Ancestors, Goddesses, Ritual and Politics

This article will recount the author’s fieldwork in Bhaktapur, Nepal, between 2015 and 2016, during two separate stints, which coincided with the aftermath of an earthquake that occurred in April 2015. The author conducted his research with a family of dancer-mediums in Bhaktapur—known locally as the Banmalas—in an area known as Kamalvin?yak. Annually, from October to June, the Banmalas perform a series of ritual performances in and around Bhaktapur. During these rites, each medium embodies a member of a goddess-family (Navadurg?) whose respective shrines encircle Bhaktapur’s borders. Broadly, this article will introduce the family’s traditions, rituals and political affinities, whilst also highlighting the importance of combining group-centred fieldwork with a cross-sectional study for scholars of contemporary religion.