腳不能沾地的女神 揭祕尼泊爾"活女神"

In most communities around the world, goddesses are symbolic of a spiritual world. But in Nepal, these sacred females live and breathe.

在世界上大部分的國家和地區，女神是精神世界的象徵，但在尼泊爾，這些神聖的女性在世間生活着呼吸着。

Handpicked from birth, these pre-pubescent girls are known as Kumaris, which means virgin in Nepalese, and are believed to be incarnations of the Hindu Goddess of Power, Kali.

這些被稱爲“庫瑪利斯”（尼泊爾語處女）的女孩是自出生時就被精心挑選出來的。直到進入青春期前，她們都被視爲印度女神時母的化身。

They are forced to leave their homes and are hidden away in temples as a living deity, only able to leave when they are required at festivals and processions as the subject of worship.

她們被認爲是在人間的神祗，必須隱居在神廟裏，只有出席節慶或宗教活動時才被允許離開。回家更是不可能的事情。

These Kumaris are even considered too special to walk, instead being carried in chariots, thrones and other people's arms - sometimes meaning they do not learn to walk until they retire.

人們認爲這些女孩太特殊，她們無須步行，一般坐馬車、寶座或肩輿出行。也就是說，有時她們在退休之前都不會學習走路。

And the girls are banned from going to school or taking part in day-to-day society, only appearing outside their temples up to 13 times a year.

她們不能上學，也不能過普通人的日常生活。一年最多隻能離開神廟13次。

But once they reach puberty, everything changes for these Kumaris. After menstruation starts, the girls are put through a 12-day 'Gufa' ritual, after which their life as a Kumari ends - and they return to an ordinary life that they have never known.

一旦到了青春期，一切都將變得不同。初潮開始後，她們會參加一個爲期12天被稱爲“古法”的儀式。“庫瑪利斯”生涯就此結束，她們將回到此前從未經歷過的正常人的生活中去。