The Nath Community, a clan of the Kanphatta Jogis, is a yellow robe-clad yogi group with big earrings in both their ears, which they call darshan. [break] According to them, they have to go through a long purification process and stay in a secluded place for about 22 days before having their earlobes pierced, and the ears adorned with the rings.
“Not everyone can become a Nath,” said Yogi Nari Nath, a 49-year-old sage, who resides in the Gorakshya Pith—an ashram—located in the Pashupatinath Temple complex. He claimed that he had inherited the custom of being a Kanphatta Jogi from his forefathers, dating back to centuries.
However, folklores have it that the tradition of Kanphatta Jogis was started by then King Prithvi Narayan Shah—the erstwhile chieftain of Gorkha who is acclaimed for the unification of modern Nepal. The anecdote has it that the king used to mobilize his spies in the guise of yogis to extract significant information from his rivals—a fact denied by the community people.
While becoming a Nath means one has to abstain from getting involved in worldly affairs, such as farming, business, or any other kind of occupations, he added. “We have to eke out our living from the rice grains and money that people chip in as alms for us,” he said.
He further added that his community assigns one particular area for accomplishing the pheri job that he said was mostly done in the months of Kartik and Chaitra, as per tradition.
“If you find anyone without the earrings and yellow robe doing pheri in your locality, they are just imposters. You have to be aware of such people,” Yogi Nari Nath warned.
Asked about the instrument that they use during their “pheri,” Yogi Dilli Nath of Sankhu in Kathmandu was hesitant to divulge its details. However, he unfolded the mystery and said the instrument was called Singhini, which he claimed is made from a deer horn.
“The Singhini isn’t something to talk about in public. It’s sacred, and has esoteric powers.”
Upon insistence to allow a glimpse of the instrument that he was hiding in his yellow bag, Dillli Nath became awkward. Nonetheless, with a heavy heart, he agreed to a brief demonstration. The Singhini looked somewhat like a cylindrical curved wooden piece, which was approximately one and a half feet in length.
He then explained that the elongated piece was inherited by him from his ancestors, and that its sound had a mystical power to evict evil spirits.
“We carry out the task of pheri during midnight so that the lives of people and domestic animals will be protected from evils,” he said. “We’ve been consecrated for the task, and no modern science can falsify our claims.”
The Nath Community people claim that they are manifestations of Lord Shiva. The fact that Guru Gorakh Nath—whom they worship as their god—was the offspring of Lord Shiva, these fast vanishing people claim that they are Shiva’s descendants.
“But it’s a matter of deep concern that the younger generations are losing their interest to pierce their ears and become Kanphatta Jogis,” lamented Nari Nath. “The dwindling numbers may soon put our community in peril.”
He attributed the cause to having to bear the brunt of hardships in their daily lives.
“Due to modernity, young people are being exposed to better opportunities outside the circle. So who wants to adopt our lifestyles, particularly at this juncture of time?” he wondered.
Saying that the government has been apathetic to their calls, he expressed his fury at the state for not doing its bit to ease their misery. Nari Nath reminded that the community used to own 4,500 ropanis of land in Kathmandu Valley, which he said was usurped by corrupt officials of the Guthi Sansthan (corporation).
“And now the Guthi provides us with meager sums of money and rice grains to try to make our ends meet, which is ridiculous,” he said. “We not only have to feed ourselves but also hordes of ascetics who arrive here in search of food and shelter from outside.”
“Life has been on the edge, and the endeavors to keep this tradition alive a tall order, owing to the fact that price rises have hit a record high,” said Yogi Narayan Nath, an octogenarian sage who stations himself in Kathmandu’s Sankata Temple. He said he is finding it hard to survive though throngs of devotees are eager to give him alms, as they believe it will bring good tidings by offering alms to a Kanphatta Jogi.
While this rare tradition stands at the crossroads to peril, the onus to keep it going certainly lies in the hands of all Nepalis.
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