipping the girls undergoes three methods- Hinduism, Buddhism and Tantrism. It is believed that girls taking part in the procession would not have any health problems.
"Kanyas" or girls taking part in this annual procession are taken to Taleju Bhawani Temple for worship, one of the Shaktipith of Nepal which opens its door only for a day during Dashain.
"This Kumari Pooja is performed depicting the living goddess Kumari. Performing this pooja would ward off evil and bring fortune to the family as well as to the nation. The health of the children also is bolstered after performing this Kumari Pooja," Subita, mother of a participating girl added.
Nepal has a unique tradition of worshipping "Kumari" the living goddess who is appointed at certain intervals of time following a strict selection process.
A young Newar girl with no blemishes is chosen to represent the Goddess Kumari as an incarnation of Goddess Taleju, the tutelary deity of the Malla dynasty and the Shah dynasty which inherited the tradition.
The Living Goddess is worshipped with great reverence and even the Shah Kings followed the tradition of receiving tika and blessings from her. Dating back to the 17th century, the practice was institutionalized by a Malla king.
Legend has it that King Jaya Prakash Malla under the influence of alcohol while playing a game with the visiting Goddess Taleju in the form of a human, started lusting after her. This offended the goddess and she ordered the king to make an oath that he would select a virgin girl within whom she would always reside. The tradition has been continued to this day.
The Malla dynasty was ousted by King Prithvi Narayan Shah but the tradition of revering the Goddess Kumari was continued by the conquerors. Until 2008, the Shah King would go to the Kumari to receive a tika on his forehead which symbolized the empowerment of the monarch.
The young candidates from the Shakya caste among the Newars, many as young as four years old, must go through an extremely strict selection process before one of them is chosen to represent the Goddess. She must remain calm and show no signs of fear even when put through scary tests. Once chosen, she has to live within the Kumari Ghar (Kumari's House), her feet must never touch the ground and will leave her residence only during certain festivals. She will remain a Living Goddess until any form of bleeding occurs, which is usually when she reaches puberty.