Kumari Devi - The Living Goddess

Kumari Devi - The Living Goddess

Not only does Nepal have many gods, goddess, deities, Bodhisattvas (near Buddhas), avatars and manifestations, which are worshipped and revered as statues, images, paintings and symbols, but it also has a real living goddess. The Kumari Devi is a young girl who lives in the building known as the Kumari Ghar, right beside Kathmandu's Durbar Square.From time immemorial the practice of worshipping an ordinary pre-pubescent girl as a source of supreme power has been an integral part of both Hinduism and Buddhism, a tradition which continues even to this day virtually in every household. They call this girl Kumari Devi and worship her on all the religious occasions.
The predominance of the Kumari cult is more distinctly evident among the Newar community inside the Kathmandu Valley as she has become an inevitable feature of their worship almost in every Vihar and Bahal and including the nooks and corners of Newari settlements. However, it was the Vajrayana sect of Mahayana Buddhism that was responsible for establishing the tradition of worshipping a girl from the Sakya community as the royal Living Goddess.
The selection of the Living Goddess is a highly elaborate tantric ritual. Upon passing the preliminary test, this is merely concerned with their 32 attributes of perfection, including the colour of her eyes, the shape of her teeth and the sound of her voice. Her horoscope must also be appropriate. The 4 to 7 year poor girls from the Sakya community are made to confront a goddess in the darkened room. The sight of the Buffalo heads scattered around, the demon- like masked dancers, the terrifying noises theyencounter scare some of these innocent babies. The real goddess is unlikely to be frightened, so the one who is calm and collected throughout the tests is the only girl who is entitled to sit on the pedestal for worship as the Living Goddess. Then as a final test similar to that of the Dalai Lama, the Kumari then chooses items of clothing and decoration worn by her predecessor.The god-house Kumari Ghar is a store-house of magnificent intricate carvings where the Living Goddess performs her daily rituals. During her tenure in the god-house, Guthi Sansthan, the government trust fund bears her entire expenses including that of her caretakers. Under normal circumstances, her days in the god-house come to an end with her first menstruation, but if she turns out to be unlucky, as they say, even a minor scratch on her body that bleeds can make her invalid for worship. She then changes back to the status of normal mortal and the search of a new Kumari begins. It is said to be unlucky to marry an ex-Kumari.

On Indra Jatra, in September, the Living Goddess in all her jeweled splendor travels through the older part of Kathmandu city in a three tiered chariot accompanied by Ganesh and Bhairab each day for three days. It is really a grand gala in which people in their thousands throng in and around the Kathmandu Durbar Square to pay their homage to the Living Goddess. During this festival she also blesses the King in keeping with the tradition in which the first king of the Shah dynasty, who annexed Kathmandu in 1768, received a blessing from the Living Goddess.

