The Politics of Belonging in the Himalayas: Local Attachments and Boundary Dynamics (Governance, Conflict and Civic Action) by Joanna Pfaff-Czarnecka Gérard Toffin

Author:Joanna Pfaff-Czarnecka Gérard Toffin [Toffin, Joanna Pfaff-Czarnecka Gérard]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Published: 2011-05-04T22:00:00+00:00

Photo courtesy: Gérard Toffin.

As in India, the Nepalese sundarsaths are bound by regulations that convey important signs of belonging. They are not allowed to eat meat, fish, or eggs. They never drink alcohol. They are forbidden to smoke tobacco, or to take pan or any kind of drugs. When receiv-ing their initiation (jagani, literally ‘illumination’, or diksha), which marks their entry into the sectarian movement, they swear that they will never steal, gamble, lie, or denigrate others. These prohibitions lend a strong moral orientation, and even a puritanical tint, to the group and its members. In theory, members remain affiliated to the organization on the condition that they respect these command-ments. In case they fail to observe these, there are expelled from the group. Dress regulations only apply to devotees who volunteer to take charge of the local temples (seva or sevak or pujari) and those who spend a great deal of time within these sacred precincts. These particularly committed members wear white or orange (roughly of a saffron colour) traditional Indian and Nepali dress of kurta and dhoti. The higher gurus are dressed in an orange-coloured cloth (Nepali geru), of a slightly lighter shade than the saffron colour worn by renouncers and ascetics. The group’s maharaj wears a richly decorated cotton and velvet cap on his head; its form seems to derive from those previously worn by holy men such as sants. All Pranamis wear a necklace (mala) made of 108 beads of tulsi wood that symbolize the 108 sectors or stages of devotion that the soul (atma) has to pass through to achieve salvation. This necklace, worn under the garments, is called kanthi (from Sanskrit kantha, ‘throat’). Other Krishnaite sects wear a similar necklace. The Iskcon (Hare Krishna) mala is made of a double row of beads.

The sampraday brings together people from different ethnic groups, castes, and even, as will shortly be shown, nations. Followers in Nepal mostly belong to the Parbatiya community, the most numerous group of people in Nepal, consisting of Nepali mother-tongue speakers of hill origins. Some Newars, and Tibeto-Burman speaking ethnic groups from the hills, such as the Tamang, Rai, and Limbu, are also affiliated. Madhesis, that is, people from the southern Nepalese plains, also form a major sundarsath contingent. Among all these groups, membership is more often the result of familial affiliation than individual conversion. The fact that in most cases the initiatory tartam mantra is delivered at a very early age, usually a few months after birth, testifies to this fact. Adults also occasionally become affiliated to the sect after encountering a guruji, or befriending or marrying a sundarsath. Pranamis tend to marry within their own group and, more often than not, within the same caste. Among Newars, it is said that a non-Pranami girl who marries a Pranami boy will follow the religious rules observed by her husband and in-laws. The reverse is also said to be true.

As was mentioned earlier, very few westerners have been initiated into the movement. However, large numbers of Indians living in Nepal are affiliated to and actively participate in the group.

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