The deities of the Mundhum, the oral scripture of the Kirat peoples of eastern Nepal, among them the Rai, Limbu, Sunuwar and Yakkha, headed by Tagera Ningwaphuma and including the ancestral and nature figures its recitations name. Mundhum was transmitted purely by memory for most of its history, and only in the twentieth century did Kirat organisations begin systematically transcribing it, a shift still contested over which community's version counts as authoritative. Kiratism has recently been asserted as a distinct religious identity on Nepal's census, separate from Hinduism.
Facts
Structure
Structure of the PantheonA supreme creator above a working order of intermediary powers 1 Divine HeadshipA supreme creator who withdrew from active rule and receives little direct cult 1 Succession Between Divine GenerationsOne divine generation; no succession between generations is recorded 1 The Creator and the Ruling GodsThe creator withdrew after making the world and is seldom addressed in cult 1 Attestation
Era of AttestationHeld from the beginning in the tradition's own terms; documented in the outside record from the 19th century and written down from the 20th 1 Veneration TodayActively venerated in a living tradition 1 Cult
Principal Cult CentreNo single centre. Observance is held at the household and the lineage, under the phedangma and the other Mundhum reciters 1 Organisation
Membership of the PantheonEvery place, clan and lineage adds its own 1 How Mortals Enter the PantheonAncestors and founders become objects of cult 1 Sources
Primary SourceThe Mundhum, recited by phedangma, samba and yeba ritual specialists, with written compilations made from the 20th century and published ethnography 1 Correspondences & Relations
Connections
Associated With
The Kirat peoples (Rai, Limbu, Sunuwar and related groups) are indigenous to eastern Nepal, where their traditional religion Kirat Mundhum is practiced.
Source Encyclopedia of ReligionMircea Eliade (ed.); Lindsay Jones (ed., 2nd ed.)
Originated In
Sources
1. Encyclopedia of Religion
Mircea Eliade (ed.); Lindsay Jones (ed., 2nd ed.), Macmillan Reference, 2005View the Source Kirat (Wikipedia)
Originated In: Himalayas, LeadQuote, Originated In: Himalayas, Lead
The Kirati people (also Kirat, 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 of Sikkim and the northern hilly regions of West Bengal, that is, Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts).
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.