Anthropologists Michael Allen and Mary Slusser identify between 11 and 13 human forms of the goddess Kumari that are worshipped in the Kathmandu Valley. In Nepal, the goddess is invested into the body of young girls who are understood to be the perfect vessels to "house" the goddess. This photograph shows the Patan Kumari enthroned for worship during the Pancadan Festival.

Huntington Archive Image Scan #: N8004