Kumari House

In early September, the Indra Jarta festival takes place in Nepal to celebrate Lord Indra, the God of Rain and also the King of Heaven. Thousands of people gather in Kathmandu's Dubar Square to see the Kumari, a child who is revered as a living goddess. The Kumari is selected by tantric ritual from among thirty-two girls between four and seven years of age. They consider the voice, the color of the eyes, the shape of the teeth, etc., during the selection. Then the girls must endure a ritual involving a goddess with the head of a buffalo howling in a darkened room. Only a girl who is able to remain quiet and calm in this frightening environment can become the Living Goddess.

Have you always dreamed of seeing a goddess? If so, go to Durbar Square in the center of Kathmandu. Here you'll find the Kumari House occupied by the Kumari, a young girl who is the goddess of life. Photos inside the palace are prohibited, and you'll have to pay to enter (20 rupees is enough).