Shakya shares the experience of being a Kumari with great pride and excitement. For her, being anointed a living goddess was a great honor. She was selected as Kumari when she was just four years old. [break]
Although she retired from the post 15 years ago, she still feels some powers within herself. She cannot define and express those powers in words though. She believes there is something in the dresses, jewelries, and other items related to Kumari, that gave her power.
“Whenever I wore the Kumari dress with all the jewelries, I felt something unusual. Once I wore the dress, I did not like to talk with anybody,” shares Shakya. “Though everything that people hear about Kumari may not be true, the living goddesses do acquire some supernatural powers.”
Shakya was too young when she was chosen to become Kumari. She does not remember the initial days of becoming Kumari. But when she started understanding things at the age of six, she believed herself to be the living goddess of the entire nation. During that time, she took it as natural phenomena as she thought that she was goddess by birth.
“But later I came to know that I was not born as goddess. In fact, I was selected to be the Kumari at the age of four.
So, I cannot not recall the whole past,” shares Shakya.
She was just four years old when she was selected as Kumari, but she got to know about all this only at the age of six. During that time, heavy makeup, Jura (Hair style), red dresses, various kinds of dishes of her choice, lots of caretaker around her, routine puja, among other, were part of her life.
“Today, I have to use at least Kajal (eyeliner) as it has become my habit,” opines Shakya. “I do not feel comfortable without it.”
Along with makeup, Shakya always searched for friends inside the Kumari house as outsiders are not allowed to enter the house. Although outsiders are not allowed, sometime her sisters, children of the caretakers used to play with her.
“I used to enjoy a lot whenever they visited the Kumari House. But they had to go to school so they did not get much time to spend with me,” opines Shakya. “Several times, I felt alone and wanted to enjoy like other children which was not possible.”
Shakya´s parents taught her about the difference between Kumari´s life and normal life.
“After my parents told me about all the reality of life then I came to know that I was living the life of the Goddess which is different from normal life. Still, I always curious to know how a normal life was like,” shares Shakya.
Inside the Kumari House, Shakya was given only basic education as Kumaris are not allowed to leave her residence unless it´s for official ceremonies. A teacher was assigned for an hour to teach her basic things. As she was not allowed to go to school, she wanted to know what school meant? Why children had to attend school?
“I wanted to go to schools and see the classrooms. I used to watch the student going to the nearby school from the window of the Kumari House. Though I was not allowed to look outside from the windows, during morning time I managed some time to look at those students,” shares Shakya.
After Shakya got retired at the age of 12, she joined Gautam High School at Kohiti. At the age of 12, she was admitted at class two. As she performed well in class two, she advanced to class four.
When Shakya retired as Kumari, she was more excited than sad as for the first time she got chance to step outside of the Kumari House as any other normal child.
“I was excited, as finally I got the opportunity to feel and experience the normal life with my family. At the same time, I felt sad as I had to leave the Kumari House where I had spent many years,” shares Shakya.
When she visited her parents´ house for the first time, everything was new to her. Slowly and steadily, she adapted to every new thing around her.
Today, Shakya is waiting for her master´s result. Shakya has been working as a software developer.
Shakya, second child of her parents, is a very shy girl. All her family members and relatives respect her and do not interfere in her pursuits. They take suggestions from her to start any work as her suggestion is taken as the last decision in her family.
Though she enjoyed her experience of being the Kumari, she does not want to be Kumari again. She loves normal life than the life of a living goddess.
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