ABSTRACT
The term ‘ancestor’ is used in anthropology to designate those forebears who are remembered and to denote specific religious practices as a part of such phrases as ‘ancestor cult’ or ‘ancestor worship’. Ancestors may be prayed to as having the power to grant boons or allay misfortune, but their effectiveness is regarded as naturally limited by the bonds of kinship. Ancestor worship has attracted enduring interest of scholars in many areas of the study of health and health seeking behaviour of a society in medical anthropology because health is not merely physical well-being, it also requires mental satisfaction. Health is the most important concern for the people of Khurkhul and that they still adhere to their ancient traditional medical system of prevention and treatment of illness and ailments. It is an age-old practice founded on the belief that the dead live on and are capable of influencing the lives of the living.
