KEY POINTS:
She was the Nepalese child goddess who broke with centuries of custom and travelled overseas, only for her family to learn she was being stripped of her title for this breach of etiquette.
For three anxious weeks they negotiated with the authorities, insisting she had done nothing wrong.
And that effort has finally paid off. In a noisy and colourful return to Nepal, 10-year-old Sajani Shakya flew home this week to undergo a special cleansing ritual and to be told that her deity status remained intact.
"I'm very happy," said Sajani, after undergoing the ritual at her family's home in the historic Nepalese city of Bhaktapur.
"Rather than appreciating what I have done for Nepal I feel as though people have made me seem little."
Sajani is one of more than a dozen child goddesses - or "kumaris" - traditionally worshipped by the Newari, an ethnic minority from Nepal's Kathmandu valley. Chosen between the ages of 2 and 4 and only after passing 32 selection tests which include having a "golden colour" and a body "like a banyan tree", the little girls are worshipped by Buddhists and Hindus alike - with people seeking the kumaris' blessing or help. With the onset of menstruation the girls lose their deity-status.
Sajani and her family fell foul of the local guild which oversees the kumaris when she travelled to Washington last month to attend the United States premiere of a British documentary, Living Goddess, which explores the kumari tradition.
"We sought the permission of everyone we thought we needed," said producer Marc Hawker.
While Sajani was unaware of the drama unfolding back home - her parents and guardian having decided not to tell her - officials announced they would seek another girl to replace the 10-year-old.
But after lobbying from the film-makers and members of the local community, the authorities relented and indicated Sajani would be permitted to continue as a goddess.
The precise reason for the guild's initial decision is unclear and there are suggestions some officials may have been jealous of the attention Sajani received on her trip.
There was also apparently concern she may have become "contaminated" while in the US as a result of eating food cooked in a kitchen that had prepared beef.
Her family were able to assure the authorities that Sajani's meals were specially prepared by a Nepalese chef in Washington.
A five-star hotel in the city even agreed to send a letter stating she had not eaten any food prepared by the hotel.
- Independent
Life and times of living deities
* The child goddesses - or "kumaris" - are traditionally worshipped by the Newari, an ethnic minority from Nepal's Kathmandu valley.
* They are chosen between the ages of 2 and 4.
* They must pass 32 selection tests which include having a "golden colour" and a body "like a banyan tree".
* The girls are worshipped by Buddhists and Hindus alike - with people seeking the kumaris' blessing or help.
* With the onset of menstruation the girls lose their deity-status.
