The Mundhum (also known as Peylan) is the ancient religious scripture and folk literature of the Kirat people.[1] It is an ancient, indigenous religion of Nepal. Mundhum means "the power of great strength" in the Limbu language.[2][3] The Mundhum covers many aspects of the yakthung (Limbu) culture, customs and traditions that were followed since before the rise of the Vedic civilisation in the Indian subcontinent.[4][5][6][7]
The Mundhum is organised into two parts: Thungsap and Peysap.[8] The Mundhum extends beyond religion, serving as a guide for culture, ritual and social values. The Mundhum is written in ancient Limbu and versions vary among the various Limbu tribes, serving as each tribe's distinctive culture and framing their social identity and unity in relation to other tribes and peoples.[9]
^P120 The Rise of Ethnic Politics in Nepal: Democracy in the Margins By Susan I. Hangen Routledge, 4 Dec 2009
^Hardman, Charlotte E. (December 2000). John Gledhill; Barbara Bender; Bruce Kapferer (eds.). Other Worlds: Notions of Self and Emotion among the Lohorung Rai. Berg Publishers. pp. 104–. ISBN978-1-85973-150-5.
^Nationalism and Ethnicity in a Hindu Kingdom: The Politics and Culture of Contemporary Nepal, Front Cover By D. Gellner, J. Pfaff-Czarnecka, J. Whelpton Routledge, 6 Dec 2012 - Social Science - 648 pages, Page 530
^Dor Bahadur Bista (1991). Fatalism and Development: Nepal's Struggle for Modernization. Orient Longman. pp. 15–17. ISBN81-250-0188-3.
^Cemjoṅga, Īmāna Siṃha (2003). History and Culture of the Kirat People. Kirat Yakthung Chumlung. pp. 2–7. ISBN99933-809-1-1.