Kumari Chowk
Kumari Chowk
4
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Also called Kumari Bahal, this fascinating palace is home to a virgin girl who is worshipped as the goddess Durga in human form. She can sometimes be glimpsed at her windows.
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sd JAZZ i SŁONIE
Skierniewice, Poland14,548 contributions
May 2023 • Friends
Kumari-Ghar is one of the palatial buildings at the royal Durbar Square in the heart of Kathmandu. The building was built in 1757 to accommodate the "Living Goddess", i.e. Kumari. Her selection was handled by the most important priests. Kumari is revered by Hindus and some Buddhists [excluding Tibetan Buddhists]. The tradition of her selection and her cult dates back to the 17th century. In short, she is chosen from among little girls [4-5 years old] from the goldsmiths' caste. For believers, she is a living incarnation of Goddess Durga. She is given special care. Because she is considered sacred, she cannot walk on the ground. It is carried in a litter. He has held this position for approximately 10 years. Until the first period or shorter if you cut yourself. However, these are too many details. In the courtyard of his palace, in one of the windows on the second floor, he gives an "audience" from time to time. It consists in appearing briefly in the window. It may seem a bit funny to us, but for the faithful it is a big event. The current Kumari's name is Shakya Trishna. She was elected Kumari of the year 2017. When I watched her predecessor Matina [in 2016], it was allowed to take photos of her. Currently, it is prohibited to take photos of Kumari. Entrance included in the ticket valid for stay at Durbar Square. It is more of a peculiar curiosity than an outstanding attraction. The most impressive thing is the wooden joinery of the palace windows and doors.
Written 24 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LolaGo1
Washington DC, DC6,632 contributions
Mar 2024 • Solo
The living god named Kumari resides at this attraction. I learned that she waves to her audience at 11:00 am daily. My guide pointed to me the window where she does it.
Due to time constraints, I left and not wait for an hour for her to do this.
Due to time constraints, I left and not wait for an hour for her to do this.
Written 31 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mashajo
Kaliningrad, Russia2,462 contributions
Jun 2023 • Couples
This palace was the first one we visited in Durbar Square and it is one of the many buildings worth visiting. The local living deity Kumari, an 8-year-old girl, lives here. Local residents go to her for blessings, they can go to her house. Foreigners are not allowed to go inside; they stand in the courtyard. At certain hours, Kumari goes out onto the balcony and can be seen, she silently gives everyone a blessing and leaves. Filming and photographing Kumari is prohibited - this is carefully monitored. The palace itself looks impressive - the building is wooden, there are carvings everywhere, there are both Buddhist and Hindu symbols. I don’t know how it is from the inside, but the outside of the building is well preserved.
Written 3 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reisevogel
Langenhagen, Germany1,665 contributions
Sept 2023 • Couples
First of all, I don't want to judge this tradition, because that's not my place. But it is a bit strange to see these little girls like that. Knowing how they live their lives, it's something really special.
Tip 1: Ticket price for Durbar Square, where Kumari Ghar is part of it, is 1000 Rps. Ticket can be extended to the duration of the entire stay with a photo and passport.
Tip 2: Visiting times for the Kumari are 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
Tip 1: Ticket price for Durbar Square, where Kumari Ghar is part of it, is 1000 Rps. Ticket can be extended to the duration of the entire stay with a photo and passport.
Tip 2: Visiting times for the Kumari are 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
Written 25 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
macedonboy
Glasgow, UK1,86,657 contributions
Mar 2024 • Friends
Kumari Chowk is the residence of the living embodiment of the virgin goddess in Kathmandu. The belief in a Kumari is the tradition of worshipping a virgin girl as the living embodiment of a goddess. Many locals visit in the hope that they will view the goddess. I only stayed for 5 minutes in the courtyard and sadly didn’t get a glimpse.
Written 23 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
barcaranger
Andorra la Vella, Andorra2,748 contributions
Nov 2019 • Solo
I am possibly the least spiritual person in the world but I have to say that I will never forget seeing the living goddess. I had a very strange feeling before she appeared and when she looked down .....we’ll go and do it yourself . It’s the only thing I will be heading back to in Nepal. The goddess seems to appear before 11am and after 3pm. Please don’t try and photograph her.
Written 4 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
WongPhan
Penang52 contributions
Mar 2015 • Family
Many who do not understand this tradition would often feel sorry for the little girl and what not. You should know that you're in Kathmandu and a strange tradition such as this is what lures you over in the first place anyway.
The child's body is just a host to the spirit of the goddess Kumari, much like the statues in religious temples worldwide. Say in Bali. Only that I find it amusing that the people here would find a living and breathing body of a girl as a substitute to a common stone idol. Pretty neat.
We went into her royal abode without any hope of seeing her at all. Suddenly there was a commotion in the little courtyard and we had a hunch that she was about to appear.
There she was at the window wearing a shiny yellow dress with a knot in her hair and traditional facial makeup. The only word for me was 'gutted' as the air was knocked out of my stomache and out it all went through my nose. It was a godly stare indeed and I felt small and somewhat pathetic in her presence.
Then off she went after granting us some 5 seconds or so of her godly graces and the briefness of it all made it all the more special. Personally, I've never been in the presence of any god. So this must be what it feels like.
God to me shall remain unseen but just for a fleeting moment of grandiose lowliness, you should try visiting the Kumari Chowk. She just might appear.
Only one tip. You'll never know if you don't go.
The child's body is just a host to the spirit of the goddess Kumari, much like the statues in religious temples worldwide. Say in Bali. Only that I find it amusing that the people here would find a living and breathing body of a girl as a substitute to a common stone idol. Pretty neat.
