In the long history of human beings, countless mysterious things have happened, some of which originate from nature and some originate from human innovation. The emergence of these mysterious things is closely related to the development of our culture, because there are many different races and cultures in the world, and some countries and regions have unique cultural characteristics, which are called beliefs.
If you look at South Asia, you will find that there are many distinctive features of their regional cultures, among which the presence of saints is the most striking of these beliefs.
Ancient traditions, harsh realities. In India and Nepal, there is a type of woman known as the "Holy Maiden", who usually comes from poor families and is sent to the monastery at a young age, and although they are honored as "Holy Maiden", their life is full of humiliation and misery after the death.
In India, monasteries are not holy places, and they are treated as playthings by high-ranking monks and Brahmin elders, whose fate is a merciless mockery of the local cultural heritage.
In Nepal, the saints are younger, usually only 4 to 7 years old, and their fate is better than that of the Indian saints, but it cannot be said that they are very happy.
The stories of these saints show us the injustice of society and the distortion of human nature.
In Nepal, the Holy Maiden is a very mysterious being. Once they are chosen, it is as if they are sealed on the altar, and their feet cannot touch the earth. Even the kings of Nepal had to kneel down and salute them when they saw them.
However, are these incomparably noble saints really happy in their lives? The answer is no, because their status is not lifelong, and once they step down from the altar, their fate may not even be as good as the life of an ordinary person.
Goddess Kumari (i.e. Lady Child) is a unique Nepalese tradition and is a living goddess known to the locals but rarely has the opportunity to see her face. The history of Nepalese saints can be traced back to the Marat dynasty in the sixteenth century, which was later inherited by the Shah dynasty and continues to this day.
Nepal's holy woman is a highly regarded object of worship by both Hindus and Buddhists, and the admiration for her is unspeakable for both kings and ordinary people.
In Hindu texts, the holy woman is seen as the embodiment of the goddess of wisdom of the Southern Mother and also represents strength. It was believed that the authority of the King of India was due to the gift of the Holy Maiden, and that disrespect to her was a challenge to the divine right and would be punished severely.
Legend has it that during the reign of King Jah Phu Marat, a girl claimed to have been possessed by Goddess Kumari and later became the patron deity of Kathmandu and was revered by King Marat.
Since then, the custom of the saint has been passed down from generation to generation.
Human beings have a finite lifespan, even for saints, which means that saints need to be passed down from generation to generation, rather than a single existence. Therefore, the selection of saints is a crucial task.
What kind of girl can be chosen as a saint? The selection criteria for a saint are extremely strict, usually meeting the following requirements: between the ages of 4 and 7, not bleeding or diseased, born in the Shakya tribe, without spots or birthmarks, with straight teeth, and a body that meets 32 beautiful features.
Although the criteria are harsh, Nepal adds special trials in order to select the best saints. These trials focus on the psychological plane and are full of violence and gore.
Although children of a few years are not yet psychologically mature, Nepal is happy to believe that saints need to withstand these trials.
The purpose of this trial is to select a saint who can be calm and meet the standards. In a closed house, they had to deal with a bloody bull's head and an environment sprinkled with cow's blood, and this trial was just the beginning.
If they can show perseverance and pass this test, they will be challenged even more brutally until they are finally chosen to become saints.
When they become saints, they will be separated from their families and will not be able to contact other people, let alone go to school and play like ordinary children.
It is only on great festivals that they are able to go out, and people kneel at their feet to receive their blessings, even the king.
In Nepal, there is a mythical being who is known as the Holy Maiden. Holy women are considered to be the embodiment of the goddess, so in their lives, there are many special rules.
First of all, they cannot touch the ground directly, as this would be seen as worldly pollution and could lose their divine powers. In addition, the saint must remain calm and dignified in public, and must not have any seemingly normal behavior, such as laughing, crying, trembling, or clapping her hands, which are considered harbingers of disaster.
Moreover, Nepalese saints are not for life, they can only play this sacred role for a few years. When they menstruate, they have to abdicate.
For many, the saint seems to be bound to an immutable role, and abdication may seem like a relief. However, this is not the case, and the saints who abdicate often face the dilemma of not being able to marry when they become adults.
In Nepali culture, women can get into trouble once they become abdicated saints. Often, men are reluctant to marry them because it means they may have a short life.
For these girls, being chosen as a saint does not mean honor, but can be a kind of pain and loneliness, and they have no control over their lives, or even can only die alone, quietly waiting for death to come.
However, among the many Nepali saints, there are exceptions. Sheila Maia Shakya is one of them.
In 1922, at the age of three, Sheila was chosen to be a saint, however, her life as a saint was short-lived, and she contracted a serious illness of smallpox and had to abdicate. Luckily, she later recovered and decided to live an ordinary life.
At the age of 15, she married a craftsman who could accept that she had once been a saint. They have been together for decades and have gone through a good life. However, Sheila is a special case, and most of the saints are not so lucky when they leave the altar.
This undoubtedly reflects the oppression of women by local cultural beliefs.
Every individual is born with freedom and equal rights, and although there is no God in the world, faith transcends reality. For Nepalese, this traditional practice will continue to be passed on as long as they believe in the existence of the Holy Maiden.