Kool's Commentary : 16 Oct PR - Page 8

Hey Kools one Q abt the naivedyam...Is Kulu same as "Kuler" that we gujaratis make on Sitla saptami & Naag panchmi? Its made with Bajri flour & jaggery? for Lord Ganesha and for Navratri we make ladoo for Naivedyam. Just wanted to clarify...As I am married into Baniya have not been able to continue those mayka traditions along with being in US..

Hey Kool and Varsha wanted to share…

We perform Kumari puja on Navami morning where a pre-puberty girl is considered as Devi and we pray. Everyone touches her feet, as she symbolizes Devi at that moment…

Originally posted by: Kalapi

Hey Kool and Varsha wanted to share'

We perform Kumari puja on Navami morning where a pre-puberty girl is considered as Devi and we pray. Everyone touches her feet, as she symbolizes Devi at that moment'

Originally posted by: Dabulls23

Yes many sub gujaratis have same tradition...Puja that I will be attending next wednesday smy friend invites certain number of pre-puberty girls we call them (Goynis)...After Havan-Yagna finishes, they will be worshipped as devis before the dinner is served...😃

This type of ceremony is also done by some during wedding events, baby shower-god bharai etc..We do not have that ritual in the family I am married into

Yes, this puja is exclusive, on my Dad side, we did a Puja called Annapurna (same Devi Puja that is done in 5 days, were all done in a day), I still remember by Grandma (we call her thakurma) continuously touching the girl's feet, only a selected girl (with pre-defined requirements) can sit for this Puja - she would be dressed beautifully in a red saree... still remember, how jealous I was of that little girl😃 growing up 😃

Dear Kalapi, Varsha, Kools, and anyone else who would be interested,

I would like to share with you an unusual take on this puja of a very young girl, taking her to be the embodiment of the Devi Maa for that period. In Nepal, there is a very longstanding tradition of the Kumari Devi, or the Living Goddess, which is rooted in exactly the same concept, of the Devi residing in the body of a pre-pubescent young girl .

The difference is that once this girl, who is less than 7 years old when she is selected, is installed, she reigns as the Kumari Devi till she attains puberty. The selection process is complicated, and the shortlisted candidates have to have all 32 of the prescribed lakshan, including the colour of the eyes, the shape of the teeth, and the voice quality. The girls selected are then are taken to a dark room, where tantrik rituals are performed. The real goddess is the one who stays calm and collected throughout these trials. Other rituals that follow finally determine the real Kumari. .

She is then installed, after a grand initiation rite, in the Kumari Devi palace in Kathmandu, and from then on, she is worshipped as the Devi. She is taken out in a grand procession thru parts of Kathmandu once a year. Once her reign ends at the onset of puberty, the selection process begins all over again,

I used to deal very closely with Nepal when I was head of the concerned division in the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi (I was a professional diplomat in the Indian Foreign Service for 38 years till I retired recently), and I am thus personally familiar with the Kumari Devi tradition. I have visited the Kumari Devi palace in Kathmandu, where I met the then Kumari. Her face was made up and her eyes heavily lined with kajal, and it looked almost like a mask, or like the face of the idols of Durga worshipped during Navaratri processions in Kolkatta.

The Kumaris are mostly too young to understand much of the significance of what is being made of them, and they get used to being worshipped all the time and to the elaborate rituals, the brocade dresses, the heavy jewellery, etc. But there is a problem of readjustment once they retire, so to speak. The girl is now back in her family, who are half afraid of her, and there are problems getting her married, because the potential bridegrooms are even more scared of the former Kumari. All in all, it ends up as less than a blessing for the girls in question.

I hope you find this of interest.

Shyamala

Originally posted by: Kalapi

Yes, this puja is exclusive, on my Dad side, we did a Puja called Annapurna (same Devi Puja that is done in 5 days, were all done in a day), I still remember by Grandma (we call her thakurma) continuously touching the girl's feet, only a selected girl (with pre-defined requirements) can sit for this Puja - she would be dressed beautifully in a red saree... still remember, how jealous I was of that little girl😃 growing up 😃

Dear Shyamala I had read some controversy regarding this "Kumari traditions" in Nepal...Actually I remember reading a yahoo article couple of yrs back...

Dear Varsha,

Oh yes, there are other problems too. She has to have and retain a perfect body, without any cuts and scars and other such blemishes. If she gets one, she is apparently disqualified and dethroned. But the one I met seemed to be doing just fine, she would have been about 8-9 years old.

There is a definite readjustment problem after she retires, as I said, but of course no one will talk about that, it is taboo. Least of all the families of the past and current Kumaris, who consider themselves greatly blessed.

Shyamala

Originally posted by: Dabulls23

Dear Shyamala I had read some controversy regarding this "Kumari traditions" in Nepal...Actually I remember reading a yahoo article couple of yrs back...

Nepali goddess retires at age 11

Last year, Shakya made headlines and sparked controversy when she visited the United States to attend the release of the movie Living Goddess, which portrayed three Kumari during the Nepalese Civil War. She risked losing her title because the visit was against tradition, but the threat was later withdrawn.

But thanks for sharing detail...I just got done reading abt it on this page..

https://nepaliaustralian.wordpress.com/tag/controversy-regarding-kumari/