High in the hills of western Nepal, in the mist-shrouded valleys of Achham, Bajura, Doti, and other remote regions, gods once walked among the people. They were not distant celestial beings but powerful household and village guardians—Masta, Kul Devtas, and a myriad of local deities—worshipped through oral prayers, sacred groves, and trance rituals. These gods, unique to families, clans, and villages, embodied the land, the ancestors, and the very spirit of communal identity.

Yet, as Nepal rushes toward urbanization, digitization, and homogenized religion, these localized spiritual practices are vanishing. Sacred forests are cleared, rituals forgotten, and spirit mediums silenced. The ancient faith systems once central to life in the hills are now hidden—replaced by formalized Hinduism or ignored altogether.

This article explores the endangered traditions of Masta and Kul Devta worship in western Nepal, their roots, roles, and rituals, and the reasons for their rapid decline. It also asks: can these divine threads be rewoven into Nepal’s modern spiritual fabric?

Who Are the Masta and Kul Devtas?

The Masta are local deities primarily worshipped in Nepal’s far-western hills. Each Masta has its own area of influence—some are worshipped in one valley, others by entire districts. These deities are neither part of the mainstream Hindu pantheon nor Buddhist lineage but are instead animistic and ancestral, often associated with natural features, clan identity, and sacred geography.

Kul Devtas, on the other hand, are ancestral household gods worshipped by specific clans or extended families. They act as protectors, mediators of fortune, and recipients of intergenerational devotion. Though some Kul Devtas have been assimilated into broader Hinduism over time, many remain distinctly non-scriptural and ritual-specific, known only to the families who worship them.

In both cases, these deities are experienced and worshipped through oral tradition, shamanic possession, and seasonal rituals rather than texts or temples.

Ritual Practices and Sacred Geography

Worship of Masta and Kul Devtas typically takes place in sacred groves (ban mandir), ancestral courtyards, or open hilltops—locations believed to be spiritual thresholds between the human and divine realms.

In a typical Masta ritual, the following elements are observed:

  • A Jhankri (shaman) or Deureni (spirit medium) invokes the deity through music, drumming, and trance.
     
  • Offerings include local alcohol, flowers, goat sacrifice, and Dhami Jhankri chants.
     
  • The deity is believed to enter the body of the medium, who then speaks on the deity’s behalf—blessing, diagnosing illness, or warning the village.
     

Kul Devta rituals, often held during Dashain, Maghe Sankranti, or ancestral feast days, involve:

  • The entire family gathering for puja at the ancestral hearth or courtyard.
     
  • Invocations that recall seven generations of ancestors.
     
  • Ritual offerings of rice, tika, jamara, incense, and occasionally blood sacrifices.
     
  • Oral recitations passed down, often in endangered local dialects.
     

Regional Examples of Masta Worship

1. Achham and Bajura: The Heartland of Masta

In Achham, nearly every village has its own Masta Ghar (god house). Some of the widely known deities include:

  • Jay Masta of Ramaroshan
     
  • Badi Masta of Mangalsen
     
  • Sitaula Masta, Hingal Masta, and others, each with their own legends, behaviors, and preferences
     

These gods are believed to punish villagers if neglected, causing illness, drought, or livestock death. Thus, their worship is not only devotional—it is essential to village wellbeing.

2. Doti and Dadeldhura: Lineage of Kul Devtas

Many Brahmin, Chhetri, and Thakuri families in Doti trace their Kul Devtas back centuries. These deities are linked to their Thars (clan surnames) and often believed to reside in ancestral hills or sacred stones.

Each family has a unique set of rituals—kept secret and passed down orally, usually from father to eldest son. Some use a living tree, a shila (stone), or even a buried weapon as the deity’s resting place.

Decline of Local Deity Worship

The decline of Masta and Kul Devta worship is not an isolated phenomenon—it reflects larger patterns of religious, social, and environmental change in Nepal.

