teachers of White Field School and is promoted to a higher class after completing the promotion requirements as dictated by the rules of the school.” This arrangement has been made by the Government. Restrictions are placed on the Kumari regarding her going outside the house. She is required to observe strict rules. She is entitled to move up and down only on the second and third floors of the house. She cannot be photographed or interviewed. She must always dress in red clothes, wear a ‘chwra’ (a kind of bangle) and put a ‘tika’ on her forehead. It is compulsory for her to be present on the occasion of important festivals. The Kumari continues to occupy her post until she reaches the age of puberty. The Kumari is provided with a monthly allowance of Rs. 6,000. A retired Kumari gets a monthly allowance of Rs. 3,000. She is granted Rs. 1,000 monthly to meet her educational expenses and Rs. 50,000 for matrimonial expenses. Kumari of Patan: The personal house of the girl appointed as Kumari is treated as the Kumari house. She is prohibited to cross over the main gate of the house. She is worshipped daily. The Kumari is taken out of the house especially on the occassion of the festival of Rato Machhindranath and Bada Dashai. The Kumari is required to sit every day on an raised seat, dressed in her red clothes. She is also required to give her ‘darshan’ to the devotees. She is allowed to play and to do her homework. The Kumari is given tuition every day for two hours by a lady teacher of Basura School. The Guthi Sansthan provides the family of the Kumari every month with Rs. 1,800 to meet her educational and worship expenses. She is granted Rs. 1,000 as tuition fee and the school is paid Rs. 2,000 annually. Lalitpur Submetropolis yearly grants her Rs. 12,000. Kumari of Bhaktapur: The Akanta Kumari of Bhaktapur enjoys the freedom to study and to go outside [for a short period]. She must stay inside the Kumari house. She continues to hold the post of Kumari until she starts menstruating. The incumbent Kumari and a retired Kumari are entitled to receive a monthly allowance of Rs. 450 and Rs, 100, respectively. There are no special restrictions on the Kumari. She is required to wear the red robe only on the occasion of ‘special pujas’. She enjoys the freedom to stay with her family at her house but she must stay inside the Kumari house from ‘Ghatasthapana’ to Purnima (full moon). Kumari of Bungamati: The Kumari of Bungamati continues to hold the post of Kumari till she loses her milk teeth. The Kumari leads a simple life. The incumbent Kumari studies at Shikhar Boarding School in Bungamati. She wears the school uniform while going to school. The Kumari is required to perform a daily ‘puja’. On the occasion of every ‘Sankranti’, she is taken to the premises of the Bungamati Machhindranath temple where hundreds of devotees worship her. There is no Guthi (Trust) or organization entrusted with the operation and management of the Bungamati Kumari tradition. All this is done by the family of the Kumari. After her retirement from the post of Kumari, she is entitled to lead her life like any other girl. Thus, all this shows that girls of a very young age are made ‘Kumaris’. Although the custom of Kumari is a religious and cultural heritage, the girls appointed as Kumaris have 110