Mountain spirits of Spiti

The Documentary Podcast

Dr. Jane Orton explores the spiritual landscape of Spiti Valley, documenting the intersection of ancient Himalayan folklore and modern conne

Key takeaways

• Lama Tashi Namgyal notes that Spiti's isolation is ending due to modern connectivity.
• The concept of 'paramomo' (fear) is essential for individuals to act as mediums for spirits (La).

Main topics

• Spiti Valley folklore
• Tibetan Buddhism integration

Notable quotes

Spiti is a very remote place, not connected to any other world.

Conclusion

The episode serves as a poignant reminder of the fragility of oral tra

Transcript preview

Speaker 3 (0:00) This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. Speaker 6 (0:06) It's late 2007, and while attending a Christmas party, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg meets a woman who would change the course of his company forever. Speaker 3 (0:14) She joined Facebook as chief of operations in 2008 and has been credited for making the company profitable. And Speaker 6 (0:21) herself enormously rich. Speaker 3 (0:22) On Good Bad Billionaire, we're exploring the life and fortune of billionaire tech leader Sheryl Sandberg. Speaker 6 (0:27) Listen now, search for Good Bad Billionaire wherever you get your BBC podcasts. Speaker 3 (0:39) Welcome to the haunted library. Have you come in search of a tale? This podcast invites you to browse the shelves and find stories that will linger long after you've left this place. From gothic masterpieces to pulpy penny dreadfuls, join me, Colin Morgan, with new episodes twice a week. Find The Haunted Library wherever you get your podcasts. The Documentary, home of the best documentaries from the BBC World Service. Speaker 2 (1:23) In Sagnam Village, in India's Spiti Valley in the vast Himalayas, Devi Deket performs a gyalchung, a story about good and evil. It's a story woven to entertain families at bedtime, when they're trapped indoors by Spiti's long, harsh winters. The story can stretch over three nights. Speaker 2 (1:50) Devi learnt songs like these from her mother. She's one of the very few people who still knows them. The valley is changing. Its isolation is coming to an end. Mobile phones, the internet and tourism are connecting the world's highest mountain range to the rest of the world. But oral traditions, like singing the Gyaltsung, are becoming harder to pass on. Traditional beliefs are disappearing. I'm Jane Orton, and you're listening to Mountain Spirits of Spiti. I'm a folklorist, and over ten years, I've been visiting Spiti Valley, collecting their stories and songs, documenting a dying tradition. Speaker 5 (2:40) I am Lama Tashi Namgyal. I am now gross 60 plus. Speaker 2 (2:46) Lama Tashi Namgyal is a monk in Kee Monastery, the largest of five monasteries in Spiti Valley. Speaker 5 (2:53) Spiti is a very remote place, not connected to any other world. Spiti is very calm and quiet. Before, many 10 years ago, 20 years ago, now a big change is coming. Speaker 2 (3:08) When I first started visiting Spiti in 2015, it took three days to get to the main town of Kaza. It involved an overnight bus journey from Delhi, followed by a day-long minivan ride. Kaza is over 12,000 feet above sea level, and it's usually where people start noticing the altitude. Some people find it hard to breathe. Spiti Valley is heartbreakingly beautiful. Dramatic, sweeping views across the valley, sharp mountain edges and huge drops when you look down. And of course, it's home to the elusive snow leopard. As I got to know people, it became almost impossible for me to walk down the street without being called in to drink tea. And over many, many cups of tea, people told me stories about their beliefs. Speaker 1 (3:59) In Speaker 3 (3:59) Spiti, there are many laa, and each laa has its own sonam or luck. If you perform good deeds, Whether you are a la or a human, everyone receives the result of their own karma. Speaker 2 (4:14) This is Punchok Namgal. He's in his 80s now and he's from Kiba village. Kiba is 18 kilometers from Kaza. Its altitude is a heady 14,000 feet. Punchok is talking about laas. It's not a word with a direct translation into English. Some local people translate la as spirit or god or deity. When Tibetan Buddhism came to the Himalayas, local beliefs and laws were integrated into the new religion. Instead of getting rid of them, they were recruited into protecting the teachings of Buddhism. Speaker 1 (4:50) The Speaker 3 (4:51) law has the power to curse and to cure the cursed person, but he does not have the power to provide spiritual comfort or peace. He can tell where the curse came from and how one can be protected from it. Speaker 1 (5:12) According to Speaker 5 (5:13) our religion, Lah is our guardian who will help us to learn how to live. Speaker 2 (5:17) This is Dorje Namgal. He's also from Kibber. Speaker 5 (5:20) And there are different kinds of Lah. One is Yul Lah, which means village Lah, or protector spirits who can only help here. And he is just a Yiddha who can only help us live in this world. But he cannot give us spiritual enlightenment. or an afterlife. He will help us if we ask, but he cannot go further than the afterlife. If he tries to help us in the afterlife, then he will take refuge in the Buddha and disappear. That's what Lah is. Speaker 2 (5:52) And some people can also receive Lahs into their bodies. And they're called Luya. Speaker 1 (6:02) The Luya also can see. You can also see the dead bodies, dead men or dead living beings, souls. Yeah, here also you can see. Speaker 2 (6:14) La's are central to local rituals and are often credited with powers like the ability to heal others. But a La can only enter into people who are paramomo, a word that means to have fear. If you don't have fear, you're considered paratumbo. But loya are increasingly hard to find. In nearby Chicham village, there is no one who can receive tamchen, the Chichamla. Choppal Tandup, the caretaker of the Chicham temple, tells me why. Speaker 5 (6:49) Earlier, many people had paramamo, so the la used to possess many people. But nowadays, people have paratinbo, so the la cannot enter them. And they can't see ghosts. or spirits, that's the difference. Speaker 2 (7:07) This was also explained to me by two elderly women, Chetap Sangmo and Dalma Bhuti, in Kibber. Speaker 1 (7:15) If Speaker 2 (7:16) he doesn't find any medium, then he will Speaker 4 (7:20) stay in his realm, in a state of meditation. Speaker 1 (7:25) He Speaker 4