Kirat Mundhum, ( Nepali: किरात मुन्धुम) also known as Kiratism, or Kirati Mundhum, is a traditional belief of the Kirati ethnic groups of

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

Darjeeling Darjeeling (, , ) is a city in the northernmost region of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of West Bengal. Located in the Eastern Himalayas, it has an average elevation of . To the west of Darjeeling lies the Koshi Pr ...

and

Sikkim Sikkim ( ; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Koshi Province of Nepal in the west, and West Bengal in the ...

, majorly practiced by Yakkha, Limbu, Sunuwar, Rai, Dhimal and Hayu peoples in the north-eastern

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...

. The practice is also known as ''Kirat Veda'', ''Kirat-Ko Veda'' or ''Kirat Ko Ved''. According to some scholars, such as Tom Woodhatch, it is a blend of

shamanism Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritual energies into ...

animism Animism (from meaning 'breath, spirit, life') is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence. Animism perceives all things—animals, plants, rocks, rivers, weather systems, human handiwork, and in ...

(e.g.,

ancestor worship The veneration of the dead, including one's ancestors, is based on love and respect for the deceased. In some cultures, it is related to beliefs that the dead have a continued existence, and may possess the ability to influence the fortune of t ...

of Yuma Sammang/ Tagera Ningwaphumang and Paruhang/Sumnima), and

Shaivism Shaivism (, , ) is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Para Brahman, supreme being. It is the Hinduism#Demographics, second-largest Hindu sect after Vaishnavism, constituting about 385 million H ...

.p. 535 ''Nepal'' By Tom Woodhatch It is practiced by about 3.17% of the Nepali population as of 2021.

Religious texts

It has the religious

scripture Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They often feature a compilation or discussion of beliefs, ritual practices, moral commandments and ...

and folk literature of the

Kirat The Kirati people, also spelled as Kirat or Kirant or Kiranti, are Tibeto-Burman ethnolinguistic groups living in the Himalayas, mostly the Eastern Himalaya extending eastward from Nepal to North East India (predominantly in the Indian state o ...

people of Nepal and

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. All four Kirats Khambu (Rai), Limbu (Subba), Sunuwar (Mukhia) and Yakkha (Dewan) have slightly different

religious texts Religious texts, including scripture, are Text (literary theory), texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They often feature a compilation or discussion of beliefs, ritual practices, ...

. Religious texts means the power of great strength ''

Mundhum The Mundhum (also known as ''Peylan'') is the ancient religious scripture and folk literature of the Kirat people. It is an ancient, indigenous religion of Nepal. Mundhum means "the power of great strength" in the Limbu language. The Mundhum cov ...

'' in the

Limbu language Limbu (Limbu: , ''yakthuṅ pan'') is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Limbu people of Nepal and Northeastern India (particularly West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam and Nagaland) as well as expatriate communities in Bhutan. The Limbu refer to the ...

, Mewahang call it ''muddum'', Yakka as ''mintum'', Sunuwar as ''mukdum'' among Kulung as ''ridum'' Bantawa as ''Mundum'' and Chamling as ''mundhum''. It covers many aspects of the Kirat culture, customs and traditions that existed before

Vedic period The Vedic period, or the Vedic age (), is the period in the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age of the history of India when the Vedic literature, including the Vedas (–900 BCE), was composed in the northern Indian subcontinent, between the e ...

in the ancient Indian subcontinent. The religious texts for each tribe consists of customs, habits, rituals, traditions, and myths passed down from the Kirati tribe's ancestors. Religious texts serve, in a way, as customary laws which guide Kirats in their daily lives.p. 65 ''Culture, Creation, and Procreation'' By Monika Böck, Aparna Rao Their religious texts also distinguishes each Kiranti tribe from other Kirati and non-Kiratis as well.

Practices

Kirants practice

and their rituals are mostly related to the worship of

Mother Nature Mother Nature (sometimes known as Mother Earth or the Earth Mother) is a personification of nature that focuses on the life-giving and nurturing aspects of nature by embodying it, in the form of a mother or mother goddess. European concept tr ...

, ancestors, the Sun, the Moon, wind, fire and the main pillar of the house. Almost all sacred rituals in Rai are performed by

Nakchhong Nakchhong (नाक्छोङ) are the Shamanism, Shamanic tribal priest of Rai people, Khambu Rai people an ethnic group that is predominantly located in the Himalayas of Nepal, Sikkim, Darjeeling and Kalimpong. ...

