Kathmandu : ‘Ajima and 6 Gender Identities’, a documentary by Sunil Babu Pant, premiered at Bishwojyoti theater in Kathmandu.

The 1 hour 28-minute film made with financial assistance of the European Union focuses on the significance of Ajimas, the grandmother goddesses and the concept of Tantra.

Pant’s work juxtaposes patriarchal practices that typically center around male deities, holding a dogmatic view of truth, and suppressing sexuality, especially for women and sexual minorities, with matriarchal spirituality often revolves around female or feminine deities, celebrates human sexuality, and embraces sensual pleasure.

The documentary argues that Tantra, with its roots in matriarchal principles, recognises six genders, celebrating women’s sexuality, promoting inclusivity and challenging traditional binary gender norms.

The film also criticises the dominance of patriarchal narratives in shaping Nepal’s historical understandings.

After watching the documentary, former member of the National Assembly Bimala Rai Poudyal expressed her excitement about the film. “If you have not known this kind of heritage yourself, what would you have passed on to your children?” she questioned, “we only read political history, but not cultural history.”

Matriarchy inherently had a third gender identity. Gender was not a private matter either. “In the past, the third gender was perceived as natural. Now we have become bias by considering the third gender unnatural. This perception should be changed,” she said.

The documentary shows that idols have established the acceptation of sexuality as natural, she added.

Political analyst Bishwobhakt Dulal (Aahuti) commented that the main purpose of the documentary is to show that the sexual and gender minorities were well established in the matriarchal society. “It is the main purpose of this documentary to show that the recognition of not only women and men, but also sexual and gender minorities was firmly established in the matriarchal society, and that is true.”