KATHMANDU: Nepal’s president has backed the choice of a three-year-old girl to be worshipped as a living goddess, officials said Monday — upholding age-old tradition despite the Maoist government’s atheist stance.

The selection of the child goddess, or Royal Kumari, had for centuries required the approval of Nepal’s kings, but the abolition of the monarchy earlier this year dictated a protocol change. “In Nepal’s changed political context, Presidaent Ram Baran Yadav has taken the responsibility of approving the Kumari as he’s now head of state,” said Hemraj Subedi, an official on the board that selected the girl in Kathmandu.

Three-year-old Matine Shakya was chosen to replace the current Royal Kumari, 12-year-old Kumari Preeti Shakya, because the older girl is near puberty after which she will be considered ritually unclean.

The Maoist government has maintained the tradition of the “living goddesses” despite being officially atheist. “Just because we are now a republic and no longer have a king or royal priest, does not mean we should end our traditions,” said Keshab Bahadur Shrestha, a member of the government’s Kumari selection panel. Nepal became the world’s newest republic after former rebel Maoists ended their civil war two years ago, won landmark polls in April and quickly pushed through the abolition of the world’s last Hindu monarchy.

The Kumari, which means virgin, must meet 32 strict criteria — including having a “chest like a lion” and “thighs like a deer” — as well as pass tests that include being in a room with dead sacrificed buffalo and not crying.

There are three Kumaris in medieval towns in the Kathmandu Valley, but the Royal Kumari in Kathmandu is considered the most powerful and had the closest links with the former monarchy. “The new Kumari is undergoing special private rituals carried out by Hindu and Buddhist priests and will officially start on Tuesday,” said Subedi.