The Kumari Bahal in Kathmandu is located at the intersection of Durbar and Basantapur Squares. The structure is basically a three storey building constructed from red colour bricks. Kumari Bahal, the palace where the Kumari lives while she is the chosen Devi, is a beautiful ancient palaceThis structure was built in the mid-1700s by Jaya Prakash Malla and also houses a stupa with symbols of Goddess Saraswati and a huge chariot that is used to take the Kumari around the city during the annual festival of Indra Jatra.

A girl is selected to be the living goddess of the town till the time she reaches puberty, after which she converts back to living like a mortal. a Kumari is a prepubescent girl selected from the Shakya caste or Bajracharya clan of the Nepalese Newari Buddhist community. The Kumari is revered and worshiped by some of the country’s Hindus. While there are several Kumaris throughout Nepal, with some cities having several, the best known is the Royal Kumari of Kathmandu, and she lives in the Kumari Ghar, a palace in the center of the city. The selection process for her is especially rigorous. As of 2017, the Royal Kumari is Trishna Shakya, aged three, installed in September 2017 by the Maoist government that replaced the monarchy. Unika Bajracharya, selected in April 2014 as the Kumari of Patan, is the second most important living goddess.