Go To Nepal and Enjoy Its Beauty - Nepal

British and French ambassadors recently said: "There isn't any kind of security problem along the travel in Nepal. Tourists have nothing to fear. We recommend the Nepalese and the foreigners to experience the spectacular beauty on their own." French ambassador, Michel Jolivet, who had been to the Khumbu region from April 15-24, had said that he did not face any kind of security threats during his trip.The Himalayan kingdom's Charge d'Affaires in Malaysia, Deepak Dhital said "There is nothing to fear about visiting Nepal. Tourists have never been a target (of violence). That no tourist, whether from Malaysia or any other country, had been targeted by the rebels. Much of the violence took place in remote and rural areas while top tourist destinations such as the Kathmandu Valley, Pokhara and national parks were secure and free from any incident." he told Bernama.
Nepal is one of the favourite tourist destinations in the South Asian region for Malaysians, with more than 8,000 Malaysians visiting the country of some 21 million people in 2003.He also said negative media reports about Nepal had contributed and given a wrong impression about the overall situation in the country, known for the world's highest peak, Mount Everest.Nepal is one of the most beautiful country due to its unique geographical position and latitudinal variation Tourism has been a major source of foreign currency earning and also a major contributor to our national economy.
Article published in Kathamandu Post Basanta Raj Misras states that "Tourism in Nepal has been hit not only by the insurgency but also by the wrong perception created by the inflated news and other types of misinformation campaign. The misconception has kept significant number of tourists off Nepal, despite improved security situation in the country.
Nepal has a high-powered crisis management cell set up last year comprising of the high level officials from various ministries. The basic objective of the cell was to disseminate correct and authentic news, fight against negative publicity by establishing strong relationship with foreign media, adopting appropriate marketing strategy, suggesting policy measures and handling seen and unforeseen incidents. The crisis management cell that exists at present is almost defunct. It has been unable to rescue the industry."
Recently Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) has said they will launch a media campaign in India for tourism promotion as arrival from India decreased by 34 per cent in April. At the same time, Nepalese airlines will also launch special packages for the seasons and the NTB will cooperate with them. NTB has also invited 17 Indian journalists from Mumbai and Delhi. They said the overall security situation of Nepal is conducive enough to run any type of tourism activity in major tourism destinations. The present statistics show that about 300,000 tourists arrive in Nepal annually.Today, Nepal is suffering from severe problems with tourism a major victim. The extensive negative coverage in the foreign media have hit foreign tourist arrivals to the country. The economic decline during the last year and a half has been painful for all Nepalese. Political violence has weakened Nepal's largely tourism-based economy, but we Nepali argue to our friendly nations to visit Nepal and enjoy its beauty.
Nepal is a safe and peaceful destination for travellers. The Nepali travel industry hope all the tourists come over to Nepal with greater vigour and warm hospitality for the upcoming high season. They also said tourists can plan their holidays to Nepal without any violence. Nepal also is committed to provide all kind of facilities and hospitality to tourists. In order to better facilitate tourists, the Tourism Crisis Response Action Unit at Nepal Tourism Board responds to the queries and facilitates or takes necessary initiatives.
Nepalese are hospitable, lovable and peaceful. Tourism in Nepal can only flourish if our friendly nations visit to Nepal.When we take into account the Maoists problem and the political unrest, Nepal has been a difficult destination to sell anyway. Travel agencies and airlines accounted for huge cancellations and changes. No sector of the travel industry remained unaffected. Many hotels throughout the country were forced to close. With the situation today, most people are afraid to travel to Nepal but Nepal is totally safe for the tourists. When travel industry are offered the opportunity to bring tourists into the country, the flow of investment also increases.Even Nepal knows to encourage international airlines and hotel chains, to set up shop in Nepal by providing them with land, price and tax concessions. There needs to be a more proactive marketing approach to attracting tourists.The tourism industry directly employs about 250,000 people in Nepal, and one million others have jobs closely tied to the country's tourism infrastructure. There are 3,310 peaks in Nepal, out of which 304 have been opened for climbing. The government has categorized 126 peaks as trekking peaks, out of which 75 peaks were opened for trekking last year and there are 33 peaks under Nepal Mountaineering Association.
As trekking has helped in the mobilization of local resources and uplift the status of poor people in the rural areas, while 500,000 tourists had come to Nepal in 1999, only half of the number visited the last year as well as revenue in all the major national parks, declined by about 50 per cent.The gross earnings from tourism increased from RS 636.8 million to RS 8,251 million in 1994, at current prices, with an average annual growth rate of about 17 per cent. The average contribution of tourism earnings to GDP has increased from 2.3 per cent in 1980 to about 4.2 per cent in 1994.The government's commitment to maintaining security in the country is seen as an important indicator for the progress or decline of tourism industry. If the country's major foreign exchange earner is to be saved, then peace and security have to prevail. A lot of work needs to be done, and it is vital that all groups in Nepal do everything they can to end the pain and suffering this conflict has caused. We know that there is a strong link between tourism and peace. The tourism industry brings about peace because it promotes and supports the belief that every traveler is a potential 'ambassador for peace'. It can also be a vehicle for economic and social development. Recognising the importance of tourism as a significant industry in the promotion of economic benefits and social unity.Although tourism is important to Nepal's economy, we need more international financial aid as well as technical assistance. The existing rules and regulations need to be re-looked into and supportive legal framework has to be developed for the success of eco-tourism in Nepal.
Even Nepal's tourism is affected because tourism in India, the Gulf and Far East are affected. We know that the decline in third country tourists is a result of the global tourism downturn, especially followed by an increasing threat of SARS. The number of tourists from the third world countries recorded a decline in Nepal because of the high cost of marketing in the international market. Several issues have been raised for the development of the tourism sector, but the implementation aspect of the recommendations is too poor in Nepal, so long run planning is required for the revival of the tourism business. However, a lot is still to be done. The situation can definitely be improved if certain steps are taken. Facilities such as clean drinking water, sanitation, good transportation system, construction of good roadways are prerequisites to attract tourists.There is immense potential for tourism development in Nepal.