We went into her royal abode without any hope of seeing her at all. Suddenly there was a commotion in the little courtyard and we had a hunch that she was about to appear.
There she was at the window wearing a shiny yellow dress with a knot in her hair and traditional facial makeup. The only word for me was 'gutted' as the air was knocked out of my stomache and out it all went through my nose. It was a godly stare indeed and I felt small and somewhat pathetic in her presence.
Then off she went after granting us some 5 seconds or so of her godly graces and the briefness of it all made it all the more special. Personally, I've never been in the presence of any god. So this must be what it feels like.
God to me shall remain unseen but just for a fleeting moment of grandiose lowliness, you should try visiting the Kumari Chowk. She just might appear.
Only one tip. You'll never know if you don't go.
Written 5 March 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lux1980
Brescia, Italia79 contributions
Nov 2012 • Friends
I can understand traditions and different culture but please stop with Kumari! she's just a child and she can't do anything: she can't study, she can't talk to anybody, she can't walk (!!!!), she can't smile (!!!) she lives without her family (!!!), she can't go outside, she has no future! only because they think she's a goddes...c'mon it's 2013! middle age is finished! this is not an attraction, this is torture to a child! please stop it and give her a future!
Written 6 October 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Abbotsbury92
Arlington, VA904 contributions
May 2016 • Solo
Yes, I understand that this is a hallowed Nepalese institution. Understand, however, as I did after discussing this with several international diplomats in Kathmandu during my visit there, that the young girl is essentially a prisoner in a hermetically-sealed environment until she reaches puberty, at which point she is replaced, cast out of the house, and suddenly has to try to live a normal child.
It's monstrous. Don't encourage this sort of thing. I wandered past the house and a couple creepy men attempted to entice me into the courtyard with promises of glimpsing a real, live "deity." Simply awful exploitation of a child.
It's monstrous. Don't encourage this sort of thing. I wandered past the house and a couple creepy men attempted to entice me into the courtyard with promises of glimpsing a real, live "deity." Simply awful exploitation of a child.
Written 24 December 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ritamacdonald
43 contributions
Jul 2019 • Couples
I didn’t know anything about the Kumari before reading the Lonely Planet guide the morning before our trip to Durbar Square. It said she usually comes out between 9 and 11am so we headed down to the square to see if we could catch a glimpse. When we arrived we were told by some tourists in the courtyard that we had just missed her. It was about 10:15 so I thought there was a chance that she might come out again so we decided to wait.
The long wait we had ahead of us gave us the chance to look at the building in closer detail. The Kumari Ghar itself is a beautiful building that escaped mostly unscathed from the 2015 earthquake. The inner courtyard is propped up by beams but that appears to be the extent of the damage.
What was most interesting about waiting is that you overhear the sounds of everyday happenings in a home because there aren’t any windows. At one point a man, presumably one of the Kumari caretakers, even came to the window brushing his teeth. In this sense it doesn’t feel like a divine home but nevertheless it’s a fascinating piece of culture to witness.
Finally after about 45 minutes we were told by a guide that she will only come out if there is a group. Thankfully at this point our persistence paid off as a tour group arrived and their guide called up to the caretakers to have the Kumari come to the window. The little girl, heavily made up, appeared at the window for only a couple of minutes looking completely disinterested in the whole affair. The whole experience was a bit strange but I’m glad that I waited to see her out of curiosity. The guide asked people to put donations in the box after and I’m pretty sure that’s why she only comes out for groups because that way they are more likely to get donations. Make of that what you will but worth remembering that groups could dictate whether you see the Kumari or not.
After leaving I went straight to a book shop to buy ‘From Goddess to Mortal’ by Rashmila Shakya, a former Kumari. The book describes her experiences as a Kumari and her time adjusting to normal life. It’s a good read and I would highly recommend reading it before visiting Kumari Chowk to understand more about the tradition.
The long wait we had ahead of us gave us the chance to look at the building in closer detail. The Kumari Ghar itself is a beautiful building that escaped mostly unscathed from the 2015 earthquake. The inner courtyard is propped up by beams but that appears to be the extent of the damage.
What was most interesting about waiting is that you overhear the sounds of everyday happenings in a home because there aren’t any windows. At one point a man, presumably one of the Kumari caretakers, even came to the window brushing his teeth. In this sense it doesn’t feel like a divine home but nevertheless it’s a fascinating piece of culture to witness.
Finally after about 45 minutes we were told by a guide that she will only come out if there is a group. Thankfully at this point our persistence paid off as a tour group arrived and their guide called up to the caretakers to have the Kumari come to the window. The little girl, heavily made up, appeared at the window for only a couple of minutes looking completely disinterested in the whole affair. The whole experience was a bit strange but I’m glad that I waited to see her out of curiosity. The guide asked people to put donations in the box after and I’m pretty sure that’s why she only comes out for groups because that way they are more likely to get donations. Make of that what you will but worth remembering that groups could dictate whether you see the Kumari or not.
After leaving I went straight to a book shop to buy ‘From Goddess to Mortal’ by Rashmila Shakya, a former Kumari. The book describes her experiences as a Kumari and her time adjusting to normal life. It’s a good read and I would highly recommend reading it before visiting Kumari Chowk to understand more about the tradition.
Written 11 July 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello all, I would like to see Kumari tomorrow (June 4) before I fly back home. Anyone know what time she appears?
Written 3 June 2018
Out of interest and I know you went ages ago but I understand as of 4 th November 2019 it seems she appears before 11am and after 3pm ....and it is well worth not .....not sure whybut it is ....
Written 4 November 2019
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