The people of Nepal have been some of the kindest and most welcoming that I've experienced in my travels so far. But there are doors that remain closed to me. This is at the Kumari temple, where the living goddess Kumari (a young girl, Kumari actually means virgin and is believed to be an incarnation of the goddess Taleju) lives. She makes a brief appearance a few times a day but you're not allowed to take pictures of her. Hindu's and buddhists can go inside to receive a blessing but foreigners can not. The girl that is perceived to be the goddess Kumari remains so until her first period, after which she is seen as a normal woman and the quest for the new Kumari begins. From what I'm told there 10 Kumaris in Nepal of which I've only seen the royal Kumari in Kathmandu. Once one comes of age they search in certain communities (newar, shakya or bajracharya) for a girl with certain characteristics. Such as unblemished body without birthmarks, black straight hair, white teeth without gaps, slender body among several others. Once they have found one they test her because Kumari also has certain personality traits such as fearlessness. To test this they leave the young child in a room with 108 decapitated buffalos laid out in a sea of blood. Among this men with horrifying masks dance and if the girl cries this disqualifies her and they test the next one until they find a girl who can smile in that surrounding and enjoy the dance of the masked men. Earth Trek by @bartpimpson . . . . . #travelphotography #traveling #lp #fodorsonthego #rtwchat #nepal #kathmandu #durbarsquare #kumari #religion #goddess #noentry #tradition #naturallynepal #tourismnepal #traveldeeper #theglobewanderer #passionpassport #roamtheplanet #getawaytravel #justgotravelsc #nomadjunkies #voyagesdetective #wanderer #wanderlust #travelphoto #travelingram #solotravel #traveler #livingthedream (at Kathmandu Durbar Square)