The Shamans of the Himalayas is an experiential exploration of the extraordinary world of “Dev Bhoomi”- The Land of Gods, in the Kullu Valley of snow-capped mountains of Himachal Pradesh. This is a world of myth and magic, covered in 4 episodes of 60 minutes each, where every valley and village is home to several Gods and Goddesses (Devata’s& Devi’s).
The series follows Anu Malhotra, the presenter, as she takes the viewers on a journey, where she travels and interviews the Shamans, the locals, and some leading contemporary anthropologists and psychologists to contextualize the relationship between the people and their Gods.
Throughout the episodes, Anu manages to get unique access to the enigmatic Shamans of the Kullu Valley, which allows her to witness and experience rare and never before documented sacred rituals, magical – religious practices, traditional healing techniques and exorcisms. She also interacts with the Shamans; locally called Gurs, who are oracles, trance mediums and healers, and gets a glimpse into their personal stories and struggles.
The Monsun Gruppe 33rd Flotilla based in Penang had 34 German U Boats and 7 Italian transport submarines. They continued to operate well after Germany had surrendered. The film focuses on the possibility that more than just men and weapons for war were transported in the cargo, perhaps gold.
Series Title – Shamans of The Himalayas Redux
Duration – 4 x 60 Minutes
Format – HD CAM
Aspect Ratio – 16:9
Language – English
In the first episode of Shamans of the Himalayas, Anu Malhotra takes us to Old Manali Village to witness the festival celebrating the birthday of Hadimba Devi, a living goddess, as considered by the locals. There, she discovers the ritualistic dances performed by Shamans to intuit the will of the divine by invoking the spirit of the goddess and attaining the state of trans. Here she meets the first Gur, Tularam and takes us on a journey to learn about his role and importance in the society.
In the second episode of Shamans of the Himalayas, Anu Malhotra takes us to Shuru Village on a day of the festival that celebrates the living goddess Sharvari Devi, a manifestation of goddess Parvati. Here, Anu meets and learns about the life of the Shaman of goddess Sharvari Devi, Gur Hardayal. Gur Hardayal has been invoking the divine through Dev Khel, the dance of the God for 20 years and acts as a medium of cosmic conversations between the goddess and the locals. These divination sessions are called Poonch, where people ask the goddess questions regarding their harvest, marriage, financial troublesand every other aspect of their life.
In the third episode of Shamans of the Himalayas, Anu Malhotra takes us to Bataar Village in the Kullu Valley, where she meets Gur Tej Singh and Gur Rudramani. Here, she witnesses individuals and families suffering from spiritual illness being treated by Gurs. Pogle is a divination method for identifying illness in a person. The story takes a dramatic turn when an unexpected experience sets her on a path to trace her steps back to where she started – Gur Tularam. This search takes her to Nao Village where she witnesses a mass exorcism.
In the fourth episode of Shamans of the Himalayas, Anu Malhotra takes us to Manali, where she meets the last and the most distinguished Shaman so far – Tuli, Gur of Nav Durga Devi, an amalgamation of 9 Hindu Goddess. Tuli is the lone woman Shaman in Manali, who built a temple adjacent to her house after her husband passed away and she was left with 3 children and a gift of divination. Throughout the episode, Anu witnesses her getting into a trans and spiritually healing people. She learns about how and when Tuli developed her persona as a Shaman and what were the challenges she faced in this patriarchal society as the only female Shaman in Manali.