KINNAUR

The villages are few and far between with a very small population but almost every village has a village godling. The district has some big and ancient Buddhist and Hindu temples. Besides, stones of various types, hill tops and dangerous crags are also worshipped. The legends associated with the temples, gods, goddesses and godlings are legion. In this district holymen and saints are quickly deified. There are Tibetan gods, manifestations of Buddha and Hindu gods and goddesses, godlings besides a legion of spirits and ghosts that are worshipped.

Lamaism as prevalent in Tibet has a strong grip on the people of Kinnaur and naturally the people believe in an endless stream of incarnations of the godmen (Lamas) who are looked upto as almost gods. All this has given to almost every village in Kinnaur a particular Devta.

Both the Lama and a Brahmin act there as the priest. Divination, by a sheet of 50 picture cards is unique in this district. The ruling family of Bushahr in the tahsil before the district came into being was held to be of divine origin.Each Raja of Bushahr after death was supposed to be reincarnated, as the Guru-Lama understood to be the Dalai Lama. An important incarnation for the Buddhists of Kinnaur are known as Locharimbochhe and when a particular Locharimbochhe dies another has to be identified by the Dalai Lama.

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