A boksi (Nepali: बोक्सी) is a person who has knowledge of witchcraft, ''Tuna Muna'' and
Tantra
Tantra (; ) is an esoteric yogic tradition that developed on the India, Indian subcontinent beginning in the middle of the 1st millennium CE, first within Shaivism and later in Buddhism.
The term ''tantra'', in the Greater India, Indian tr ...
. According to Tantra-shastra and
Shivapurana, a boksi or boksa is a woman/ man who is different from normal gods or goddesses and has their own language. Boksi has a divine power and is capable to heal various diseases. A Boksi is capable to differentiate god, goddess, ghosts, ''pret'', ''pichas'' or ''dakini''. They are able to call any of the goddess or witches and ask them to do a job for them. According to mythology,
Parvati
Parvati (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, pɑɾʋət̪iː/), also known as Uma (, , IPA: Sanskrit phonology, /ʊmɑː/) and Gauri (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, gə͡ʊɾiː/), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the Devi, ...
, the wife of
Shiva
Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...
was the originator of boksi knowledge. She gave this power to seven of her sisters. From the youngest sister, this knowledge is believed to be transferred to the humans.
Mostly elderly, unmarried or widowed women are the most likely to have been accused of being a boksi.
In contemporary culture
*''Boksi'' - a Nepali book on child psychology written by
Balkrishna Sama.
* ''Boksi Ko Ghar'' (Translation: House of Boksi) - a social drama written by Sulakshan Bharati
Legislation
According to Nepalese law, the person accusing someone a Boksi may be subjected to criminal offence and is liable to pay up to NPR 100,000 and a prison sentence of up to five years.
See also
*
Nepalese folklore
*
Witch-hunts in Nepal
References
Asian witchcraft
Nepalese folklore
Tantra
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