Sajani Shakya

Sajani Shakya was a Kumari Devi, or living goddess, in Nepal. After a visit to the United States in June 2007, she was believed to be tainted by the experience and her goddess status was revoked. After a change of heart by religious leaders in the Goddess's home town of Baktapur, Shakya's status was reinstated, but less than a year after Sajani Shakya's controversial trip to the U.S., at the age of 11, the Goddess retired.

Fast Facts

1. Kumari means virgin in Nepali
2. A Kumari is a prepubescent girl selected from the Shakya caste of the Nepalese Newari community
3. Kumaris are Buddhist girls who are selected between the ages of two and four¹
4. Shakya was the first living goddess to visit the United States²
5. Visited the Lafayette Elementary School in Washington DC
6. Appears in the documentary Living Goddesses by Ishbel Whitaker

The Life of a Goddess

As a living Goddess one must always wear their hair up in knots. They are required to wear red at all times and have a third eye painted on their forehead. When meeting a Goddess, one must bow down and touch their forehead at their feet. Most Kumari Goddesses are only allowed outside at certain festivals and events and remain unmarried.³

Quotes

"When I'm not a goddess anymore, no one will treat me as well as they treat me now." -Sajani Shakya¹

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