Sha

The Land of Sha (シャの国, Sha no Kuni^?), shortened simply to Sha (シャ, Sha^?), is a mystical kingdom hidden in the Himalayas^WP.

Characteristics

Sha's true identity is the mythical land of Shambhala^WP (シャンバラ, Shanbara^?), a secret spiritual kingdom spoken of in the Tibetan Buddhist^WP Kalachakra^WP.^[1] Somewhere north of the river Ganges^WP,^[2] just like in the legend, Sha is located under Mt. Shivling^WP,^[1] deep within the Gangotri Glacier^WP.^[2] The whole area, consisting of dozens or even hundreds of mountains, is inside an extensive Bounded Field.^[2] There are two ways for an outsider to reach Sha, the official route and a secret one consisting of climbing a frozen cliff wall so tall the top can't be seen from the bottom.^[3]

Inside the mountain is a different space not existing on the physical plane. Sha is not unlike Hollow Earth Theory, with its own blue sky spreading far wider and higher than the estimated dimensions of the mountain's cave, and its own warmer climate closer to Varanasi^WP than the cold Himalayas.^[1] It even have its own flora and species of fruits native to it.^[4] In the center of Sha is a metallic pillar reaching high above the clouds, a Texture Anchor known to the inhabitants as the Pin (針^?),^[1] at the top of which resides the Summit Court.^[5] On this plane, the Thought Magecraft Thaumaturgical Foundation is still fully alive, and Thought Magecraft here still works the same way it did in the Age of Gods.^[1]

Most of the population of Sha isn't allowed to leave the kingdom. They regularly receive people from outside to prevent total genetic stagnation, but once they are in, very few can leave.^[1] Among the population, one in every or so ten people is born non-human, animalistic characteristics, though only Dharmas and Yakshakurama have their entire head belonging to a different animal. This appears to be the effect of Curses within their bodies, with Lord El-Melloi II speculating that the Sha-exclusive powers involve being born to house the karma of a different living being, which would mean Sha is a country where the common citizen is similar to Gray and Ergo. The Land of Sha doesn't have a caste system^WP, and so people can for example willingly choose to join the warrior class of the Kshatriyas^WP instead of being born into it.^[6]

The head of state of Sha is a king, the raja, whose government consists of a trio of roles helping him in ruling the kingdom: the mahamantri (マハーマントリ, Mahāmantori^?), the vizier in charge of all the administrative duties instead of the king; the senapati (セーナーパティ, Sēnāpati^?), the military leader in charge of the Kshatriyas and military affairs; and the pujari (プージャリ, Pūjari^?), the religious leader.^[1] The only one above the raja is the Xian who founded the country,^[1] and these four roles are the only people capable of contacting the founder Xian.^[6]

Sha's religion is a mix of Hinduism, Buddhism, and imperial cult,^[6] with gods and rajas being considered one and the same.^[1] The Pin is also an object of worship. The religion has no name due to Sha's isolation, and within it they only call it "the teachings". It is similar to Hinduism and Buddhism, in that its central tenet is about escaping saṃsāra^WP. Being alive, by itself, is seen as progress toward moksha^WP, or liberation from saṃsāra. Every action and thought, no matter how routine, improves the soul until it eventually doesn't need to reincarnate again. Moksha doesn't mean being erased from the universe: after you stop reincarnating, you remain part of it as much as any mountain, tree, or ocean is. The Texture Anchor is a symbol of this providence, at least in the presence of a raja. The raja is placed as the center of the nation's religion as the role model every citizen should follow if they dream of salvation.^[4]

History

Sha was founded by a Xian a long time ago back in the Age of Gods.^[2] The country would henceforth serve as the meeting place of the Xians of the Summit Court for their Grand Roll,^[6] a special gathering held every few decades to add a new rule to the Thought Foundation.^[7]

Two decades prior to The Adventures of Lord El-Melloi II, Barbud was crowned raja. After failing to protect Barbud from the assassination attempt and the murder going unsolved due to all six suspects being too politcally important, the Royal Guard was disbanded, and its leader Bhishraga took the fall to take responsibility.^[4]

Role

The Adventures of Lord El-Melloi II

Two years before the start of the story, Avidya, the princess of Sha, would come to her father's room and discover him poisoned. Fearing for her life, she would flee the country, taking the secret route on the advice of her mother.^[1]

Grand Roll

In summer 2007, a new Grand Roll would be declared to take place in Sha.

Fate/Grand Order

In the Camelot Singularity, Xuanzang Sanzang offhandedly mentions Shambhala.^[8]

Inhabitants

• Avidya
• Barbud
• Bhishraga
• Dharmas
• Shanta
• Yakshakurama
• Zalzalah

References