Shaman or Bitan/Danyal (in local languages of Gilgit Baltistan) are the people who can communicate personally with Pari (Fairy) they are considered as spokespersons of Pari. Traditionally revered as oracles and holy men who exercised their supernatural powers for the good of the

community.Shamanism is quite an old supernatural practice which does exists in Himalayan region.Shamanism was once very common in Gilgit Baltistan but now we can find very few practitioners especially in Hunza/Nagar regions.

#GilgitBaltistan #Shamans #Hunza

Becoming a Bitan (Shaman) seems to run in certain families. Practicing Bitan are often the children, grandchildren, or even great-grandchildren of other Bitan. They inhale the smoke of juniper or cedar branches & enter into ecstatic trance states, drink goat's blood.

They sing & speak in a particular (Shina) language during entering into trance state which is not even understood by Shina speakers themselves,only a Bitan can understand that particular language.

Bitan always exercise their ability to foresee the future,they can tell about incidents happen in the past.The can break magical spells and they are also considered as healer's.There are number of prophecies and predictions made by the Bitans in the past those

predictions are still widely recounted in Hunza & other respective areas,all those predictions became true except few which are not become true so far.
Watching the live performance of a Bitan is a life time experience. If the institution of bitan should disappear altogether,

the inhabitants will have lost a treasure store of traditional knowledge.

#GilgitBaltistan #Shamans #Bitan #Dayal #History #culture #people

@odysseuslahori @NurussabaGarg @Advaidism @gilmour_wendy @Mustafa_MFA