KATHMANDU: Matina Shakya was only three when she was taken away from her parents to be worshipped as a "living goddess" in Nepal's historic capital. On Monday she finally started school after puberty ended her nine-year reign, reports AFP.

Dressed in a green uniform and stripped of the heavy make-up she used to wear, Shakya, 12, looked like any other student as she walked into the Green Peace Co-ed School in Kathmandu.

Fellow students and teachers had gathered outside to welcome her, playing music and waving flags -- a small reminder of the huge crowds she used to draw as Kathmandu's Kumari, or living goddess.

"We are excited to have her with us, and we are discussing how to ease her and help her adjust in the new environment," said the principal Pema Yonjan.