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| 'Goddess' sacked for visiting US | 'Goddess' sacked for visiting US |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| A 10-year-old girl who is worshipped as a living goddess in Nepal has been stripped of her title for defying tradition and visiting the US. | A 10-year-old girl who is worshipped as a living goddess in Nepal has been stripped of her title for defying tradition and visiting the US. |
| Sajani Shakya was one of the three most-revered Kumaris, who are honoured by Hindus and Buddhists alike. | Sajani Shakya was one of the three most-revered Kumaris, who are honoured by Hindus and Buddhists alike. |
| Chosen after undergoing tests at the age of two, she had been expected to bless devotees and attend festivals until she reached puberty. | Chosen after undergoing tests at the age of two, she had been expected to bless devotees and attend festivals until she reached puberty. |
| But she provoked the ire of temple elders by travelling to the US. | But she provoked the ire of temple elders by travelling to the US. |
| Sajani had gone to promote a documentary film in the US. | Sajani had gone to promote a documentary film in the US. |
| Elders said the visit had tainted her purity, adding that they would now begin the search for a successor. | Elders said the visit had tainted her purity, adding that they would now begin the search for a successor. |
| Sajani was one of several Kumaris in Nepal, and among the top three who are forbidden from leaving Nepal. | Sajani was one of several Kumaris in Nepal, and among the top three who are forbidden from leaving Nepal. |
| A Kumari is chosen between the ages of two and four, always from the same Buddhist clan. Tradition holds that she must hold 32 attributes, including thighs like those of a deer and a neck like a conch shell. | A Kumari is chosen between the ages of two and four, always from the same Buddhist clan. Tradition holds that she must hold 32 attributes, including thighs like those of a deer and a neck like a conch shell. |
| She lives a confined life, only coming out of her palace three or four times a year until she reaches puberty when another Kumari must be found. | She lives a confined life, only coming out of her palace three or four times a year until she reaches puberty when another Kumari must be found. |
| This main outing coincides with a festival of thanks to the local rain god and as always, her feet must never touch the ground unless there is a red carpet beneath them. | This main outing coincides with a festival of thanks to the local rain god and as always, her feet must never touch the ground unless there is a red carpet beneath them. |
| Last November Nepal's Supreme Court ordered an inquiry into whether the Kumari tradition has led to the exploitation of girls. |