France faces more travel misery

France faces more travel misery

France faces a second day of travel chaos as transport unions continue a strike in protest against President Nicolas Sarkozy's pension reforms. Rail and bus services were crippled in Wednesday's action, and more than 50,000 people rallied in Paris against Mr Sarkozy's plans.
The president later called for a speedy end to the strike, saying conditions for talks with the unions had been met. Germany also faces rail disruption, as train drivers strike over a pay demand. Passenger train drivers joined freight drivers, who had started strike action on Wednesday.
Deutsche Bahn says it will not make a new pay offer, and drivers' unions have raised the prospect of open-ended strikes.

Breakthrough hopes
In France, fewer than 25% of trains and only 90 of the 700 high-speed TGVs ran normally on Wednesday, while just one in five trains on the Paris metro and only 15% of bus services operated.
'SPECIAL' PENSIONS
Benefits 1.6m workers, including 1.1m retirees
Applies in 16 sectors, of which rail and utilities employees make up 360,000 people
Account for 6% of total state pension payments
Shortfall costs state 5bn euros (£3.5bn; $6.9bn) a year
Some workers can retire on full pensions aged 50
Awarded to Paris Opera House workers in 1698 by Louis XIV
In pictures: French strikes
Can street protests succeed?
Solidarity amid French crisis
Have you been affected?
Commuters across the country were forced to find other ways to get to work - car sharing, cycling or roller blading along traffic-choked roads.
However, hopes of a breakthrough were raised on Wednesday evening after Mr Sarkozy said conditions for talks had been created. "The president of the republic has always considered there is more to be gained for all parties in negotiation than in conflict," said Mr Sarkozy's spokesman David Martinon. Labour Minister Xavier Bertrand held a series of meetings with the unions, whose leaders signalled their readiness to make a deal. Jacques Voisin, head of the CFTC union, said after meeting the minister: "Let's not waste any time... let's negotiate."
Bernard Thibault, head of the powerful CGT union, appeared to retreat from a previous demand for national talks by saying he would accept negotiations on a company-by-company basis.
But six rail and four metro unions later voted to continue the action for at least another 24 hours.

'Special' pensions
The open-ended strike began on Tuesday night and follows a previous walkout on 18 October.
It is not clear if energy workers will continue to strike on Thursday, although they have voted to continue a blockade of the liquefied natural gas terminal at Fos-sur-Mer to Friday.
The last time a French government tried to overhaul "special" pensions was in 1995 and it sparked three weeks of strikes that forced then-President Jacques Chirac to climb down. But the polls have so far broadly supported Mr Sarkozy, who says France can no longer afford to let some public service employees retire on a full pension as early as 50.

How to make tourism greener

How to make tourism greener

International tourism can play the role of both victim and villain when it comes to climate change.
Rising temperatures are already affecting snow-based destinations


It needs balmy weather, corals and coastlines - all under threat from rising temperatures and climate change.

But it also depends on energy-guzzling jumbo jets, air-conditioned hotel complexes and swimming pools kept pristine with environmentally damaging chemicals.

With the sector contributing to some 5% of global carbon emissions, its impact cannot be ignored.

"We have to talk about tourism and climate change," says Stefanos Fotiou of the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep).

"Tourism cannot grow sustainably without addressing the challenges of climate change."

Balancing the boom

The most recent figures from the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) suggest that the industry continues to expand, with 610 million international tourist arrivals in the first eight months of 2007, 32 million more than in the same period last year.


The number is expected to swell to 1.6 billion by 2020.

Experts from the UNWTO say that industry is waking up to its responsibilities, aware that fuelling climate change, which degrades the very environment on which tourism depends, could undermine its business in the long term.

