The story takes place in Kantipur (present-day Kathmandu) of the Malla dynasty during the rule of Jaya Prakash Malla.
The Hindu goddess Taleju came to the king Jaya Prakash Malla every night with the condition that the king refrain from telling anyone about their meetings. They played tripasa (a dice game) and discussed the welfare of the country. They did their endeavours every night in a secret chamber of the king. Nobody was allowed to enter the said chamber except the king himself.
The King's wife was very conflicted with the king's endeavour, not knowing who the king was meeting so often. And why no one was allowed to know about the other party he was having endeavours with and why no one was allowed in the chamber. Ignoble rumours were flying everywhere in the palace which made the king's wife more distressed about the matter.
Therefore, One night, The King's wife secretly followed the king to the chamber to find out who the king was meeting so often. There the king's wife saw the goddess Taleju with her husband playing tripasa (a dice game) with the goddess. The event outraged the goddess. In her outrage, she stopped visiting the place. It filled the King with perturbation. The kingdom was most of the time always in battles and war with Kings of other territories of Nepal. And the king of Gorkha, Prithvi Narayan Shah, had already annexed Nuwakot from Kantipur.
The king worshipped and pleaded for her return. Seeing his devotion and desperate plea for her return, the goddess told the king that if he wanted to see her again or have her protect his country, he would have to search for her among the Shakya clan of the Newari Buddhist community, as she would be incarnated as a little girl among them. The king, hoping to make amends with the goddess, hurriedly left the palace in search of the young girl who was possessed by Taleju.
When he finally found the young girl who was possessed by Taleju, he brought her to the Kumari Ghar (Kumari palace name) and established the young girl as living the incarnation of Goddess Taleju.
That's how the Kumari pratha (tradition) came to be.
A/N: This Kumari tradition has been ongoing for nearly 300 years. Only a few cities in Nepal, including Kathmandu, Lalitpur (also called Patan), Bhaktapur, Sankhu and Bungamati, follow this. Many exist, but among all, the royal Kumari living in Kumari Ghar, a palace at the centre of Kathmandu is thought to be the most important. To learn more about Kumari, you can simply search it in the Google. Tschüss.
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The Folk Tales of Nepal
Short StoryA collection of legends from a country sitting on the lap of the Himalayas, in the south of Asia, Nepal. The collection contains various urban legends, folklore and tales and myths that the Nepali people have been passing with word of mouth.
