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What is Khujli Ghar? Nagaland

Khujli Ghar:

Some villages in Nagaland are trying to revive a traditional form of punishment

What is Khujli Ghar?

  • It is a cramped, triangular cage made from the logs of an indigenous tree that irritates the skin.
  • It is a traditional form of punishment that seeks to check crime.
  • Some villages in Nagaland are trying to revive this form of punishment.
  • Such itchy cages are referred to as khujli ghar in Nagamese.
  • But each Naga community has its own name. The Aos, one of the major tribes of Nagaland, call it Shi-ki which means flesh-house.
  • The cage is usually placed at a central spot in the village, usually in front of the morung, or bachelor’s dormitory, for the inmate to be in full public view.
  • The cage is made of the logs of Masang-fung, a local tree that people avoid because of the irritation it causes.
  • It does not affect the palm but people who make the cages have to be careful.