Religious Beliefs of the Tribal Group of Kumaun: Readings in Select Cultural Texts

Kumaun is justifiably called the abode of the gods or Devbhumi. It has a long and ancient history and it is located in the north –western part of the country. It is crowned with snow- capped peaks, dotted with beautiful valleys, the birthplace of many rivers and with numerous places of pilgrimage. It also finds a mention in many vedic texts. Kumaun is one of the cultural regions of Uttarakhand state. The archeological remains like ancient rock paintings, rock shelters and stone tools show that the region has been inhabited since prehistoric times. The tribes that inhabited the Garhwal and Kumaun region, which makes the present Uttarakhand, are mentioned in many other early scriptures. Myths play a vital role in most of the religious beliefs that influence any pious Hindu. Kumaun is dotted with numerous pilgrimage spots where the holiness and spirituality of the destination is amplified a tenfold because of the many mythological tales associated with that particular destination. The people of Kumaun have a staunch belief in the myths which are weaved in their culture for a long time. These people believe in the sagas of the local deities and the spirits of their own family members. Kuamun is a spiritual land and it finds its relevance also in the Vedas. In jagar and ghanyali (a spiritual awakening saga), jagariya sings the lines of the great epic Mahabharata. The legends say that Pandavas spent a lot of their time in Kumaun region and built many monuments which are still alive even today. In every regions of Kumaun, the people have their own local deity and they worship them with full devotion. In his The Himalayan Gazetteer, E.T. Atkinson writes “An attempt to collect the numerous superstitious beliefs current in these hills (KumaunHimalaya) would be an endless task, the result of which would by no means repay the labor bestowed, as these beliefs are for the most part rude and gross displaying neither imagination nor refinement in their texture”.(THG P.815)