1. Migration and Diaspora

As young people move to Kathmandu, Gulf countries, or beyond for work, fewer remain in villages to carry out elaborate seasonal rituals. Children born in cities may never witness a Masta possession ceremony or know the name of their family’s Kul Devta.

2. Religious Homogenization

The rise of formalized Brahmanical Hinduism—along with the spread of Christian missionary and Buddhist revivalist movements—has marginalized non-scriptural local practices. In many cases, villagers have been told their traditional gods are “lower” or “superstitious.”

3. Environmental Degradation

Urban expansion, road construction, and deforestation have destroyed sacred forests and natural sites tied to deity worship. In Bajura, many Masta groves have been turned into pasture or cleared for buildings.

4. Loss of Oral Transmission

With elders passing away and younger generations disconnected, the oral chants, prayers, and genealogies tied to deity worship are vanishing. Unlike written scriptures, these traditions are not archived—and once lost, cannot be easily recovered.

The Social Role of Masta and Kul Devtas

Worship of these deities once served key social functions:

  • Community Cohesion: Rituals brought entire villages together—regardless of caste or wealth.
     
  • Health and Healing: Spirit mediums diagnosed mental and physical illnesses linked to supernatural causes.
     
  • Moral Regulation: Fear of divine punishment encouraged ethical behavior and respect for elders and nature.
     
  • Cultural Identity: In a diverse landscape, local deities anchored identity in geography and lineage.
     

With their decline, these social roles often go unfulfilled or are replaced by more commercialized, fragmented, or externalized systems.

Myth, Legend, and the Living Divine

Masta and Kul Devta traditions are rich in mythological lore. Many stories involve:

  • A god appearing in a dream to an ancestor, asking to be worshipped.
     
  • A divine snake, tiger, or bird leading the founder to a sacred site.
     
  • A battle between village gods, leading to annual appeasement ceremonies.
     
  • Oral genealogies tracing clans to semi-divine ancestors, kept alive through ritual recitation.
     

These myths are more than stories—they define territory, ritual calendars, and moral codes. The gods, in this worldview, are not above life but interwoven into it.

Revival and Preservation Efforts

Despite rapid decline, some communities and scholars are taking action to preserve these traditions:

1. Community Festivals

Villages in Bajura and Doti have begun reviving local festivals with help from youth groups and municipal governments. These festivals reintroduce music, dance, and rituals to younger generations.

2. Ethnographic Documentation

Researchers are recording oral chants, ritual practices, and genealogies in partnership with shamans and elders. Projects often include video archives, audio recordings, and publications in native languages.

3. Eco-Spiritual Protection

Sacred groves once protected by belief in local deities are now being preserved under environmental laws—acknowledging their dual ecological and spiritual significance.

4. Education in Schools

Some schools in rural areas are beginning to include lessons about local history and indigenous belief systems, helping children take pride in their own heritage.

The Urgency of Recognition

Without state recognition, Masta and Kul Devta traditions risk permanent disappearance. Nepal's focus on protecting temples and mainstream festivals has often ignored these invisible, oral, and land-bound forms of worship.

The following steps can help:

  • Legal recognition of oral traditions as cultural heritage
     
  • Preservation of sacred sites and groves
     
  • Support for intergenerational transmission of rituals
     
  • Respectful inclusion of local deities in national narratives—not as “superstition,” but as indigenous cosmology
     

Conclusion

The gods of Nepal’s hills are hiding—but not gone. They still whisper through the wind in the forests of Achham, stir in the stone shrines of Doti, and call through the dreams of aging shamans.

Masta and Kul Devta worship may not be found in temples or scriptures, but they embody the heartbeat of ancestral Nepal—a spiritual system where land, lineage, and life were indivisible. Their loss is not just a spiritual erosion—it is a cultural amnesia, a silencing of voices that once guided people through every birth, illness, harvest, and death.

To remember them, and to restore their place, is to reclaim a Nepal rooted in the land, not just the calendar—where the gods are still alive, waiting to be welcomed home."