Meet Aryatara Shakya, Nepal’s newest living goddess

This is Aryatara Shakya — at just 2 years and 8 months, she has been installed as Kathmandu’s new Kumari, a living goddess.

Transcript

00:00This 2-year-old girl is now the new Living Goddess or Kumari of Nepal. Her name is Aryatara

00:05Shakya. At 2 years and 8 months old, she has been ceremonially installed as the Kumari

00:10of Kathmandu. On 30 September 2025, her teary-eyed father carried her to the Kumari Ghar Temple

00:15Palace. As the Kumari dressed in bright red, with her hair tied in a traditional top knot

00:20and a painted third eye on her forehead, thousands of devotees lined the streets eager to catch

00:25a glimpse. Nepal's Kumari tradition is ancient, rooted

00:28in Newar culture and a blend of Hindu and Buddhist beliefs. The Kumari is believed to

00:32be an incarnation of Goddess Taleju, a divine protector of Nepal. Selecting a Kumari is no

00:37ordinary choice. Girls aged between 2 and 4 from the Shakya clan of the Newar community

00:42are selected. To be chosen as Kumari, a girl must have flawless skin, perfect teeth, shining

00:47eyes and steady courage in darkness. Aryatara will be secluded in Kumari Ghar, appearing only

00:52during major festivals like Indrajatra and Dashayan to bless the public. FYI, though the

00:57life is secluded, modern Kumaris now get private tutors and a government pension when they retire.

01:03A Kumari retires once she reaches puberty, as the Goddess is believed to leave her body,

01:07after which she returns to a normal life.

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