The Enchanted World of Kumari (An Old and Rare Book)

The long journey which eventually led to this book began in 1985 when I and a group of other anthropology students from the University of Adelaide landed in Nepal. We were on a study tour of South Asia intended to provide us with ideas for our forthcoming theses. For me the choice became immediately obvious upon my first glimpse of Kumari in her palace. Her appearance was not only intriguing, but aroused an unquenchable curiosity as to the deeper meanings of her worship.

This has led me to a prolonged investigation of tantric Hinduism and Buddhism, an inquiry which has been of great personal benefit. My study has ended up as a book rather than as a thesis but I am mindful that it was through the Uni-versity of Adelaide's Anthropology department that this all came about. I greatly appreciate the stimulus given me by academic staff and students over the years.

The fascinated interest people feel for Kumari, the `Living Goddess' has led to numerous writings about her. Many of these focus on her life-style, but the details of her life do not speak for themselves but rather beg the broader question of what she really stands for in Nepali traditional culture. I began by asking why it has been important for Nepalese kings to seek her blessing. Answering this question led me explore Nepalese life in a number of ways, including aspects of their religious, political, and social world.

In particular, I hope I have succeeded in satisfactorily explaining to the reader the key importance of Kumari in traditional forms of Nepalese government. My approach to Kumari's world was first influenced by the glimpse of her small exquisitely garbed figure gazing haughtily down from the window of her finely carved 18th century palace. Kept apart from mundane existence, everything about her life was cloaked in elaborate secrecy, lending it an irresistible glamour.

The emotional impact of this artistic and aesthetic display of regal splendour led me to feel that her world could best be appreciated as religious drama. This focus on the theatrical is supported by the fact that in early times it was customary in the Kathmandu Valley to perform plays in public on platforms called dabali. Kings participated in these dramas, which may be likened to Europe's medieval mystery plays, conveying moral messages in an entertaining way. In fact one of these platforms is located outside Kumari's palace and the kings of Kathmandu used to come and sit on it to receive her blessing in public.

From this perspective the social significance of Kumari theatre as similar to the role of festival performance in traditional Hindu Bali. Clifford Geertz called Bali a 'theatre-state", arguing that the public performance of dramatic ritual was the chief mode by which Balinese society was constituted. To the extent that traditional Nepali society was constituted by expressive dramatic performance of kumari ritual, understanding her worship is similarly important. The book therefore interprets Kumari's dramas as texts intended to convey a message to audiences. The task of elucidating exactly what this message is has been no easy task because everything about Kumari is coded.

Nevertheless the main thrust is fairly obvious provided the dramas are understood in terms of the underlying Hindu/Buddhist world view. The interpretations of these dramas presented here are by no means the only ones possible, because individual participants in drama will interpret the action in a variety of ways. Mainly I am reporting the opinions given me by religious specialists, although I also offer interpretations from an outside perspective. In the end this is my story about a Nepali story, however I think the contents will interest those who are seeking an understanding about Kumari deeper than the usual tourist offerings.

The academic specialist may also find something of interest, for the conclusions reached are based on considerable research. I hope especially that this book will inspire Nepali readers to reach a fresh appreciation of their magnificent heritage.

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