Omnath Jogi, over 60 years old, ‘blowing the pheri’ (Courtesy of Mayamitu Neupane, Global Press Journal, Nepal)

A tradition that is fast disappearing in Nepal as urbanisation spreads and old customs are increasingly neglected, even disdained, by the younger generation is that of ‘blowing the pheri’ carried out by members of the Jogi community.

The origins of the Jogis, now concentrated in Koshi Province in the far east of Nepal, with communities across the border in upper West Bengal (Darjeeling) and Sikkim, where they are known as Pheriwala Jogi, are unclear. Believing themselves to be the creations of Lord Shiva, endowed with a duty to defend and protect humans from the evil spirits that inhabit the planet, they were once classified within the Dashnami Sanyasi (Ten Hindu Religio-Cultural Groups) community. However, under the 2021 census, they were reclassified as Phree, making them an extreme Nepali minority, ranked as having the tenth smallest population (921).

The name ‘Phree’ is thought to derive from pheri, the horn of the blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) or Indian antelope. Known in Nepali as baraant, the blackbuck is a medium‑sized antelope native to India and Nepal, renowned for the male’s striking black‑and‑white colouration and long spiraled horns, which measure 35–75 cm in length. The animal is featured on the ten-rupee Nepali banknote. Once thought to be extinct in Nepal, the Krishnasar Conservation Area in Bardiya was established in 2009 with the sole objective of ensuring the survival of the blackbuck, which is now classified as an endangered and protected species under the National Parks and Wildlife Act.

The pheri, also known as singhnaat and baraant ko shing (lit. blackbuck’s horn), is central to the Jogi’s animist practices, blending ancient spiritual beliefs with influences from Hinduism and Buddhism. The horn is fashioned into an instrument, habitually kept on the household’s Kul (Ancestral) Altar, where it is regarded as the embodiment of the forefathers. The Jogi community fortunately preserve the custom of passing down their horns from one generation to the next: due to the blackbuck’s endangered status, the obtaining of new horns is all but impossible.

The pheri can only be removed from its place on the Kul Altar after elaborate rituals have been performed. The Kul Puja, also known as Bhairung Puja, is one such occasion, celebrated on Gorakhnath Jayanti — the birthday of Guru Gorakhnath — in Baisakh (April — May) in the Bikram Sombat calendar. Gorakhnath (fl. between the 11th and 14th centuries) was a disciple of Matsyendranātha, or Machindranath (fl. early 10th century), the saint and yogi revered by both Buddhists and Hindus, who is numbered among the eighty-four Mahasiddha and is sometimes regarded as an incarnation of Avalokitesvara. Female family members prepare for the puja by ritually cleansing the area, but are not allowed to attend the rites themselves. These are officiated over by the jhakri, a senior male family member. The ceremony aims to secure the safety and prosperity of the household, and involves the sacrificing of a cockrel, referred to nao shinge barlé — ‘nine-pointed cockscomb rooster’ — and a red hen, as well as making offerings of food and drink. During Kul Puja, Jogis worship the pheri, blowing it to ward off evil spirits and pay their respects to their ancestral guru, Gorakhnath, closely associated with hatha yoga and meditation.

Twice a year, the pheri is ritually removed from the Kul Altar for a tradition known as ‘blowing the pheri’, (pheri laune, in Nepali) a term which covers both the actual blowing of the horn and the subsequent chanting of mantras. This occurs during Chaitra (mid-March to mid-April) and Kartik (mid-October to mid-November). Some Jogis refer to these seasonal rituals by using terminology, common among the Kirat community, taken from the migration of the birds: Ubhauli (upwards) when the birds migrate up from the plains to the cooler hilly regions; and Udhauli (downwards) when the birds fly south to escape the onset of Winter respectively.

The rites, carried out exclusively in the hours between midnight and three o’clock in the morning, are traditionally performed at all four corners of a homestead, which is circled three times. This is believed to keep ghosts and evil spirits away; ensure a bountiful growing season and subsequent harvest; and invoke prosperity and good fortune throughout the year. The mantras that are intoned in between the playing of the pheri summon the power of the Bhairung — fierce and protective deities embodying divine force — to drive away evil spirits. The mantras, their recitation, style, speed and phrasing, are unique to each Jogi, who personalises them with his own variations and ornamental flourishes. At the end of each mantra, the Jogi intones ‘Jai jai namaha!’, before continuing onto the next phrase. Once a Jogi has started playing the pheri, he must not be disturbed or interrupted in any way, nor must people casually try to see him performing his midnight rituals.

The following morning, the Jogi returns to the same homesteads or neighbourhood, in the expectation that householders will give him Dakshina — a respectful donation — after first putting a red tika — again to denote respect — on the Jogi’s forehead. The Jogi will sometimes wear a rudraksha bead mala as a means of identification, and, apart from uttering ‘Jai Gorakhnath’ remains largely silent during the collection round. The Dakshina offered to a Jogi will typically include rice, salt, oil, turmeric and a piece of black material to symbolically take away the evil from the home, in the belief that doing so will augur well for the family and the property as a whole.

After the ‘blowing the pheri’ rituals have been carried out in the Jogi’s own village, he might then take to the road and travel elsewhere to carry out his inherited duty.

Even though every male member of the Jogi caste, irrespective of his education of professional status, is traditionally expected to ‘blow the pheri’ at least once in his lifetime, there is a reluctance on the part of the younger Jogi generation to do so. One reason is undoubtedly embarrassment: although the custom is undeniably rooted in Shamanism and animism, unlike Shamans, with their distinctive dress, peacock feathers and trances, there is nothing to visually distinguish a Jogi from a common beggar or mendicant while on his nocturnal round or during his collection of Dakshina the following morning. Nepalis from other ethnic groups also tend to look down on Jogis for their customs, and what they regard as their ‘low status’.

In 2019, a short documentary, Jogi: The God of Night, directed by Gaya Ram Ghimire, was shown at the Nepal International Film Festival to highlight the dying tradition of ‘blowing the pheri’ and its cultural richness. Ghimire stated that ‘the documentary has been produced to introduce our long-established tradition to the younger generation and also to introduce Nepali typical culture and practice globally.’

It can only be hoped that the documentary along with other recent attempts to cameo the Jogi and their customs will succeed, and that the haunting sound of the pheri will continue to echo after midnight around village lanes and urban streets for many years to come.

This story was first published on the author's website, https://www.louisakamal.com/