The mysterious "holy woman" of Nepal, the moment her feet do not touch the ground, the king will kneel when she sees it
The world is so big that there are no surprises.
In the long history of human reproduction and survival, there have been many miraculous things, some of which are left by nature, and some are created by humans.
People are connected to this incredible cultural heritage, after all, many races, countries and cultural regions around the world have created a major magical and beautiful name: religion.
Focusing on South Asia, we find that the regional culture has a strong regional identity, and the presence of the Virgin Mary is the least acceptable of these typical beliefs.
For example, in India, there is an ancient tradition that sages would sell maidens from poor families to monasteries because their families were very poor.
They were revered as saints when they entered the monastery, but only in front of people, behind the scenes, and their lives were unimaginably corrupt.
Because the monasteries of India are not clean and sacred places, but filthy places, these girls who are sent to the monasteries will become the playthings of senior monks and Brahmin elders, and their tragic fate is indeed the most resounding blow to the local cultural heritage.
There are saints in Nepal and India, but Nepalese saints are younger in age than Indian saints, usually girls aged 4-7 years, and fortunately their fate is slightly better than that of Indian saints.
In Nepal, the saints were so mysterious that their feet could no longer touch the ground when they were chosen, and even the king of Nepal had to kneel when he saw them.
Therefore, the status of Nepalese saints seems to be very exalted, but will their lives be happy?
Of course not, because their sainthood is not for life, and their fate after leaving the altar is not as good as that of ordinary people.
Election. Nepalese Madonna, also known as Goddess Kumari (or Goddess of Children), is the living goddess of Nepal that is well known but rarely seen in everyday life.
The history of the saints in Nepal dates back to the 16th century, when it was ruled by the Mara dynasty and later the Shah dynasty, and continues to this day.
Revered by both Hindus and Buddhists, this Nepalese saint was worshipped as a true goddess by kings and commoners alike.
In Hindu teachings, the Virgin is the symbol of the goddess of wisdom, the mother of the south, and the god of power, so it has always been believed that the power of the king of India is in the hands of the Virgin, and disrespecting the Virgin is a challenge to divine authority and is subject to very severe punishment.
Legend is in Ja PDuring the reign of King Malla, King Malla worshipped a girl who claimed to be possessed by Goddess Kumari, who later became the patron saint of Kathmandu, and the tradition of the saint has been passed down from generation to generation.
The lifespan of the Virgin is also considered to be limited, which means that the Virgin must be passed down from generation to generation, and there cannot be only one.
That being the case, the choice of a saint is also a very important task, so what kind of girl can be chosen as a saint?
The selection process for Members is complex and generally must meet the following criteria:
He must be between the ages of four and seven, not bleeding or sick, be of the Shakya tribe, have no spots or birthmarks on his body, have straight teeth, be in good health, and have good facial features.
Such requirements are, of course, selective, but sometimes no girl meets these criteria, so special auditions are added to select the best councillors.
Lifestyle. In contrast to the harsh physical demands, trials also involve a psychological dimension and are often characterized by violence and bloodshed.
I can't bear to think of how young a child is immature and can ruin one's character in the face of such a test, but Nepal is happy because he thinks that a saint should be able to withstand the test.
In one experiment, a bloody cow's head was placed on the floor of a closed room, and cow blood was sprayed on the floor, and the girls were locked up in the room overnight.
If the girl is not intimidated and behaves very calmly and calmly, she passes the test, and then goes through an even more brutal test until a girl who meets the criteria, passes the test, and succeeds in becoming a **.
After being chosen as a saint, these innocent girls had to run away from home, never see their families again, stay indoors on weekdays, have no contact with others, and even go to school and play like ordinary children.
Only on great feasts does the Virgin come out and people kneel at her feet to receive blessings, even kings.
They believed that the Virgin was the embodiment of the Goddess, and that if she touched the earth, the world would be defiled and she would no longer possess divine powers.
In addition, during the public pilgrimage, Our Lady must not show emotion, or make certain seemingly ordinary movements that are considered signs of unhappiness, such as laughing, crying, trembling, or clapping.
Make a judgment. The holy women of Nepal are denied access to light for the rest of their lives, only a few years to be exact, and when they begin to menstruate, they have to give up it.
Perhaps in the eyes of many people, the Virgin Mary is a puppet in captivity, and abdication is not a good thing, but in fact, it is difficult for the abdicated Virgin to remarry when she grows up**.
In the local culture, if a man marries a holy woman, he is likely to have a short life, so in fact no man wants to marry a holy woman, because almost everyone wants to live a long life, and no one wants to be short-lived"Curse"。
Therefore, for these girls, being chosen as saints is not an honor, but a pain, because they have no control over their lives and can only wait slowly in solitude for the call of death.
Of course, there are exceptions among the many saints in Nepal, and Sheila Mar Sakar is one of them.
In 1922, at the age of three, Sheila was canonized, but less than a year later, she fell ill with severe measles and had no choice but to abdicate.
After her abdication, she unexpectedly regained her health and then struggled to make a living as a commoner, marrying a craftsman at the age of 15 who did not like her saintly status.
This couple, who had a difficult life after marriage, have been walking hand in hand for decades and have lived very successfully.
Sheila is an exception after all, most of the female saints have not been able to walk on the red carpet, I have to say, this is a kind of oppression of women by local cultural beliefs.
All people are born free and equal, there is no God, but faith is higher than reality, and Nepalese people will continue this practice as long as they believe in the existence of the Virgin Mary.
After all, people need Mary's blessings, even if it's just beautiful words...