BHAKTAPUR, Sept 7: Have you ever guessed the monthly wage of the living goddess Kumari. Do not giggle when someone says the monthly wage of Kumari is only Rs 3,000.
Living goddess of Bhaktapur receives Rs 2,150 from Koishi Toshakhana and Rs 900 from Guthi Sansthan, Bhaktapur. A total of Rs 3,050 only.
Narendra Prasad Joshi, the main priest of Taleju Temple, Bhaktapur expressed his sadness over the wage of the living goddess.
“The low wage is an insult to Kumari”, Joshi told Republica Online, “The government provides Rs 2,000 social security allowance to elderly citizens.”
Interestingly, the monthly allowances of Kumaris of Kathmandu and Lalitpur is more than that of Bhaktapur.
The system of providing remuneration to Kumari started from 1984. The monthly wage was fixed at Rs 450 at the first year.
With an initiative of the Taleju-based Aamaghar, the remuneration was hiked to Rs 1,770 in 2012.
The tradition of worshipping Kumari dates back to Nepal Sambat 611. There are no records on number of people serving as a Kumari till date. As per the record maintained from January 31, 1984, there have been already seven living goddess in Bhaktapur alone.
Caretaker of Kumari Ghar, Nhuchenarayan Bajracharya said that they are also facing financial crunch to perform daily rituals.
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