Kumari, the Living Goddess of Kathmandu: Kumari Ghar, Visiting Rules, Photos and Indra Jatra 2027

Updated 25 October 2026.

Short answer: The Kumari is a young Newar girl worshipped in Kathmandu as the living form of the goddess Taleju. She lives in the Kumari Ghar on Basantapur Durbar Square and shows herself at an upper window for short moments. You may wait quietly in the courtyard, but you must not photograph her. The foreigner ticket for the square was NPR 1,000 in the sources I checked, and you should confirm it at the counter. Our private one-day UNESCO World Heritage Site Tour, which includes a stop here, is USD 195 Budget, USD 249 Standard and USD 299 Luxury per person for two to four people.

I am Shreejan. People often ask me whether it is right to go and look at a child. I think it is, if you go the right way. This is what I know, what the written sources say, and what nobody can promise you.

Who is the Kumari of Kathmandu?

Kumari means virgin or young girl. The Royal Kumari of Kathmandu is a girl from the Newar community, from the Shakya or Bajracharya families, who is worshipped as the embodiment of Taleju Bhawani, a form of the goddess Durga. There are other Kumaris in Patan, Bhaktapur and Bungamati, but the one in Kathmandu is the best known.

The earliest written record that Wikipedia cites is an inscription from 1280, in the reign of King Ananta Malla. Some chronicles credit King Trailokya Malla, who ruled around 1560 to 1590, with fixing the tradition as it is today. The old story is that Taleju used to visit King Jaya Prakash Malla at night to play dice. When he broke his promise to keep it secret, she left, and later told him in a dream to look for a young Shakya girl in whom she would appear.

I do not name the girls who have served. They are children, and what matters to visitors is the role, not the person.

How is a Kumari chosen, and how long does she serve?

The girl must be healthy, have no scars or birthmarks, have all her teeth and have never shed blood. Priests check her against a traditional list of 32 physical perfections. Wikipedia does not give a fixed age, and I have seen the age quoted differently, so I will not state one.

Her time as Kumari ends when she bleeds in a significant way, most often at her first period. The goddess is then believed to leave her body, and the girl goes back to ordinary life. She receives a modest government pension. Her years in the Ghar are the subject of real debate in Nepal. In 2006 the Supreme Court looked at whether the tradition harms children's rights, and the practice continues. People who love the tradition and people who worry about it both live in Kathmandu, and I do not think it is my place to tell you which is right.

What is the Kumari Ghar?

The Kumari Ghar is her home, a three-storey Newari courtyard house on Basantapur Durbar Square, next to the old Hanuman Dhoka palace. The Nepal Tourism Board dates it to the 17th century. The wooden windows are some of the finest carving in the city. The building survived the April 2015 earthquake, although several other monuments in the square did not.

Fact	What I can say
Where	Basantapur (Kathmandu) Durbar Square, old city, about 15 minutes' walk from Thamel
Who she is	Royal Kumari, a living form of Taleju Bhawani
Foreigner ticket for the square	NPR 1,000 in the sources below, includes the Tribhuvan Museum. Confirm on the day
Extra fee for the Kumari Ghar	None that I could find, it sits inside the square ticket
Viewing times	Not officially published. Visitor guides give different windows
Photos of her	Never allowed
Her feet	She is carried outside, her feet are not meant to touch the ground
Big day to see her	Indra Jatra chariot procession, usually September, date set by the lunar calendar

How and when can visitors see the Kumari?

You walk into the inner courtyard of the Kumari Ghar through a small doorway. People wait there, usually quietly, looking up at the latticed window on the upper floor. Sometimes she appears for a minute or less, and then she withdraws. Sometimes she does not appear at all. That is the part I want you to know before you go. Nobody can promise that you will see her.

There is no official timetable that I can show you. Visitor guides give different windows, usually a late morning slot and an afternoon one, and I would not rely on any of them. I trust my guide on the day more than any website. He asks at the information centre or the neighbours, and he knows if the family has closed the house for a ritual. Viewing can be stopped for festivals, state events and mourning.

Arrive about 15 minutes before the time you are told, and expect to wait.

Why can you not photograph the Kumari?

She is worshipped as a goddess, and taking her picture is seen as a serious insult. Every source I read says the same thing. Put your phone and camera away before she appears, not after. You can usually photograph the courtyard and the outside of the building.

Do not call out to her or wave. A formal offering ritual exists for devotees, and it is not something to copy as a visitor.

How should I behave at the Kumari Ghar?

There is no official code that I know of. These are the habits I would follow.

• Cover your shoulders and knees.
• Speak in a whisper in the courtyard.
• Do not point at her or call out.
• Follow what the local people near you do. If they look down, you look down.

Leather is sometimes asked to be left out of deeper religious areas of the square, though it is not always enforced in the courtyard.

What is Indra Jatra, and when does the Kumari go out?

The Kumari leaves her house only on a few festival days a year. The most public one is Indra Jatra, an eight-day festival in the Newar month of Yanla, also called Yenya or Kumari Jatra. It opens at Durbar Square when a tall wooden pole, a tree cut near Nala about 29 km east of the city, is raised in Durbar Square. The Lakhe dancer in a demon mask goes through the streets, and he is only seen at this festival.

