The Living Goddess: A Journey into the Heart of Kathmandu – Isabella Tree

£18.99

In a small medieval palace on Kathmandu’s Durbar Square lives Nepal’s famous Living Goddess – a child as young as three who is chosen from a caste of Buddhist goldsmiths to watch over the country and protect its people.

To Nepalis she is the embodiment of Devi (the universal goddess) and for centuries their Hindu kings have sought her blessing to legitimize their rule. Legends swirl about her, for the facts are shrouded in secrecy and closely guarded by dynasties of priests and caretakers.  Weaving together myth, religious belief, modern history and court gossip, Isabella Tree takes us on a compelling and fascinating journey to the esoteric, hidden heart of Nepal. Through her unprecedented access to the many layers of Nepalese society, she is able to put the country’s troubled modern history in the context of the complex spiritual beliefs and practices that inform the role of the little girl at its centre.  Deeply felt, emotionally engaged and written after over a decade of travel and research, The Living Goddess is a compassionate and illuminating enquiry into this reclusive Himalayan country.

‘'A unique insight into an astonishing tradition' Colin Thubron

In a small medieval palace on Kathmandu’s Durbar Square lives Nepal’s famous Living Goddess – a child as young as three who is chosen from a caste of Buddhist goldsmiths to watch over the country and protect its people.

To Nepalis she is the embodiment of Devi (the universal goddess) and for centuries their Hindu kings have sought her blessing to legitimize their rule. Legends swirl about her, for the facts are shrouded in secrecy and closely guarded by dynasties of priests and caretakers.  Weaving together myth, religious belief, modern history and court gossip, Isabella Tree takes us on a compelling and fascinating journey to the esoteric, hidden heart of Nepal. Through her unprecedented access to the many layers of Nepalese society, she is able to put the country’s troubled modern history in the context of the complex spiritual beliefs and practices that inform the role of the little girl at its centre.  Deeply felt, emotionally engaged and written after over a decade of travel and research, The Living Goddess is a compassionate and illuminating enquiry into this reclusive Himalayan country.

‘'A unique insight into an astonishing tradition' Colin Thubron

The Living Goddess: A Journey into the Heart of Kathmandu
ISBN: 978-1-78060-046-8
Format: 368pp demi pb
Place: Nepal/India

Author Biography

Isabella Tree was born in 1964 and began travelling as a child with her parents to Kashmir and Ladakh. She is the author of three other non-fiction books – The Bird Man (1991), Islands in the Clouds (1996) and Sliced Iguana -Travels in Mexico (2001).  She writes for publications such as Granta, National Geographic magazine, the Sunday Times and the Observer and she has been travelling to Nepal regularly since the 1980’s.  She lives at Knepp Castle in West Sussex with her husband and two teenage children in the middle of a pioneering re-wilding project.