Chidra
Piercing Karma in the Himalaya
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15845/jaf.v7i02.3762Keywords:
Ritual, Himalaya, Human Sacrifice, Hinduism, KarmaAbstract
In the mountainous interior of the Himalaya, a highland peasant transforms into a redeemer by cutting holes (chidra) in the social fabric to be delivered to the gods through his body as sacrificial victim. Closely observing this unique ritual-spectacle, CHIDRA. examines how men, gods, and mediums handle the dangerous substance of actions (karma) at the frontier of the Hindu cultural sphere.
CHIDRA (2018) is the product of a collaboration between documentary filmmaker Nadav Harel and Himalayan specialist Arik Moran. The movie follows a transmuted human sacrifice ritual that is unique to the Indo-Tibetan frontier valley of Kullu in Himachal Pradesh, India. By steadily focusing on the expiatory methods that are enacted during this ritual-spectacle, CHIDRA explores the psychological and social constructs surrounding the communal cleansing of sin at the frontier of the Hindu cultural zone.
For a detailed analysis of the ritual, see Moran (2018), The Invisible Path of Karma in a Himalayan Purificatory Rite. On the charter myth and probable origins of the ritual specialists, see Moran (2021), When the Nars descended from Heaven.
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Copyright (c) 2023 Arik Moran, Nadav Harel
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