Divine tremors: Cultural expressions of mass psychogenic illness in the Pandava Lila of Garhwal
Author(s): Alex Michael Coutinho
Abstract: This paper explores the Pandava Lila, a possession ritual in Garhwal, Uttarakhand, as a culturally sanctioned form of mass psychogenic illness (MPI). Unlike biomedical classifications of MPI, which emphasise physical symptoms like trembling and fainting spread through social contagion, the Pandava Lila is embedded in a sacred, religious context, channeling socio-economic anxieties and reinforcing Brahmanical identity. By applying a decolonial lens and drawing on anthropological frameworks, this study highlights how such possession rituals serve as psychosomatic expressions of distress, identity assertion, and divine protection, challenging Western psychological taxonomies.
Alex Michael Coutinho. Divine tremors: Cultural expressions of mass psychogenic illness in the Pandava Lila of Garhwal. Int J Hist 2025;7(7):162-164. DOI: 10.22271/27069109.2025.v7.i7c.480
