Jirel religion: A preliminary look at the rites and rituals of the Jirels of eastern Nepal

The Jirels practice what Bista (1980:71) has called Lamaistic Buddhism, but they also visit Hindu shrines and observe many calendrical Hindu rituals as well asadhering to their own indigenous shamanistic religious beliefs. These beliefs are centred around practitioners call Phombo. Spirit possession, spirit forces and ancestor worship play a central role in the world view of the Jirels (as well as Nepali people in general), and the Phombo holds a key position in this world-view. The situation is, however, more complex than that. For example, according to Macdonald, "The importance of spirit possession in Nepal is now widely recognised; but it is still difficult to situate this phenomenon against the general background of Nepalese religion...[which is] generally portrayed as a syncretism of Hinduism and Buddhism rooted in an all-pervasive animism".