Jhakri Tour - Uncover the Mystical Shamanic World in Nepal

Jhakri Tour - Uncover the Mystical Shamanic World in Nepal

Jhakris wear a headband made of porcupine quills and peacock feathers on their heads. They also wear rudraksha and a bead of reetha, the soapnuts. Clad in white clothes, they beat a framed drum called dhyangro and dance. The onlookers are thrilled with this unique scene.

Jhakris are nature worshipers. They follow the Bon religion, which is considered older than Buddhism.

Jhakris are experts in traditional knowledge and skills. They treat patients through tantric method and by using different healing herbs. They are considered traditional village doctors.

Timal Narayan

Natural Meditation Center

    - Temal also has a Narayan temple and a cave where Guru Rimpoche meditated

Temal (2,000 meters) is a hill station. Temal Rural Municipality was formed by integrating ten former village development committees, including Mechhe, Chapakhori, Narayansthan, Thulo Versel, Boldefediche, Saramthali, Sarsayukharka, Kanpur, Methinkot, and Katunje. Eighty percent of the inhabitants here are Tamang. The rest of the population is Brahmin, Chhetri, Newar, Magar, Kami, Thakuri, Damai, Sarki, and Danuwar, among others.

Temal is a beautiful gift of nature. One can see a wide range of mountains, including Mount Everest, Gaurishankar, Langtang, Sisapangma, Dorje Lakpa, Ganesh, Manaslu, Bouddha, Lamjung, and Annapurna Himal from this hill station. Sunkoshi flows to the north of the hill, while the Rosi River flows to the south.

Temal is a holy land. It is home to the Narayan temple and the Gyolong cave, where Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava) practiced penance. This village also has many chaityas of Swayambhu, Bauddha, and Namobuddha.

According to Lila Bahadur Dong's book ‘Temal Palace and Tamang Kings,’ the old name of Temal is Termal. In the past, there was a Tamang kingdom in Temal. King Prithvi Narayan Shah attacked Temal in 1762 AD. The ruins of that palace are still seen on the hill.

A statue of Guru Padmasambhava is built in Yari Nag Pokhari. Nearby, there is Arya Avalokiteshwar Dhyan Gumba. It is believed that there are the footsteps of Padmasambhava in the monastery of Gopti village and Guru Padmasambhava performed penance on the Yari Nag Ghelung cliff.

The villagers here depend on agriculture. Bodhi chitta (a seed considered holy and used to make beads) grows in the village. Buddhists chant Om Mani Padme Hum while holding a bead made of Bodhi Chitta seeds.

Temal is a natural meditation center with hotel and eatery facilities. It is 60 kilometers from Kathmandu via Dhulikhel and 15 kilometers east of Bhakundebesi on the B.P. Highway. Travelers can get public buses from Banepa to go to Temal village.

 

Jhakris live in the central hill region of Nepal, which includes Rasuwa, Kavrepalanchowk, Dolakha, Ramechhap, and Rukum districts. They come from different ethnicities, including Magar, Gurung, Tamang, Thami, Danuwar, and Bhote. Tamangs make up the largest number.

With the influence of modern medicine, the use of shamanic practices is decreasing, and this has reduced the number of shamans. However, the interest of Western tourists in shamanism is growing. So, it is high time to convert shamanism into a tourism product.

Jhakri TouristsTemal Areas

Foreign tourists visit Temal village in Kavrepalanchok district every year to study shamanism and receive traditional healing. The Kathmandu based Friends Adventure Team has been organizing Jhakri tours in this place since 2005.

According to Rajendra Lama, the manager of Team, European and American tourists, in particular, are interested in Jhakri tours. He takes foreign guests to the houses of the shamans in Temal village in a one-week package tour. The shamans perform jokhana, the fortune telling, for the guests. They beat the drums and perform pujas. In the evening, they perform rituals to destroy the evil and sacrifice roosters. Tourists enjoy when shamans perform ghost and demonappealing rituals.Temal, Guru Rimpoche

Shamans give medicinal herbs to tourists to make them happy, and this is also a way of psychological treatment. ‘Jhakris help heal the guests. Foreigners are convinced of such treatment,’ says Lama, ‘and some tourists even tie a sacred buti, an amulet, in the hope of having children.’

Some Nepali Jhakris are famous abroad as well. Lama informed that Nepali female shaman Maili Tamang could enchant many people at a workshop in Germany.

Some foreigners suffering from the side effects of modern medicine tend to believe in Jhakri healing practices. They are also interested in studying this traditional healing practice. However, Nepal has yet to promote this prospect. The government should invest in research, protection, and branding of Jhakri practices. Only then can we attract more tourists.

 

- RAJENDRA LAMA Director, Friends Adventure Team 

There are more than two hundred Jhakris in Temal village which is predominantly inhabited by Tamangs. Every year, during Janai Purnima, a fair is held at the Narayanthan temple. Jhakris perform pujas for two days during the fair. Tourists are also taken on a tour of the fair. They immerse themselves in Nepali culture. Jhakri tours are also organized in other seasons except this fair.

Lama’s company has prepared a one-week package for the Jhakri tour. Tourists are made to socialize with the local Jhakris during this trip. On the first day, they are taken on a village tour. Later, they hike to Panauti via Namo Buddha. From there, they return to Kathmandu.

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New tour packages can be developed to take foreigners to other settlements of the Jhakri community in different parts of Nepal. Nepal government, Nepal Tourism Board, and tourism activists should collaborate on this initiative. It is necessary to realize that Jhakri tour can be an important part of spiritual tourism.