Magnum Photos -
09/99. City of Katmandu.
Rashmila SHAKYA (22 years old) ex Kumari, at home, with her family.

In Nepal, the cult of "Kumari" imposes veneration of a female child, symbol of innocence and purity. Chosen at the age of 4, she lives isolated with her guards. When she reaches puberty she has to leave her position for a new, younger "Kumari" and return, brutally to the world of ordinary adolescents. The new goddess is cheered by the crowd during the yearly Indra Jatra festival. 
Image Reference 
ZAC1999018Z06686/29 
(PAR182579) 
© Patrick Zachmann/Magnum Photos 
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