Jagar: The Fading Nightlong Dialogues with Himalayan Spirits

When the last Dangariya (spirit medium) of Champawat died in 2023 without an apprentice, he took with him the secret of summoning Golu Devta, the divine judge of Kumaon. This is the story of how Jagar rituals - all-night spirit invocation ceremonies - are vanishing from Himalayan villages.

The Anatomy of a Jagar

1. The Instruments

• Dhol-Damau: Twin drums that mimic heartbeat rhythms
• Hurka: Single-string fiddle made of pumpkin
• Thali: Brass plate struck for trance induction

2. The Ritual Stages

1. Aavani (Summoning)
2. Baithaki (Spirit's dialogue)
3. Nirvana (Release)

3. Key Deities Invoked

Deity	Purpose	Last Known Practitioner
Golu Devta	Justice-seeking	Dinesh Joshi (RIP 2023)
Kalinga	Harvest protection	3 remaining in Pithoragarh
Narsingh	Healing possession	None active

Why Jagar is Dying

1. Legal Bans
   The 2018 Anti-Superstition Law discourages spirit possession

2. Digital Replacement
   Youth prefer WhatsApp astrologers (@ShivaJyotish) over all-night rituals

3. Lost Oral Knowledge

   • 92% of Jagariya singers are above 60
   • No written records of 1,200+ ballad verses

A Last Jagar Transcript

Spirit (through medium):
"खाली हो रहे हैं पहाड़ के गाँव,
हमें बुलाने वाला अब कौन?"
(The mountain villages are emptying,
Who will call us now?)

Devotee:
"बाबा, इस बच्चे का नामकरण कर दो..."
(Bless this child's naming ceremony...)

Preservation Efforts

1. The Hurka Project
   Recording the last 47 Jagar ballads at @KumaonFolkArchive

2. Ritual Tourism
   Authentic Jagar experiences at:

   • Jageshwar Temple (1st Saturday every month)
   • Binsar Mahadev (During Shivratri)

3. Digital Immersion

   # AI reconstruction of lost ballads
   from kumaoni_folk import JagarGenerator
   jagar = JagarGenerator.load_last_medium('dangariya')