Jhakri

A Nepali jhākri with a dhyāngro, a traditional frame drum.
A jhākri in Kalimpong, West Bengal, India
Statues of jhākri near Banjhakri Falls, Sikkim

Jhākri (Nepali: झाक्री) is the Nepali word for shaman. It is sometimes reserved specifically for practitioners of Nepali shamanism, such as that practiced among the Tamang people and the Magars; it is also used in the Indian states of Sikkim and West Bengal, which border Nepal.

Jhākri shamanism is practiced among numerous ethnic groups of Nepal and Northeast India, including the Limbu, Rai Khambu, Sunwar, Sherpa, Kami, Tamang, Gurung, Magars, Lepcha and Khas.[1] Belief in spirits is prevalent, hence also the fear of spirit possession.[2] Some vernacular words for jhākri are phedangbo in the Limbu language, maangpa or nakchyong in Khambu, and boongthing in Lepcha.

Jhākris perform rituals during weddings, funerals, and harvests. They diagnose and cure diseases. Their practices are influenced by Hinduism, Tibetan Buddhism, Mun, and Bön rites.[3]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Gulia 2005, pp. 153–4
  2. ↑ Gulia 2005, p. 152
  3. ↑ Gulia 2005, p. 168

References


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