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Stephanie Sinclair

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  • Kumari Dangol waits for the start of a festival outside her home. As society evolves, so must the tradition said former kumari Chanira Vajracharya, now 19. “There are things that should be improved for the welfare of the kumaris, like greater financial support from the government to cover the expenses of rituals and the goddess’s education. And counseling to explain how her life will change after she finishes as kumari,” she said. “I’m worried that if we don’t see these changes, we may lose the tradition altogether.”
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  • Some activists criticize the kumari tradition as a form of child labor which hinders their freedom and education, particularly as they are confined to houses or temples and bound to strict daily rituals. However, in 2008, Nepal’s Supreme Court overruled a petition against the practice due to its cultural and religious significance.
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  • Local priests asked qualified families to put forth their daughters for selection as the next Patan Kumari. Ultimately, only two girls were put forth out of eight were approached. Many of the families chose not to allow their daughters to go through the official selection process due to the personal and financial burdens that come with the tradition.
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  • Unika Vajracharya leaves her home to give blessings on an auspicious day. Today there are just 10 kumaris in Nepal, nine of them in the Kathmandu Valley. They’re still selected only from families attached to certain bahals, or traditional courtyard communities, and all their ancestors must have come from a high caste.
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  • Chosen as the Kumari of Patan only hours earlier, Unika Vajracharya has the traditional kumari makeup put on for the first time. She isn’t used to receiving strangers, but must adjust to a role that will bring people to their knees before her.
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