Kirat Mundhum
Kirati Shamans healing status in Banjhakri Falls Sikkim | |
| Founder | |
|---|---|
| Rulers of Kirat Dynasty | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Nepal • India • Bhutan | |
| Nepal: | 924,204 (2021) |
| India | Unknown |
| Bhutan | Unknown |
| Religions | |
| Religious Division of Kiratism (Animism, Shamanism) •Nature worship and Ancestor worship •Satyahangma tradition of Mahaguru Phalgunanda | |
Kirat Mundhum, (Nepali: किरात मुन्धुम) also known as Kiratism, or Kirati Mundhum, is a traditional belief of the Kirati ethnic groups of Nepal, Darjeeling and Sikkim, majorly practiced by Yakkha, Limbu, Sunuwar, Rai,Dhimal and Hayu peoples in the north-eastern Indian subcontinent. The practice is also known as Kirat Veda, Kirat-Ko Veda or Kirat Ko Ved. According to some scholars, such as Tom Woodhatch, it is a blend of shamanism, animism (e.g., ancestor worship of Yuma Sammang/Tagera Ningwaphumang and Paruhang/Sumnima), and Shaivism. It is practiced by about 3.17% of the Nepali population as of 2021.