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Nepal JyotishTraditional Science
Goddess Names

Kumaridevi

The story of how the worship of Kumaridevi began with Trailokya Malla and a princess.

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Kumaridevi

The Malla king Trailokya Malla was a devoted worshipper of his tutelary goddess Taleju Bhavani. Every day at midnight he would sit in a secret room and play dice (tripasha) with Taleju Bhavani, taking counsel on the running of the kingdom.

But the goddess had a strict condition: no one was to know of this, and no woman was to peek into the room.

One night, out of curiosity, the king's daughter Gangadevi peeked through the hole in the door and beheld the goddess's form. Seeing her condition broken, Taleju Bhavani became extremely angry and said: "From now on I will not come before you in this form. If you wish to see me, worship me as a Kumari in an innocent little girl of the Shakya/Vajracharya clan."

The king, repenting, on the advice of his initiating guru, chose a spotless young girl endowed with the thirty-two marks as a living goddess.

Building a Kumari house near the royal palace, the historic tradition took hold: worshipping the living goddess 'Kumari', holding her chariot procession, and the king ruling only after receiving tika from Kumari's hand every year.

Note: These are traditional Nepali folk tales (kimbadanti), passed down orally through generations. They may or may not reflect actual historical events, but they are told and believed as part of Nepal's cultural heritage.

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Vajrayogini (Hyaukhwamaiju)The story of how Vajrayogini manifested in fiery form from a vajra that fell on a cliff, and how the town of Sankhu came to be founded.Bhadrakali (Lumadi)The story of how the goddess Lumadi, appearing as a girl found by a Jyapu, protected a king tormented by enemies.Indrayani Devi (Lutimaru Ajima)The story of how Lutimaru, humiliated at a feast, assumed a divine form and became Indrayani Ajima.Akashyogini (Bijaswori)The story of how a maiden flying through the sky was halted by Vajracharya's mantra and came to be known as Akashyogini.TalejuThe story of Taleju, whose temple Nanyadeva built after finding the yantra of Tulaja Devi in the Sarayu.Kumari and LakheyThe story of how, at her mother's command, Kumari killed her lover Lakhey and took a lifelong vow to remain a Kumari.