She was, quite literally, a living goddess - albeit one with a fondness for video games, rollercoasters and Bollywood musicals. Now Sajani Shakya has told her devotees that she is stepping down from her divine position to take early retirement, aged 11.

For nine years Sajani lived the life of a Kumari, one of a handful of prepubescent girls to be revered as living incarnations of Kali, the fearsome Hindu mother goddess, in Nepal.

Sajani rose to prominence last year when she broke with tradition and became the first Kumari to leave her homeland, flying from the temple town of Bhaktapur, near Kathmandu,to the United States. While in the US she promoted a documentary film of her life, was given a private tour of the White House and visited the zoo.

Nepalese officials denied that Sajani's decision to step down early was linked to controversy over the trip. Rather, her relatives - Kumaris are drawn from Buddhist families although they represent a Hindu deity - have said they wish Sajani to take part in another local religious rite, one that is closed to living goddesses.

The guardians of the Kumari tradition — worth an estimated £100,000 a year, brought in by pilgrims and tourists — wasted no time in advertising the situation vacant. Kumaris are selected typically between the ages of 2 and 4 years old after undergoing several tests. They are required to have “perfect” skin, hair, eyes and teeth. Scars are not allowed and Kumaris cannot be afraid of the dark.

Advocates for the tradition say choosing a Hindu goddess from a Buddhist tribe shows that common understanding among different groups is possible in Nepal, despite the country's turbulent recent history.

The search for a new deity will be opposed by activists who say that Kumaris are denied a basic education and other childhood norms. It has also been suggested that retired Kumaris are often ostracised by society because of the perception that they bring bad luck.

Being selected as a Kumari makes for an extraordinary upbringing. In 2003 Sajani, then aged 6, was hidden for six months after a row between her guardians and officials over who would receive money paid by her devotees. Three years later the supreme court of Nepal ordered an inquiry to determine whether worshipping a “living goddess” was a form of child abuse.

For her part, during last year's visit to Washington, Sajani was adamant that there was nothing she didn't like about being divine.

She did, however, seem rather gloomy about the prospect of giving up her elevated status.

“When I'm not a goddess anymore,” she said, “no one will treat me as well as they treat me now.”

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