Isabella Tree - The Living Goddess: A journey into the heart of Kathmandu
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by Isabella Tree
In a small medieval palace on Kathmandus Durbar Square lives Nepals famous Living Goddess a child as young as three who is chosen from a caste of Buddhist goldsmiths to watch over the country and protect its people. To Nepalis she is the embodiment of Devi (the universal goddess) and for centuries their Hindu kings have sought her blessing to legitimize their rule. Legends swirl about her, for the facts are shrouded in secrecy and closely guarded by dynasties of priests and caretakers. How come a Buddhist girl is worshipped by autocratic Hindu rulers? Are the initiation rituals as macabre as they are rumoured to be? And what fate awaits the Living Goddesses when they attain puberty and are dismissed from their role? Weaving together myth, religious belief, modern history and court gossip, Isabella Tree takes us on a compelling and fascinating journey to the esoteric, hidden heart of Nepal. Through her unprecedented access to the many layers of Nepalese society, she is able to put the countrys troubled modern history in the context of the complex spiritual beliefs and practices that inform the role of the little girl at its centre. Deeply felt, emotionally engaged and written after over a decade of travel and research, The Living Goddess is a compassionate and illuminating enquiry into this reclusive Himalayan country a revelation.
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To Living Goddesses, past, present and future
Look upon a woman as a goddess
Whose special energy she is,
And honour her in that state.
Uttara Tantra
| 100,000 BCE | The Kathmandu Valley is formed as a huge lake drains away. |
| c. 563 BCE | Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, is born in Lumbini in southern Nepal. |
| 300879 CE | The Licchavi kings rule Nepal. |
| 7th13th centuries CE | Nepals dark ages, or Transitional Period. |
| 11th century | The Samvarodaya Tantra, the first known text recording Buddhist tantric worship of a Kumari, is composed in Nepal. |
| 1097 | King Nanyadeva founds the city of Simraongarh in Tirhut, a Hindu kingdom to the south of Nepal. |
| 1325 | Sultan Muhammed bin Tughluq sacks Simraongarh, forcing King Harisimha and his court to flee. |
| 1326 | King Harisimha dies en route to Nepal but his wife Devaldevi and son Jagatsimha find sanctuary in Bhaktapur, establishing the cult of Taleju in the city. |
| 1349 | The Muslim armies of Sultan Shams-ud-Din plunder the Kathmandu Valley, destroying the stupa at Swayambhu and many other temples. |
| r. 13821395 | Devaldevis grandson-in-law Jaya Stithi Malla unites the valley and codifies its laws. |
| 1428-82 | Rule of Yaksha Malla, Jaya Stithis grandson. His death results in the valley being split between his six sons into three rival Malla kingdoms of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur. |
| 1491 | The joint kings of Bhaktapur establish the first royal Kumari. |
| 1559-1570 | Dravya Shah, prince of Lamjung, becomes first king of Gorkha, a hill kingdom 80 miles to the west of the Kathmandu Valley. |
| r.156074 | Mahendra Malla establishes Taleju Temple and other temples around Kathmandus Durbar Square. |
| r.161961 | Siddhirasimha Malla establishes Taleju in Patan, where he becomes king. |
| 1641-74 | Pratap Malla, king of Kathmandu, dancer, poet and devotee of Guhyeshvari, presides over an era of artistic patronage, substantially rebuilding the palace of Hanuman Dhoka and raising devotional pillars in front of Taleju Temple. |
| 1735 | Jaya Prakasha Malla succeeds to the throne of Kathmandu. |
| 1744 | Prithvi Narayan Shah, king of Gorkha, seizes the Malla fort of Nuwakot the first target in his campaign to conquer the valley. |
| 1757 | Jaya Prakasha Malla builds a special temple residence for the royal Kumari of Kathmandu on Durbar Square. |
| 1759 | The strategic Malla forts of Shivapuri, Palanchok and Kabre on the valley rim fall to Gorkhali forces. |
| 1760 | Jaya Prakasha Malla dedicates a golden temple-chariot to the Kathmandu Kumari and establishes her jatra around the city. |
| 1762-3 | Prithvi Narayan Shah secures the southern and eastern approaches to the valley. |
| 1765 | Prithvi Narayan Shah takes the strategic valley town of Kirtipur on his third attempt. |
| 1767 | Captain Kinlochs expedition to break Prithvi Narayan Shahs blockade of the valley is put to rout by Gorkhali forces. |
| 1768 | Prithvi Narayan Shah storms Kathmandu during the festival of Indra Jatra forcing Jaya Prakasha Malla to flee. |
| 1769 | Prithvi Narayan Shah attacks Bhaktapur and captures the three Malla kings. Jaya Prakasha Malla dies of his wounds at Pashupati. |
| 1768-75 | Prithvi Narayan Shah moves his capital from Gorkha to Kathmandu, where he establishes the Shah dynasty. Having unified the valley he expands the boundaries of Greater Nepal from Kashmir to Sikkim, eventually putting it on a collision course with the British Raj. |
| 1814-16 | Anglo-Nepali War ends in victory for Britain. The ensuing Treaty of Sugauli establishes Nepals modern boundaries and gives Britain the right to recruit Gorkha soldiers in Nepal and maintain a residency in Kathmandu. |
| 1846 | The Kot Massacre eradicates the cream of the court aristocracy, ushering in the Rana era and reducing the Shah kings to puppets. |
| 1934 | A massive earthquake destroys much of the Kathmandu Valley. |
| 1951 | King Tribhuvan and the Nepal Congress Party, with Indian support, overthrow the Rana regime and establish a new coalition government. Nepal opens its doors to the outside world. |
| 1953 | Everest is conquered by New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Nepali Tenzing Norgay. |
| 1955-72 | Rule of King Mahendra sees the introduction of elections which are then declared void as the panchayat system of government is restored. |
| 1960 | Malaria eradication programme opens the Terai to industry, intensive agriculture, and rapid population growth. |
| 1975 | Birendra is crowned king in Kathmandus Hanuman Dhoka. |
| 1990 | The mass demonstrations of the Jana Andolan, the Peoples Movement, force King Birendra to accept a new constitution, restoring democracy and relegating the king to the role of constitutional Hindu monarch under a multiparty democracy. |
| 1996-2005 | A decade-long Maoist insurgency brings the country to its knees and results in the death of 13,000 Nepalis. Development projects stall and tourism plummets. |
| 2001 | Prince Dipendra massacres ten members of the royal family, including his father, King Birendra, before shooting himself. Birendras brother, Gyanendra, inherits the throne. |
| 2005 | King Gyanendra dismisses the government and assumes direct control of the country in a state of emergency, citing the need to crush the Maoist rebels. |
| 2006 | After weeks of protests involving hundreds of thousands of people, King Gyanendra reinstates parliament, which votes to curtail his emergency powers. Maoists and government officials sign a peace agreement and the Maoist rebels enter an interim government. |
| 2007 | The 250th Sri Kumari Anniversary Celebrations mark Jaya Prakasha Mallas founding of the Living Goddesss residence in Kathmandus Durbar Square and her first jatra around the city. |
| 2008 | Nepal abolishes the monarchy and becomes a federal democratic republic, with former Maoist guerrilla leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda) as the first prime minister. Prachanda resigns a year later. After three years investigation the Supreme Court rejects the claim that Kumaris are exploited and recommends increased pensions for ex-Kumaris. |
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