The living goddess doesn't often stay with mortals. Only on two major festivals in a year can Nepal's goddess of children leave the palace and go to Talaizhu Temple. Today is one of the few opportunities. The historical center of Kathmandu is quiet, like an empty city. Suddenly, the back door of the palace sounded a loud flute, accompanied by drums. People spread white materials on the road because the living goddess can't touch the ground.
Then, she came. Under the flickering light of the oil lamp, the little figure in a red and gold robe really looks different. She moved gracefully forward, and at every step, the little golden bell on her ankle rang gently. Her little face is covered with heavy makeup, and the "third eye" painted in the center of her forehead is very eye-catching. The living goddess (child goddess) is only 6 years old now. Before that, she was called "Prittie". Her life changed when she was 3 years old. Now she lives in a magnificent mansion and enjoys privileges and power, but she is alone. Only talk to her life caregivers, a few selected playmates and the king. Don't cry, because crying will bring bad luck.
The origin of the living goddess
For Nepalese, the living goddess is the incarnation of the goddess Talleju, the patron saint of the kingdom of Nepal and its 23 million people. For more than 300 years, priests and astrologers have chosen living goddesses according to 32 criteria. The living goddess must be flawless, her hair and eyes must be black, and her sex organs must be "small and exquisite". Finally, her birthday must coincide with the king, because Nepalese believe that if she brings good luck to the king, the kingdom will continue.
If these conditions are met, she will be worshipped until the day when she breaks her body and sees blood: once menarche, she will lose her sacred status and must return to her parents' home as a mortal and be replaced by another girl. This is a cruel custom because girls are unprepared for the hard daily life.
Strangelas Milla
One of Prittie's predecessors, La Milla, became a child goddess in the Living Goddess Palace at the age of 8, and had to leave at the age of 1 1. Now she is 22 years old, but daily life is still very difficult for her. "She must learn to be an ordinary girl," her sister translated for the shy little girl. "At first, she couldn't even dress herself."
At that time, La Smila only knew capital letters, and 12 was only in the second grade. It was difficult, but she overcame it. Now drag Smila to a computer class. If all goes well, she will study architecture one day.
When she speaks softly, only hard hands and feet move. There is almost no hair beside her tall forehead-it fell out when she danced the living goddess dance, because she has been tightly knotted in a bun for many years. "She is depressed," said her sister. On the third night after returning home, Lars Milla buried her face in the pillow and shed the first tear in her life. "But she won't admit it.". Lars Milla is very strong. Falling from the sky regarded as a goddess to the real ground did not make her collapse. Her sister proudly said that two years later, she will publish her memoir: the transition from a goddess to an independent modern woman.
Anita who lost her dream
Smila's predecessor, Anita, failed to do this. At the age of 28, she sits on the sofa in her parents' apartment every day, doing nothing. To this day, she can neither read nor write-only soap operas on TV can get her out of depression for a short time. Anita hopes never to leave the palace. She took out a brocade gown she wore when dancing the living goddess and smiled blankly. Every morning, she spends a lot of time making up-not for anyone, because Anita has few friends and never goes out. She said she didn't want to get married either. What about her goal? What about dreams? She just smiled and continued to rub the shiny material on her knees.
Earlier, the living goddess was able to have a happy marriage. Sheila Ma Ya is the best example: she is 87 years old and has been married for 70 years now. At the age of five, she was a living goddess for a year-until she got chicken pox. The old woman snuggled up to her husband. Her smile is still charming. Until a few years ago, they got up at 3 o'clock every morning to climb the mountain. Now her husband's eyesight and hearing have declined, but at the age of 9 1, he is still proud of his wife's sacred past. He doesn't believe those bad legends-it is said that the husbands of people who used to be living goddesses will have short lives. "I am the best disproof," he joked, with a knowing smile. "That's pure superstition."