“He got sick many times. But every time, he was cured by the faith header,” says Gurung, though it is likely that the ailments would have left the boy after taking its due course on him even without Aryal’s intervention. [break]
“In his three years, there has never been a need to take him to a hospital. He has never taken medicine,” the mother adds.
Like Gurung, Pratap Shrestha takes his five-years-old son to Aryal whenever the boy is sick. Shrestha’s son had fever for three days recently. After medicine didn’t work on the boy, Shrestha took him to Aryal for treatment.
“Faith-healing has always worked on my wife. That’s why I brought him to a faith healer,” Shrestha said.
Though there are hospitals, clinics and pharmacies in the district, faith healing is still very popular among its residents.
Aryal, who is popularly known as Mahilabaje, has been doing the healing job since he was 14. Today, nearly 100 people visit him everyday seeking cure for various ailments. People from Pokhara, Narayangarh, Tanahun, Dhading, and other places flock his house for treatment.
Aryal’s mornings are especially busy because a large number of women and children visit him in the early hours. But Aryal, who studied astrology, also services people by suggesting auspicious dates for building houses and migrating, apart from writing birth charts for them.
There is no fixed fee for Aryal’s healing service. “I take what they give. I don’t have a set fee,” Aryal said. “The rich give more, the poor less. If I set my fee, the poor would be at a disadvantage,” he said.
It is people’s trust that has made Aryal a choice over medical centers in Gorkha, according to Raj Kumar Shrestha, a local.
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