KATHMANDU, NEPAL, June 12, 2001: In early autumn this year, the new king of Nepal, Gyanendra, will go before Goddess Taleju Bhawani, the living goddess of Nepal, in Her incarnation as a young girl. The Kumari, or virgin, as she is called, is selected periodically and reigns until puberty. The king can only be crowned following her blessings. The tradition of the living goddess was brought to Nepal from south India’s Vijaynagar empire, when that kingdom wielded considerable influence in Nepal.
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