Nepal's president scraps virgin farewell

Nepal's head of state dispensed with a centuries-old tradition of having five virgin girls bid him goodbye as he left on a foreign visit.

KATHMANDU, February 15, 2010 (AFP) - Nepal's head of state on Monday dispensed with a centuries-old tradition of having five virgin girls bid him goodbye as he left on a foreign visit, an aide said.

Heads of state in Nepal have traditionally been seen off by five pre-pubescent girls representing the Hindu goddesses Durga, Sarshwati, Laxmi, Radha and Annapurna who perform religious rituals to bring success.

They are presented with traditional marigold garlands in a ceremony designed to bring good fortune to the departing leader.

But Rajendra Dahal, spokesman for President Ram Baran Yadav, said: "The president felt sorry for the students who used to have to wait outside in the sun for hours, so he scrapped the tradition."

Yadav, who took over as head of state following the abolition of Nepal's 240-year-old Hindu monarchy in 2008 by the then Maoist government, left Monday for India where he will spend four days on a "goodwill visit", Dahal said.

The trip to India is his first foreign visit as president.

India has long been Nepal's closest ally and main trading partner, but relations became strained when the Maoist party formed a government in 2008 following a surprise election win.

Their leader broke with tradition by visiting China before India, and the ultra-leftists -- now in opposition -- have since accused New Delhi of interfering in Nepal's affairs.

Yadav will meet his Indian counterpart and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on a visit aimed at strengthening ties between the two countries, his spokesman said.

"This is purely a goodwill visit. President Ram Baran Yadav will seek to strengthen the mutual understanding between the two neighbours and will extend the good wishes of the Nepalese people to the Indian people," said Dahal.

Yadav, Nepal's first president, will be accompanied on his trip by Nepal's Tourism Minister, Sharad Singh Bhandari, as the government seeks to boost the number of visitors to the impoverished Himalayan nation.