It is believed that glimpse of the living goddess brings good fortune. You enter the centuries old courtyard of a traditionally built heritage house and she will grace you with her divine presence, as she peeks down from the intricate wooden window. Kumari, the ‘Living Goddess’, is a girl child worshipped as incarnation of Taleju, a manifestation of the goddess Gurga. Kumari is worshipped by both Newari Buddhist and Hindus. Though Kumari (virgin) worship has been taking place in Nepal for more than 2,300 years, it seems to have taken hold in Nepal in the 6th century. There is written evidence describing the selection, ornamentation, and worship of the Kumari dating from the 13th century CE. To become a Kumari, a 4-5 years old girl is selected from the Shakya caste of the Nepalese Newari Buddhist community. She should possess qualities of perfection according to the tantric ritual and with the appropriate Horoscope. After the priests select the candidate, she must undergo yet more rigorous tests to ensure that she possesses the qualities that are needed to be the living goddess. Once the Kumari is selected, she undergoes a number of secret Tantric rituals to cleanse her body and spirit of her past experiences at the Taleju Temple. Goddess Taleju then enters her after completing all the rituals. She is dressed up as a Kumari and leave the temple Once these rituals are completed, Taleju enters her, and she is presented as the new Kumari. She is dressed and made up as a Kumari and then leaves the Taleju temple walking on the white cloth spread across the square to the Kumari Ghar. Kumari Ghar is her home for the duration of her divinity. She is prohibited to come out of the Kumari Ghar. She is taken outside occasionally only on the lap of some selected people during the greatest festivals like Indra Jatra. Kumari Ghar was built in the 18th century by King Jaya Prakash Malla and is situated inside the area of Kathmandu Durbar Square. You will be visiting the Kumari Ghar and experience the mysticism of Nepal.
The Sherpa are an ethnic group who migrated to the high mountains of Nepal from Eastern Tibet. They have an image of being hard-working, peaceful, and brave. Well-known for being guides to Westerners who want to climb Mt. Everest, ‘Sherpa’ in their language means ‘people from the East.’ Ethnic Sherpas established themselves in the mountains of Solukhumbu Valley in Nepal with the oldest community at Pangboche village. The valley is now a national park and the village is a starting point for scaling Mount Everest. Sherpas are known internationally for their hardiness, expertise, and experience at high altitudes. It has been speculated that a portion of the Sherpas' climbing ability is the result of a genetic adaptation to living in high altitudes. Whilst the late Norgay is Sherpa climbing royalty, some have claimed big records, like Ngima Sherpa, who ascended Everest 4 times and has been part of various other expeditions across the Himalayan range inside and outside Nepal. You will get once in a lifetime opportunity to visit various World Heritage Sites with Mr. Sherpa and interact with him. Listen and live his experiences on the Himalayas, in person, through the thrilling adventures he had.
The Tibetan singing bowl or the Himalayan singing bowl is a metal bowl when hit by a mallet vibrates and produces a rich, deep tone. These singing bowls are believed to promote relaxation, relieve stress, and produce other healing effects. You have to hold the wooden mallet like a baton and strike the bowl’s mid-exterior to create sound and vibration. Or you can also, lightly strike the bowl on the mid-exterior wall to warm up the bowl and immediately position the mallet vertically near the rim of the bowl and begin circling the rim in a clockwise motion. A Tibetan singing bowl is a type of bell that vibrates and produces a rich, deep tone when played. The benefits of listening to the bowls may be related to the ancient practice of sound therapy. Indigenous cultures around the world often use sound therapy that involves pulsing sounds, clapping, drumming, and singing for ceremonial, spiritual, and health purposes. Buddhist monks have long used Tibetan singing bowls in meditation practice. In addition, singing bowls are also used during treatment by some wellness practitioners like music therapists, massage therapists, and yoga therapists. Traditional bowls were made of a variety of metals including mercury, lead, silver, iron, gold, and copper. Benefits of singing bowl include • Uses for singing bowl therapy include: • Stress relief • Improving sleep • Lowering blood pressure • Reducing depression • Stimulating the immune system • Pain relief • Balancing and harmonizing the body • Enhancing other healing practices
The world is moving fast and we are constantly living a fast-paced life. We lack time to process our activities or the information we consume. We strive to have a healthy life by eating right and keeping our bodies healthy but neglect our minds. One of the easiest tactics to achieve a sound mind and body is meditation. When we meditate, we add long-lasting benefits to our lives, meditation helps in lowering our stress levels, processing our pain, connecting better, improving our focus, and being kinder to ourselves. Spending some time doing nothing is vital to maintain your body and mind balance. Buddhists pursue meditation as part of the path toward liberation, also called awakening, which results in the attainment of Moksha (Nirvana). You will get the opportunity to meditate and learn about meditation at Kopan Monastery. You will get interact with Monk at the Monastery and get the answer to your queries on meditation and Buddhism.
