Jhankri

Jhankri, also spelled jhankri or jhakri, is the term used in Nepal for a traditional shaman who acts as healer, diviner, and mediator between the human world and the spirit world. In many hill communities, especially among the Tamang, Gurung, and other Nepali-speaking groups, the jhankri performs rituals, cures illnesses, and helps with life events by contacting ancestral spirits and local deities. The term is sometimes used interchangeably with dhami, though the two words reflect different regional or community traditions.

Practices include entering trance, singing, drumming, and the use of charms, herbs, and other ritual objects. The jhankri may diagnose illness as the result of spiritual disturbance, curses, or displeasure of spirits, and perform exorcisms or purifying rites to restore balance. Rituals are often conducted at homes or in village spaces and may involve family members and community participants.

Training is usually informal, learned through apprenticeship, family lineage, and memorization of chants and ritual procedures rather than formal schooling. The role is culturally significant, with responsibility for healing, protection of the household, and mediation with spirits during celebrations, bereavements, and misfortune.

In contemporary Nepal, jhankri practices coexist with modern medicine and increasingly with tourism and media representations. Some jhankri adapt to broader audiences or urban contexts, while others remain rooted in rural village life. The term and its practice reflect the region's diverse shamanic traditions and the broader spectrum of South Asian shamanism.