Shamanism and Tantra in the Himalayas - Tapa dura

The Himalayan kingdom of Nepal may be the only culture in the world where both shamanic and tantric techniques are still alive and in full practice today. The result of eighteen years' research, Shamanism and Tantra in the Himalayas presents for the first time a comprehensive overview of shamanism based on the knowledge and experience of the different tribes from that region. Included are original statements from the various ethnic groups and 135 colour thangkas, which act as visual guides to the specific practices of the tantric tradition. In addition to the thangkas, the book is lavishly illustrated with numerous photos of different shamanic healing ceremonies, ritual objects and culturally significant plants that have never been published before. The book also contains a wealth of original recipes, smoking mixtures, scientific tables, charts and descriptions of more than twenty plants whose psychoactive properties and uses by shamans have never before been researched or documented.

Christian Ratsch is a world-renowned anthropologist and the author of Marijuana Medicine. Claudia Muller-Ebeling is an art historian and anthropologist. Surendra Bahadur Shahi was born in Katmandu and is a noted thangka painter.