If you’re a Okay-drama aficionado like I’m, likelihood is your first introduction to shamanism got here via the display. Think about my shock after I found that Himachal’s Kullu Valley has its personal wealthy, dwelling, respiratory shamanic custom rooted within the Himalayan Devta tradition. Right here, gods don’t simply reside in temples — they journey in palanquins, settle village disputes, and even resolve wedding ceremony dates.
When documentary filmmaker and writer Anu Malhotra first visited the valley, she, too, didn’t count on to be pulled right into a world the place gods stroll amongst individuals and each day life selections are guided by ritual and trance. What she encountered was not a distant remnant of the previous, however a thriving, sacred ecosystem, one the place shamans often called Goors function dwelling conduits between the human and divine.
Her new guide, Shamans of the Himalayas, emerges from years of deep immersion – over 100 interviews, numerous journeys, and the transformative experiences that additionally formed her award-winning documentary sequence of the identical title.
On this ecosystem, the Goor—what the world would possibly name a shaman—performs a central position. The Goor is a medium between our world and that which lies past. Via them, the divine speaks (Supply: PR Handout)
We caught up with Malhotra to grasp the workings of this custom, its which means, and why this historic lifestyle nonetheless issues right now. Learn the edited excerpts beneath:
Q. What precisely is the shaman tradition of the Kullu Valley like? Is it something like what we see in popular culture depictions of shamans?
In Kullu, the Devis and Devtas are usually not simply temple-bound, they transfer amongst individuals. The gods are thought-about dwelling entities. They journey in processions, go to different deities, and take part in village festivals. Because of this the valley is named Dev Bhoomi, the land of the gods.
Inside this sacred ecosystem, the Goor – what the world would possibly name a shaman – performs a central position. The Goor acts as a medium between our world and what lies past. Via them, the gods converse.
Removed from being unique or distant, this communication is deeply woven into each day life. Locals seek the advice of a Goor earlier than constructing houses, arranging marriages, or resolving a village disaster like asking for rain or ending it.
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Q. Does the Devta tradition borrow closely from Hinduism?
Although shamanism is tribal at its root, within the Kullu Valley, it’s absorbed inside Sanatan Dharma. The divine manifests as Devis and Devtas, typically localised avatars of Hindu gods. Some are ancestral heroes, Naag Devtas (serpent deities), or nature spirits inhabiting forests, rivers and lakes, and mountains.
This fusion of tribal spirituality with Hinduism is what offers the tradition its distinctive character. It’s not a fringe observe, it’s absolutely built-in.
What the world calls shamanism, we dwell as Devta tradition. The Goor isn’t a separate healer—they’re the voice of the Devta. This isn’t an remoted perception system. It’s a lived, community-anchored custom rooted within the rhythms of the land.
Q. Inform us extra in regards to the ‘Goors.’
Whereas in trance states, the Goor turns into the mouthpiece of the deity. Folks collect – generally in giant public festivals, generally in intimate periods referred to as pooch. The questions can vary from sickness to private dilemmas to village-wide issues and even exorcisms.
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Her new guide, Shamans of the Himalayas, emerges from years of deep immersion—over 100 interviews, numerous journeys, and the highly effective experiences that formed her award-winning documentary sequence of the identical title (Supply: PR Handout)
There are different strategies of divination too, some not involving trance, however deeply ritualistic and intuitive. Every session is approached with seriousness and reverence.
Chances are you’ll not recognise a Goor in each day life. They could be uneducated, financially struggling, even working common jobs. However when the Devta calls, the whole lot else stops. They need to go. That sense of give up and duty is held with nice honour. They carry the burden of duty with deep devotion.
A Goor is supported by a crew often called the Devloo, chosen by the deity. This features a Pujari (priest), Kardar (supervisor), and Bajantris (musicians). It’s the music that leads the Goor into trance. Every deity has a singular rhythm.
How does this examine with shamanic practices in different elements of India?
Whereas Shamans of the Himalayas focuses on the Kullu Valley, every area in India has its personal cosmology. Their gods, rituals, and practices are completely different. You can’t generalise shamanism in India. It’s hyperlocal and deeply embedded in group reminiscence. Comparable practices exist throughout India, from the Baigas of Madhya Pradesh to the tribal healers of the Northeast.
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What impressed you to jot down this guide?
What began as a movie mission turned a life-altering journey. Over three years, I noticed issues I couldn’t clarify. I additionally noticed how fragile this tradition is, hidden behind tourism and ignored by fashionable India.
Whereas Shamans of the Himalayas focuses on the Kullu Valley, every area in India has its personal cosmology (Supply: PR Handout)
I’ve tried to take a look at it with empathy, but in addition with a essential lens. It doesn’t romanticise the tradition. What’s the psychology of perception? Why can we dismiss what we don’t perceive?
Why is it vital now?
We’re dropping cultural range at an alarming tempo. The globalised world is erasing the very issues that make us distinctive. The Kullu Valley is sort of a bubble – it has survived as a result of it was as soon as inaccessible. However even that’s altering.
At a time of ecological collapse and cultural amnesia, Shamans of the Himalayas asks us to pause. Perhaps, simply perhaps, we have to look again—to not retreat, however to recollect. There are alternative ways of being, of realizing, and of therapeutic.