[ PAPER ID: 53482 ] RELIGION AND TRADITIONAL HEALING AMONG THE MANGER OF SIKKIM HIMALAYAS: ARTICLE INFO: Date of Submission: Dec 30, 2025, Revised: Jan10, 2026, Accepted: Jan 15, 2026, CrossRef D.O.I : https://doi.org/10.56815/ijmrr.v5i1.2026.97-116, HOW TO CITE: Nisha Thapa Manger (2026). Religion and Traditional Healing among the Manger of Sikkim Himalayas. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research & Reviews, 5(1), 97-116.

Dr. Nisha Thapa Manger

Authors

Dr. Nisha Thapa Manger Post Doctoral Fellow, Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), Department of Anthropology, Sikkim Central University, India.

Abstract

This paper explores the intricate relationship between traditional healing practices and religious beliefs among the Manger community of the Sikkim Himalayas. Traditional medicine, profoundly embedded in the Manger cultural system, operates within both personalistic and naturalistic paradigms, where illness is attributed to supernatural forces or natural imbalances. Ritual specialists, the primary healers in this system, employ diverse therapeutic methods, including herbal medicine, massage, and magico-religious rituals, often invoking cardinal directional deities. The healer-patient relationship extends beyond biomedical concerns, encompassing social and spiritual dimensions, with family members playing an integral role in the healing process. The research study highlights the significance of traditional healers in addressing culture-bound syndromes and other health issues, emphasizing the continued relevance of these practices despite the presence of modern biomedicine. Through an anthropological lens, this paper sheds light on the interplay between spirituality, healing, and cultural continuity among the Manger people.

Keywords:

Manger Community, Traditional Healing, Ritual Specialists, Religious Beliefs, Ethnomedicine, Healer-Patient Relationship, Cultural Continuity, Magico-Religious Practices, Supernatural Healing, Medical Pluralism