Forgiven child goddess gets divinity back

She was the Nepalese child goddess who broke with centuries of custom and travelled overseas, only for her family to learn she was being stripped of her title for that breach of etiquette. For three anxious weeks, her family negotiated with authorities, insisting she had done nothing wrong.

And that effort has finally paid off. In a noisy and colourful return to Nepal, 10-year-old Sajani Shakya flew home this week to undergo a special cleansing ritual and to be told that her deity status remained intact.

"I'm very happy," said Sajani, after undergoing the ritual at her family's home in the Nepalese city of Bhaktapur. "Rather than appreciating what I have done for Nepal I feel as though people have made me seem little."

Sajani is one of more than a dozen child goddesses or "Kumaris" traditionally worshipped by the Newari, an ethnic minority from Nepal's Kathmandu valley. Chosen between the ages of two and four and only after passing 32 selection tests which include having a "golden colour" and a body "like a banyan tree", the little girls are worshipped by Buddhists and Hindus alike, with people seeking the Kumaris' blessing or help. With the onset of menstruation, the girls lose their deity-status.

Sajani and her family fell foul of the local guild which oversees the Kumaris when she travelled to Washington DC in June to attend the US premiere of a British documentary, Living Goddess, which explores the Kumari tradition. "We sought the permission of everyone we thought we needed to get the permission of," said Marc Hawker, the producer.

While Sajani was unaware of the drama unfolding back home - her parents and guardian having decided not to tell her - officials announced they would seek another girl to replace her.

But, after lobbying from the film-makers and members of the local community, the authorities relented and indicated Sajani would be permitted to continue as a goddess. On Wednesday, after the girl flew into Kathmandu airport - to be met by dozens of relatives and a mob of journalists - the guild issued a statement saying it had not taken any action against her after all. "There is nothing wrong," it added.

The precise reason for the guild's initial decision is unclear and there are suggestions that some officials may have been jealous of the attention Sajani received on her trip. There was also concern that she may have become "contaminated" while in the US as a result of eating food cooked in a kitchen that had prepared beef. Her family were able to assure the authorities that Sajani's meals were specially prepared by a Nepalese chef in Washington. A five-star hotel in the city even agreed to send a letter stating she had not eaten any food prepared by the hotel.

The Kumari tradition dates back hundreds of years and with the King of Nepal having traditionally sought the blessings of the goddesses of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur. But there are concerns that the children's rights are being abused as a result of the secluded lives some of them are forced to lead. Last year human rights campaigners filed a lawsuit to halt the practice and the government has ordered a commission to investigate.