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R/$ 9.17 R/€ 12.56 R/£ 16.10 Gold $/oz 897.40 JSE Alsi 21,017.44 Article Search » » » » » Nepalese girl begins life as 'living goddess' October 07 2008 at 01:31PM Kathmandu - The three-year-old daughter of a Nepalese watch repairer became a "living goddess" on Tuesday after being approved by the country's new atheist government. Despite Nepal being a Maoist republic after the monarchy was unseated in May, the centuries-old tradition of worshipping a young virgin as the living embodiment of a powerful Hindu goddess has survived. "Matine Shakya was chosen after consultation with Buddhist priests, community leaders and officials who will look after her," said Achyut Pokharel, a member of the government-run trust that maintains the tradition. "She became Royal Kumari after a series of pujas (religious ceremonies) on Tuesday at the auspicious time of 11:39 am," Pokharel said, referring to the moment chosen by astrolgers as the luckiest for the Kumari succession. Three towns in the Kathmandu valley follow the centuries-old custom, but the Royal Kumari in the capital is considered the most powerful, and has the closest links to Nepal's deposed monarch. Former monarch Gyanenendra and his ancestors would seek annual blessings - and tacit spiritual approval of their reign - from the girl selected from the Buddhist Shakya caste. Today, Gyanenendra is a commoner living as a virtual recluse on the outskirts of Kathmandu, but the Nepalese president now receives blessings from the girl. Nepal became the world's newest republic after former rebel Maoists ended their civil war in 2006, and won landmark polls in April. - AFP BOOKMARK THIS STORY Social bookmarking allows users to save and categorise a personal collection of bookmarks and share them with others. This is different to using your own browser bookmarks which are available using the menus within your web browser. Use the links below to share this article on the social bookmarking site of your choice. Read more about social bookmarking at Online Services FREE Newsletter Now you can get all your news - from politics in South Africa, the quirkiest stories in Step Beyond, the latest from the worlds of Motoring, Entertainment and Business - in one place. and you'll have all the latest news at your fingertips. More World Stories Date Your Destiny Breaking News Most Read Stories Top 5 News Stories Top 5 Reads - Yesterday | | | | © 2008 Independent Online. All rights strictly reserved. Independent Online is a wholly owned subsidiary of Independent News & Media. Reliance on the information this site contains is at your own risk. Please read our and . Write to . Tel: +27 21 481 6200, Fax: +27 21 481 6294 for more information on IOL. Independent Newspapers subscribes to the South African Press Code that prescribes news that is truthful, accurate, fair and balanced. If we don't live up to the Code please contact the Press Ombudsman at 011 788 4837 or 011 788 4829.