On three days chariots start and end at Basantapur. They carry living representations of Ganesh, Bhairav and the Kumari. The days are called Kwaneya, Thaneya on the full-moon day, and Nanichaya. On the third day the Kumari's chariot has been pulled by an all-women team since 2012. For many years the king received a tika blessing from her during this festival. The monarchy ended in 2008, and the president now has a similar role.

The 2026 chariot days were 25, 26 and 29 September. Indra Jatra is usually in September, and the date is set by the lunar calendar. We confirm it once the official calendar is out. Our Nepal festival calendar for 2027 lists the other festival dates.

The streets are packed on those days. If you plan to be in Kathmandu for the chariot, a guide who knows the route helps. For more on how the festivals fall around Dashain, see Dashain and Tihar 2027 dates and closures.

How much is the Durbar Square entry fee?

The Himalayan Times reported on 5 September 2025 that foreign tourists pay Rs 1,000 at Hanumandhoka Durbar Square. The Nepal Tourism Board page I read on 3 October 2026 for our Kathmandu Durbar Square guide also gave NPR 1,000, with NPR 500 for SAARC nationals and free entry for children under 10. The ticket includes the Tribhuvan Museum.

One other travel site lists the fee in US dollars, as USD 10. I could not find an official notice for 2027, so I cannot promise it will not change. Carry some rupees, and ask at the counter.

On our UNESCO World Heritage Site Tour, 1 Day, entrance fees vary by tier, so see the package page for what your tier covers.

What is the weather like in Kathmandu by month?

These figures are the 1991 to 2020 averages for Tribhuvan Airport as given on Wikipedia, with the festivals I know of for each month.

Month	Daily high / low	Rain	What it means for the square
January	19 / 3 °C	15 mm	Cold mornings, clear days, few crowds
February	22 / 5 °C	24 mm	Dry, Maha Shivaratri at Pashupatinath is usually in February or March
March	26 / 9 °C	38 mm	Warming
April	29 / 12 °C	63 mm	Bisket Jatra in Bhaktapur
May	29 / 16 °C	129 mm	Hot, showers begin
June	30 / 19 °C	241 mm	Monsoon starts, plan indoor stops
July	29 / 20 °C	384 mm	Wettest month
August	29 / 20 °C	343 mm	Heavy rain, few visitors
September	29 / 19 °C	208 mm	Rain easing, Indra Jatra with the Kumari chariot
October	27 / 14 °C	43 mm	Clear and dry, Dashain and Tihar fall in autumn
November	24 / 8 °C	6 mm	Driest and clearest, busy
December	20 / 4 °C	8 mm	Dry, cold at dawn and after dark

If you want to see the Kumari on an ordinary day, I would choose October, November or March, when the weather is kind. If you want the festival, September is usually the month, and you should expect crowds and some closed streets.

Getting there and what it costs

From Thamel it is about a 15-minute walk south, or a short taxi ride. Your hotel can arrange a taxi. In the old city, traffic is slow and the lanes are narrow, so a walk is often faster.

The Kumari Ghar is one stop in a longer day. Our UNESCO World Heritage Site Tour is a private one-day trip with a vehicle and an English-speaking guide, and it lists the Kumari Ghar among its highlights. The live prices for two to four people are USD 195 Budget, USD 249 Standard and USD 299 Luxury per person. A solo traveller pays USD 250, 260 and 430. Kathmandu hotels are separate. We take a 10% deposit and you pay the balance in Kathmandu. Foreign guests pay in USD or EUR, and a balance by card carries 3.5%, while cash in Kathmandu does not.

If you would like longer than a day, the Kathmandu Valley Heritage Tour, 4 Days gives each square room. Our guides to the seven UNESCO sites and the three big temples in one day show how the days fit together, and our Nepal etiquette guide covers behaviour more widely.

Is it ok to visit the Kumari Ghar as a tourist?

Yes. Visitors are allowed in the courtyard, and the appearances are part of how the house has always worked. The point is to be quiet and to leave the girl alone. If you do not feel comfortable, you can enjoy the square and its carvings without waiting at the window.

Can I take photos in Durbar Square?

Yes, in the square and of the buildings. Not of the Kumari. Some interior spaces and ceremonies have their own rules, and your guide will tell you.

Will I definitely see the Kumari?

No. She appears when the family and the priests decide, and the times differ between sources. Go with time to spare and be fine if the window stays closed.

How long should I plan at Kumari Ghar?

About 30 to 45 minutes for the courtyard and the wait, within a 90 minute to 3 hour visit to the whole square.

Are children allowed to see the Kumari?

Yes. Children under 10 get into the square free. Tell them beforehand to stay quiet.

Is there a dress code?

There is no written code that I know of, but cover your shoulders and knees.

Can I see the Kumari during Dashain?

The festival is busy and the house may be closed for ceremonies. She may not appear at the window on major festival days, so ask your guide, and do not plan a tight schedule around it.

If you want to see the Kumari Ghar on a Kathmandu day in 2027, message me on WhatsApp at +977 9810351300 with your dates and I will tell you what is running.