"A phenomenon of such magnitude cannot remain without consequences for the climate," UNWTO chief Francesco Frangialli told delegates at the World Tourism Market in London, where hundreds of representatives from the sector have gathered.

The future may offer more fuel-efficient aircraft


At least 60 tourism ministers have pledged to back a declaration drafted in Davos in October, committing to take "concerted action against climate change".

The agreement aims to adapt tourism to climate change, to mitigate its effects, to increase the use of alternative technologies and to channel funding for such efforts towards poorer countries, many of whom depend on tourism for a sizeable chunk of their economies.

Tourism is the primary source of foreign exchange earnings in 46 out of 50 of the world's least developed countries, according to the UNWTO.

The declaration contains no specific targets but for Geoffrey Lipman, of the UNWTO, it demonstrates governments' awareness of the balance between tourism and climate change.

"It's a first step on a road towards achieving targets. We wouldn't be here if we weren't committed to playing a part in the global response."

Breathing space

As a state dependent on long-haul tourism, Sri Lanka is one of the nations leading the way.

With 30% rainforest cover and home to 3,000 Asian elephants, the island has pledged to become an Earth Lung - a completely carbon clean sovereign state.

"Sri Lanka is a biodiversity hotspot," the country's Tourism Minister Renton de Alwis said.

The wide variety of flora and fauna indigenous to Sri Lanka's unique ecosystem makes it particularly vulnerable to climactic shifts.

"It is both an advantage and a responsibility for us. Little Sri Lanka has come up with the initiative to make us a carbon-neutral destination," Mr de Alwis said.
Low-lying island states are most at risk of temperature rises


This will involve establishing codes of practice for the various tourism sectors, promoting reforestation and encouraging the use of alternative energy sources.

But other representatives from countries who depend on long-haul travel expressed reservations about targeting tourism to tackle climate change.

Australia warned against demonising aviation, Brazil insisted it should not shoulder a "disproportionate burden" and India pointed out that the best form of adaptation to climate change is development.

Dramatic action

But for many environmental lobbyists, any attempt to really alter tourism's impact on the planet must by definition, be drastic.

If I hear the words 'carbon offsetting' once more, I will scream. These kind of papal indulgences were sold in the Middle Ages
Jeff Gazzard, Aviation Environment Federation

Eco-tourism: a sustainable trade?


"Business as usual is not going to move us towards a carbon neutral world," said Jeff Gazzard, of the Aviation Environment Federation, who nevertheless welcomes the Davos declaration.

He insists that industry, as well as governments, must tackle the core issues, rather than trying to rid themselves of responsibility through measures like carbon offsetting - where individuals or companies balance their carbon output by financing green projects.

"If I hear the words 'carbon offsetting' once more, I will scream. These kind of papal indulgences were sold in the Middle Ages. It is like paying someone else to give up smoking," he said.

Any improvements in plane or fuel technology, he said, would be outpaced by growth in the sector, which expands by 3-4% per year.

Aviation spewed out some 610 mega-tons of carbon each year, he points out, more than the world's fourth biggest economy - the UK.

He predicts that, by 2010 the figure will rise to 776 mega-tons and, by 2025, it will reach 1,228 mega-tons.

He proposes a hefty passenger tax on aviation of 3.6 pence (74 cents) per kilometre which would flatten demand growth to 1-2% each year.

"This is an industry wedded to kerosene," he said. "There is no tax on aviation of any meaningful variety."

Changing behaviour

One powerful driver which lobbyists, governments and industry specialists agree upon is consumers, who can shape policy with their decisions.

This trend has spawned the rise of a wealth of options such as responsible or eco-tourism which seek to reconcile environmental impact with local benefit.

European tour operator Tui Travel, which provides vacations for 30 million customers per year, says clients are increasingly asking about the carbon impact when booking their holidays, even if is the last thing on their minds when they actually arrive.

The company is pioneering a scheme to rate the energy efficiency of hotels, expecting that customer demand will transform behaviour as tour operators withdraw from unsustainable hotels and destinations.

It is a trend that the Unep encourages. "With your choices you can make tourism respond to climate change," says Mr Fotiou.