PREVAILING NEWAR HOME REMEDIES 1. The Newars worship a diety called nhaypansyah dyah or kandevata, meaning the deity for suffering from ear ache. The Newars believe that the deity will provide relief from the ear ache and sickness by absorbing the sickness and pains. In such case, the affected person offers a kisli, composed of a bowl of uncooked rice along with a betel-nut and a coin, to the deity. Some times, a pair of earrings made of silver or of copper is also added in the offering. Such earring offerings are made through two methods. In one method, at first a pair of new earrings are offered to the goddess and then taken back and worn by the patient as prashad, to perceive the deity's benediction and recover as soon as possible. In another method, the earring is at first worn by the patient and then taken out and offered to the deity later on as disposal to pacify the diety. 2. Similarly, to get relief from any dental problem, the Newars pierce a coin with an iron nail around the wasyah dyah, "tooth ache deity" with prayers for immediate relief . The number of nails that will be pierced, is according to the number of suffering teeth. 3. When a pregnant women suffers from pain in the abdomen or has problems in delivery, then there is a belief of rubbing warm oil on the stomach of an idol of Lord Ganesh, or as it is addressed as “pwasyadyah” in newar language.(stomach ache diety). 4. Problems with a kind of boils or janaikai, or ‘Herpes (in medical terms) is believed to be caused by the anger of a mystic "snake" spirit, jananaga. Such boils have an expanding nature, making a circle around certain part of body, such as, neck, arm, wrist, waist or chest, etc. It is believed that the suffering person will die if this cluster of boils makes a complete circle around the part of the body, where it appears. Newars paint pictures of two lions on the extreme points of such expanded boils to halt their expansion and cure them. The painting is done by an experienced heriditery painter, pun along with a ritual offering of kisli. It is believed that after this ritual the boils will dry within four days and slowly the disease will disappear. 5. There is a type of fungus button or scabies called khaye in Nepal Bhasa, and 'Warts' (in English medical term) which sometimes appears on the skin at any part of the body. It is not a disease, but, it makes skin unfair, dirty and gives an ugly appearance. To treat and eliminate it, the sufferer has to rub a coin upon the infected area, and then place the coin on a busy street. If anyone picks up the coin it is believed that the disease will be eliminated. 6. A person suffering from 'Styo', (aukai), rubs a gold finger ring over it, then knocks at the door of a neighbour by using the ring finger. When the neighbour asks "who is it there?" the sufferer replies "that's your beloved, aukai". By doing so, the sick person is supposed to recover by transferring the disease to the questioning person. 7. Among the Newars, there is a tradition of piercing ear lobes and top of the ear (helix) of the newly born child. Those actions are a kind of deformation of natural body which has a great significance in Newar society. Newars believe in rebirth and reincarnation. According to the belief a newly born child has neither abandoned nor forgotten his previous life and hence the child will still be actively enjoying his previous life. The child smiles, laughs, cries, express nervousness or weeps as a depressive person without any visible reason. These sentiments are expressed by the child whether awaken or asleep. Most of the children become sick, and in some cases the doctors or the healers cannot find out the real cause. Under such circumstances, it is believed that the child is still active in his previous life. To bring him/her to his/her present life, the newly born child's ear lobes are pierced as soon as possible. This physical shock makes him/her forget his/her previous life and make him/her conscious about the new world he is born in. Such piercing is also marked as a confirmation of his/her birth in a new family of the concerned caste or social class. 8. Whenever a child falls sick after dusk, usually the Newar household lights a small fire in front of the main door and burns chilly powder in the fire. This is done to scare the witch and remove the spell the witch has over the sick child. 9. When a child cries out of fear at night, then the child is believed to be sick because a spirit of fear has possessed the child. (saato wangu) To withdraw this spell/spirit from the child’s body, the mother sprinkles water from a Karua (a metal water container with a sprout at one end) on the floor from the main door of the house to the place where the child is sleeping. The floor where the water is sprinkled is toed by a sickle or a large knife and simultaneously utters these words “let normalcy return” (saato lhyanwah) repeatedly. If the child stops crying then it is believed that the child is cured. 10. If something valuable is lost then a deity called Cho Po Ganay Dyah, is worshipped. The deity is promised to be offered sweetmeats when the lost item is found. When one makes such a commitment then generally the lost item is found. People residing in places away from where this diety is placed, bring a small pebble from the river side and worshipped as the Cho Po Ganay Dyah with two laddoos as offerings. 11. Persons with bad habits offer prayers to the Nasa Dyah. There is a specific way in doing this. First, a kisli is prepared with handfuls of uncooked rice grains in a leaf-cup with one small whole betel nut and a coin (kisli). This is placed on the person’s head as the person offers prayers. Subsequently this kisli is offered to the Nasa Dyah along with samay-baji inside a triangular hole which is there on the front wall of every newar house, where this deity is supposed to reside. It is important to mention here that Nasa Dyah according to Newar beliefs does not have any form.