, Mangpa/Bijuwa/the Rai tribal priest. Similarly, the Limbus have phɛdɑŋmɑ/bɑ, yɛbɑ/mɑ, sɑmbɑ/mɑ to perform rituals accordingly. Rai's supreme deity is Sumnima. Sumnima is a female goddess which is believed to be the Mother Earth (Mother Nature) and Paruhang is a male god also known as the

Sky God The sky often has important religious significance. Many polytheism, polytheistic religions have deity, deities associated with the sky. The daytime sky deities are typically distinct from the nighttime ones. Stith Thompson's ''Motif-Index o ...

. The Limbus's supreme deity ''Tagera Ningwaphuma: tɑgɛrɑ niŋwɑphumɑ'' is personified as Yuma Sammang as female and Theba Sammang as male in earthly form. Some Limbus have their own distinct form of worship known as Yuma Sammang is mother goddess of all the Limbus, their follower are Yumaism; they venerate a supreme goddess.

Festivals

All four Kirants celebrate some similar and different festivals throughout the year. Some common festivals are Udhauli, Ubhauli and New year Yele Sambat (

Maghe Sankranti Maghe Sankranti (, , Nepal Bhasa: ) is a Nepali festival observed on the first of Magh (Nepali calendar), Magh in the Vikram Samvat, Vikram Sambat (B.S) or Yele Sambat, Yele calendar marking the end of the winter solstice and the month of Poush. ...

). Sakela is the main festival of Kirat Khambu Rai. In this festival, they worship mother nature and their ancestors, who are believed to be staying in their Chulla. A Chulla is a fireplace of three stones in the garden, with each stone having a unique meaning. This festival is celebrated twice a year and is distinguished by two names Ubhauli and Udhauli. Sakela Ubhauli is celebrated during Baisakh Purnima (full moon day, which lies in the month of Baisakh in calendars of the Indian subcontinent) and Sakela. Udhauli is celebrated during the full moon day in the month of Mangsir. In Ubhauli they pray for the goodness of their family, good weather for cultivation; in Udhauli they thank mother nature and their ancestors for their blessings and good harvest. Newars Celebrate Yenna, and Indrajatra and other festivals of the Valley, relating to Yalamaber, Yela, Khopa, Ye. In both Ubhauli and Udhauli, they sacrifice a rooster and offer

ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of l ...

, rice, homemade alcohol, and tree resin (resin is put in the burning coal for fragrance) as worship, they also conduct a Sakela dance. In this dance, they perform all of their daily life activities such as planting rice, harvesting etc. During the dance the will also copy the behavior of animals and birds which are part of their day-to-day life. The Limbu Kirant celebrates Udhauli Chasok Tangnam on the day of Mangshir Purnima and Ubhauli (Yokwa Tongnam) in the month of Baisakh. Other Kirants (Yakkha and Sunuwars) also celebrate in their own way. Sakela Sili is observed twice a year in the month of Baisakh Purnima and Mangsir Purnima, namely Ubhauli (going up) and Udhauli (coming down), indicating the migration pattern of the birds named Karyangkurung respectively. A Nakchhong performs the sacrificial offering, chula puja and other rituals in the Sakela Than. The dance is then led by a Silimappa and Silimamma and the Kirat community people come together in their traditional attire to form a circle and sing and dance together to the beats and rhythms of drums (Dhol) and cymbals (Jhyamta) enacting their daily life activities as well as mimicking different animals and birds. The sili or the dance moves reflect different aspects of human life and their relationship with nature. Kiratis worship nature; therefore, Sakela Puja also known as Bhumi Puja is a prayer to Mother Nature. During Ubhauli, Kiratis worship Mother Nature for good crops and protection from natural calamities during the time of cultivation and farming. Likewise, Kiratis offer their gratitude and thanks to Mother Nature during Udhauli (harvesting time) for bestowing them with good crops. p. 108 ''Politics of Culture: A study of three Kirata communities in the Eastern Himalayas'' by T.B. Subba

References

External links

Mundhum Kirat Yakthung Chumlung

Dances of the Kiranti

Kiranti Limbus in Qatar
{{Religion topics Indian religions Religion in Nepal Religious texts Kiranti Asian shamanism Culture of Koshi Province

Religious texts

Practices

Festivals

See also

References

External links