Chidra

Piercing Karma in the Himalaya

Abstract

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.