Kumari Devi is chosen from among girls 3–5 years old belonging to the Buddhist Shakya clan. Her horoscope is thoroughly analyzed, her looks passed through magnifying glasses to ensure that they satisfy the 32 ‘samudrika lakshanas‘ or rules that determine facial beauty. Her mental strength is tested too by confining her overnight in a room which contain the remains of esoteric tantric rituals in the form of severed heads of goats and buffaloes around which men wearing demon masks dance. Only if she remains calm and composed despite her tender age, she will be considered the incarnation of Durga.
Uma Shankari on 24 Aug 12The plight of these exploited girls galvanised the sensitive mind of Ms. Anuradha Koirala into leaving her teaching job and starting an organization in 1993 called Maiti Nepal, which means "mother's home". She has banded together a group of socially committed professionals like teachers, journalists and social workers to prevent trafficking, rescue and rehabilitate the victimized girls.
