Nepal’s Endangered Kumaris

By Deepak Shimkhada, Ph.D.
Professor of Religious Studies
Claremont McKenna College, California, USA

I do not usually become involved in matters that occur twelve thousand miles away. My rationale is that I can do very little from my location in a distant country. But when I read Surendra Phuyal's article ("Nepal 'goddess' inquiry ordered," BBC News, November 6, 2006), I felt compelled to respond.

The article reports that the petition to the court was filed last year by a human rights group on the grounds of exploitation and psychological damage suffered by the girls selected as Kumaris. I am surprised that the court saw sufficient merit in the petition to order full investigation of the complaint. Chunda Bajracharya, a researcher on Newari culture, told the BBC that the tradition has not affected Kumaris' individual rights. In fact, it has elevated their status in society as "someone divine, someone who's above the rest."

It is true that the girls selected to be Kumaris are separated from their families and are required to live in the Kumari House until they complete their term. That the young girls who would otherwise be in school playing with their friends are now suddenly plucked out of the household and kept in a controlled environment may beg issues for discussion. However, we have to weigh other benefits accorded to the young girls such as special care, veneration, security, and home schooling, which they otherwise would not likely receive on their own. Let us not forget also that the parents are often allowed to live with the Kumari at her residence to avoid any emotional problems that she may suffer. Although she may have no freedom to go out to play or do chores like any normal girls of her age, she is sufficiently kept entertained in her residence by her caretakers. The human rights group charges that the Kumaris have been exploited. But exactly how and by whom they failed to explain.

Such terms as "exploitation" and "psychological damage" are loaded with ambiguities. Has the group really researched the situation of the Kumaris? Have they interviewed the Kumaris to see how they feel about this issue? What is the actual percentage of them that do not get married after they leave the Kumari House? What is their mental health while they try to lead a normal life? If there is a preponderance of evidence to suggest that they indeed suffer emotional damage due to social discrimination and cultural victimization, then we need to find ways to rehabilitate them by providing vocational training, jobs and a retirement package so that they may be brought into the mainstream of society. Asking to do away with the Kumari tradition is not the answer. This only shows the insensitivity of the human rights group to a tradition serving society for hundreds of years. Doesn't the group have better things to do than to go after an age-old tradition that has elevated young girls to the level of "living goddesses"?

I am sure that the Kumaris feel empowered and special, even if only for a few years. If the Kumaris do not feel that they have been exploited, isn't the human rights group acting as Big Brother/Sister? Is this really such a significant social problem of Nepal that it requires court intervention? Why is the government involved in religious matters? Shouldn't there be a separation of church and state (in Nepal's case, separation of temple and state)?

Nepal has many social problems. To name a few examples: Girls are being sold into prostitution every day. In some parts of the country, girls who are barely thirteen years old are being married to much older men. These girls tend to become pregnant at a young age, exposing them to birth complications and even death. Most girls are not given the opportunity to get an education. Instead of attending school, many underage girls are forced to work. These are not practices essential to Nepali religious tradition. Abolishing Kumari tradition is not going to solve these more serious problems. This tradition should be left alone, and attention should be focused on issues that really matter.

I can name a few customs practiced by most Hindu women that have been around for hundreds of years. For example, even today some traditional Nepali women observe ritual pollution during menstruation. Will the human rights group find this to be a form of discrimination against women? Some individuals observe vrata (fasting) during Ekadasis and other religious holidays. Will the human rights group find it a form of physical punishment or torture? Is observing Kriya (funeral rite) for thirteen days in seclusion, while removing salt, dairy products, and meat from one's diet, another form of punishment? Is shaving the son's head when one of his parents dies like branding an animal? If the human rights folks had their way, they would certainly outlaw these practices as well. Must we do away with all these cultural customs that constitute Hinduism? Ritual is part of culture, and it is the ritual that distinguishes one culture from another. Without rituals and customs, what distinguishes us as being a Nepali or a Hindu or a Buddhist? When we lose all of our traditions, what do we have left?

I recommend that the human rights group look into other problems. For example, many affluent Nepali families send their children at a very young age to boarding schools where they live in strict discipline for several years separated from their parents. This separation can lead to many social problems later in their lives not to mention the "psychological problems." The children who attend convent schools are subjected to proselytization. Many have confided in me their traumatic experience at a convent school. They were constantly coerced to convert. Why doesn't the human rights group defend these children's rights to practice their religion and stop being "psychologically" traumatized by authorities of another faith? We should distinguish between social practices which harm or deny people basic human rights and religious practices which enrich our cultural traditions.

By doing away with harmless, age-old customs, I personally believe that we are wiping out our culture, our history and our identity as Nepalis. Cultural identity is more important than political identity. As we move toward assuring essential human rights for all, we should preserve those customs that make us who we are. I would hope that the court will not entertain the petition, let alone rule on it. Such petitions should be viewed as frivolous and hence thrown out of court.