In 2005 a human rights petition at the Supreme Court challenged the tradition of living goddesses Kumaris and in particular, that of the former royal Kumari, who lives a sequestered ritual life until puberty, and who used to bless and legitimate the king once a year. This article is an analysis of this court case through the arguments of the lawyers, the verdict of the judges,and the reactions of the Newar community involved. The analysis of the case illustrate the distinctive form that Nepali secularism is taking and contribute to the larger debate on secularism in the social sciences
Letizia, C. (2012). A state goddess in the new secular Nepal. Reflections on the Kumari case at the Supreme Court. In M. Rosati, K. Stoeckl (a cura di), Multiple Modernities and Post-Secular Societies (pp. 115-141). Ashgate.
A state goddess in the new secular Nepal. Reflections on the Kumari case at the Supreme Court
LETIZIA, CHIARA
2012
Abstract
In 2005 a human rights petition at the Supreme Court challenged the tradition of living goddesses Kumaris and in particular, that of the former royal Kumari, who lives a sequestered ritual life until puberty, and who used to bless and legitimate the king once a year. This article is an analysis of this court case through the arguments of the lawyers, the verdict of the judges,and the reactions of the Newar community involved. The analysis of the case illustrate the distinctive form that Nepali secularism is taking and contribute to the larger debate on secularism in the social sciences
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