In Kathmandu's Durbar Square
Nepal lies unassumingly between two of the world’s largest economies, China and India. Due to its location at the foot of the Himalayas, the ‘mountain kingdom’ remained something of a mystery to the Western world right up until 1950.
The country had been divided into hill states, governed by feudal systems. Under the Malla kings, who took control of the Kathmandu Valley in the thirteenth century, Kathmandu experienced a golden age of art and architecture that lasted more than five hundred years. At the start of the Malla era, Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patan were the three sovereign cities in the Valley, but Kathmandu soon fell under the rule of Bhaktapur. The city states were again divided in the fifteenth century, and a long period of intrigue and rivalry followed. These cities were brought under the control of Prithvi Narayan Shah, king of the hill state Gorkha, in the eighteenth century; the Shahs continued to expand their territories until they fell from power in 1800.
The Rana dynasty seized control around this time and ruled well into the twentieth century, agreeing that Nepal would become a British Protectorate in 1923 in a treaty that superseded the treaty of 1815. In 1950, unrest led to King Tribhuvan, a direct descendant of Prithvi Narayan Shah, escaping to India, igniting a revolt against the Rana rulers. The Shahs returned to power and appointed a non-Rana as prime minister. Assisted by the leaders of newly-formed political parties, they established quasi-constitutional rule, though the king still had absolute power. Following many unsettled years of monarchy-rule and power being wrestled from one side to another, in May 1991 Nepal held its first parliamentary elections in nearly 50 years, which was followed by more turbulence between Maoist forces in the interim government and the monarchy whose influence was ever-decreasing.
It wasn’t until 2008 that the monarchy was abolished altogether and Nepal became a republic. A new constitution was enacted in 2015 but the minority group, the Madhesi, have been protesting against the constitution, which they say doesn’t recognise their rights. Violent clashes have led to many fatal casualties near the border with India. India has been withholding food, fuel and other essential goods to Nepal, citing border insecurity and violence as the reason – at the time of writing this, Nepal has just signed a transit agreement with China, creating the option of alternative trade routes.
Attempts from outside to colonise Nepal failed. Its location on the other side of the Tibetan plateau made it difficult for the Chinese and the British made it a protectorate from the Bay of Bengal, 350 miles away. In the early nineteenth century, several bloody battles took place between the Gorkhali forces and the British East India Company, culminating in a large portion of the Terai territories being ceded to the British. You’ve probably heard of the Gurkhas - the warriors originally from Gorkha, famed for their fearlessness. The story is that the British were so impressed by the Gurkhas’ military skills that when a peace treaty between the two sides was signed in 1815, they made an offer to the Gurkhas to volunteer - there is still a Gurkha brigade in the British Army to this day.
Carvings of the god Shiva and his wife Parvati look down on Durbar Square
The living goddess
The Kathmandu Valley is steeped in a rich meeting of Hinduism and Buddhism. Buddhism in Nepal dates back to the sixth century BC to Lumbini in the southern Terai region where Siddharta Gautam, or the Buddha, was born. Originally Buddhists, the Newars, who are indigenous to Nepal, were gradually influenced by the Hindus arriving in their lands and eventually adopted the Hindu caste system. According to The Living Goddess by Isabella Tree, the challenging location and climate of Nepal played a large part in pilgrims and traders staying and mingling with one another for long periods in Kathmandu, until it was possible to travel again. The ground was fertile for the cross-pollination of religious practice and culture.
This is probably best illustrated by the living goddess, or Kumari (there's more than one but the most important Kumari is in Kathmandu). She is a pre-pubescent child selected through a vigorous process to encapsulate the female deity, the Devi that protects the people, and is worshipped by both Hindus and Buddhists. She’s all-seeing and all-knowing and for you to see her is a stroke of good luck. She cannot leave her palace except on ceremonial occasions. Her feet cannot touch the ground outside her residence so she is carried to her ceremonial duties. She must always be dressed in red with a topknot in her hair and a third eye painted on her forehead to symbolise her heightened powers of perception. The moment she menstruates, she no longer carries the deity and a new Kumari must be chosen. Other than the visits by Hindus who are allowed up to the first floor to see her and the public ceremonies she attends, what her daily duties are remain a closely-guarded secret.
You've got to wonder what life is like for these girls - going from being pampered princesses who rarely see the light of day to trying to get by in ordinary life must be a shock. Reforms were made in 2008 to instil a formal education and more focus on developing their social skills.
Here's an interview with a former Kumari.
If I get to see the kumari when I'm there, I'll tell you all about it.
[UPDATE] I did see the Kumari of Kathmandu. Here's a photo of the inside courtyard of her house.
She appeared at the middle window at the top but no photos are allowed, so I'm afraid she will have to remain a mystery. When I say appeared, she was called to the window under the watchful gaze of a guardian who stood at the far left. And when she did appear, she just seemed like a fidgety young kid who had been interrupted in whatever she'd been doing. But when her gaze fell on me for a moment, I couldn't help but remember that petitioners believe that if she stays impassive and silent, good things will come to the onlookers. She was there for all of a minute or two and then she was gone, back to the activity she was engaged in behind those red brick walls, of which we'll never know.
You've got to wonder what life is like for these girls - going from being pampered princesses who rarely see the light of day to trying to get by in ordinary life must be a shock. Reforms were made in 2008 to instil a formal education and more focus on developing their social skills.
Here's an interview with a former Kumari.
If I get to see the kumari when I'm there, I'll tell you all about it.
[UPDATE] I did see the Kumari of Kathmandu. Here's a photo of the inside courtyard of her house.
She appeared at the middle window at the top but no photos are allowed, so I'm afraid she will have to remain a mystery. When I say appeared, she was called to the window under the watchful gaze of a guardian who stood at the far left. And when she did appear, she just seemed like a fidgety young kid who had been interrupted in whatever she'd been doing. But when her gaze fell on me for a moment, I couldn't help but remember that petitioners believe that if she stays impassive and silent, good things will come to the onlookers. She was there for all of a minute or two and then she was gone, back to the activity she was engaged in behind those red brick walls, of which we'll never know.
Comments
Post a Comment