Hindu and Buddhist priests celebrated a 3 year-old girl who was appointed a living goddess in Nepal on Tuesday.  Matani Shakya was carried from her parents' home to an ancient palatial temple, where she will live until she reaches puberty and loses her divine status. The living goddess must have perfect hair, eyes, teeth and skin with no scars, and should not be afraid of the dark. She must also spend a night alone in a room among the heads of ritually slaughtered goats and buffaloes without showing fear. Having passed all the tests, the child will stay in complete isolation at the temple, and will be allowed to return to her family only at the onset of menstruation when a new goddess will be named to replace her. "I feel a bit sad, but since my child has become a living goddess I feel proud," says her father Pratap Man Shakya. Critics say the tradition violates both international and Nepalese laws on child rights because the girls often struggle to readjust to normal lives after they return home.

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