KATHMANDU, March 18: It was an unusual and rather surprising sight on Saturday for ordinary people who are usually forced to wait in long queues on the streets during presidential visits. The newly-elected President Ram Chandra Poudel was en route to Kumari Ghar in Basantapur, Kathmandu.
However, to their amazement, there were no police personnel on duty on either side of the road, nor were there any traffic police personnel to instruct them to stop their movement until the presidential carcade had passed. President Poudel drove past them, and they did not even realize that a VVIP movement was taking place.
Ties of tradition
President Ram Chandra Poudel made a departure from tradition by reaching the Kumari Ghar in Basantpur, Kathmandu without a VVIP carcade, allowing ordinary people to continue driving and walking. This decision follows criticism faced by the president during his visit to Pashupatinath Temple, where roads were blocked and people were not allowed to walk during his ride.
President Paudel then visited the living Goddess Kumari, where he was welcomed by Gautam Ratna Shakya, member of the House of Representatives, Sapana Rajbhandari, State Assembly member Shailendraman Bajracharya and others. As per the tradition, he visited the Kumari Temple to pay his respects to the living goddess Kumari after becoming the head of state. After gracing the audience of Kumari, the president received ‘prasad’ and had tea at Kumari's house, which was not customary for the head of state.
Earlier on Friday, a delegation from the Kumari House congratulated the president on his election as the new head of state at his official residence in Shital Niwas. The Kumari House has a tradition of worshiping the living goddess Kumari on the tenth day of the bright half of every lunar month, and the prasad of the puja is delivered to the head of the state on the eleventh day.
