Fearing deities, menstruating women in Bajura return to Chhau sheds

By Sher Bahadur Sarki,Bajura, Dec. 18: In the last fiscal year, local police, district administration and non-government organisations had taken a strict step to demolish Chhau sheds and dispel misconceptions related to menstruation across Bajura district.

Many sheds were destroyed and women were allowed to sleep in their houses during menstruation under the pressure of authorities. However, as the authorities started loosening their grip, Chhau sheds have started to be reconstructed and menstruating women are returning to make-shift huts.

The major reason is the fear shown by local priests and shamans that the gods were angry with the menstruating women staying inside the house. Local women in the district informed that the menstruating females were blamed when cattle got sick or any untoward incident took place. 

“I had started staying inside the house during menstruation when a campaign was initiated by the authorities. Now, the campaign has fizzled out and shamans have started ordering the return of Chhau shed system under different reasons related to gods. 

Like others, I have been made to sleep in the shed during menstruation lately,” said Manisha Luhar, a resident of Ward No. 10 of Budhiganga Municipality. “Who doesn’t like healthy food to eat and a clean place to stay? However, we cannot do anything when shamans start echoing a similar order,” said Luhar.

Meanwhile, Luhar lamented that it was difficult to spend nights in the shed during winter. “We can sleep outside in open during summer, but it’s hard to do so during winter. What can we do when this is what has been ordered to keep the deities happy?” Luhar questioned.

Bajura women also said that there were many literate females in the district now but that they had no option but to keep their voice down because the superstitious beliefs were followed strictly by the societies across the district.

Luhar informed that even if a woman was literate, the environment in the district would make her believe that sleeping inside the house during menstruation is a sin. Many women die of cold and snakebites while sleeping in Chhau sheds. 

They are also dying because of their belief in witchcrafts. Local health workers informed that Bajura women visit shamans during pregnancy and childbirth which has led to many deaths of both mother and child.

Last year, on December 7, 20-year-old Ganga Chandara died of excessive blood loss while childbirth in Ward no. 4 of Himali Rural Municipality.  She had given birth to a dead child and her family took her to a shaman believing it to be some evil doings. Ganga, who was losing blood profusely, died. 

If she was taken to a nearby health centre, she would have survived, health personnel informed. On January 9, 2019, a mother and her two sons died of suffocation caused by the fire lit for warmth inside the Chhau shed in Ward No. 9 of Budhinanda Municipality during bitter winter.

After the incident, the Ministry of Home Affairs directed the then Bajura’s Chief District Officer to demolish Chhau sheds and make people aware about the misconceptions related to menstruation. Following the order, 168 Chhau sheds were destroyed in 2018/19 and 343 in 2019/20, enabling the women to stay safe inside their houses during menstruation.

However, over time, the campaign became ineffective, and the process has started again. Meanwhile, local shamans argued that the women were returning to Chhau sheds not because they demanded it but because of their free will.

“Women choose to stay in Chhau sheds because of fear within themselves, not because of fear of shaman,” said Mangal Giri, a local shaman in Ward No. 9 of Budhiganga. “My wife sleeps inside the house during menstruation. It is because we believe that it is not a sin.

If women are unable to accept that it is a wrong to discriminate against menstruating women, the fear would continue to exist within themselves,” said Giri. Bajura District Police Office informed that they planned to implement the campaign effectively again by reaching the villages where more Chhau sheds were being constructed.