Mayong The Black Magic Capital of India

By Asha Ramachandran

In the days of the Harry Potter series or Coven films (fantasy horror feature), magic still exists. But the black magic capital of the country, Mayong (or Mayang) , a village in Assam on the bank of the river Brahmaputra is associated with mantra and tantra magic, not the usual trick-based ones known as black magic. About 40 km from Guwahati, Mayong is also a tourist attraction because of its history- a Hogwarts (A school for learning magic) of sorts, where dark magic is taught and still practised?

The village has been famous since the Mahabharata days where Ghatotkacha of Kachari Kingdom and tribal son of Bhim took part in The great battle with his magical powers. It was also said about Mayong that the Tantriks (one who knows tantra vidya) and the witches take shelter in mayong forest till now. There are many  tales  of men disappearing into thin air, people being converted into sheep, or beasts being magically tamed and blood oozing out of doles have been associated with Mayong.

Sorcery and magic were traditionally practiced and passed down over generations  in this village. The origin of the name Mayong , locals believe that it is derived from the Sanskrit word “Maya” which means illusion. Incidentally, Maa Kamakhya the presiding deity of Assam and one of the 51  Shakti  Pithas  is also associated with tantra or black magic. The Kamakhya temple also holds puja for repelling dark spirits and ghosts. It sparks up to life, especially during Ambubachi mela when thousands of tantric visits the temple shrine. It is believed that most tantras originated from Kama rupa or Kamakhya, the  center of the Kulachara Tantra Marga.

There are Bezs (men with knowledge of esoteric practices). They narrate stories of a wild tiger being tamed with the Bagh Bandha mantra and people vanishing into thin air. They talk about the Mohini Mantra that is used to give love charms and enhance sexual attractions. The Bez or Ojaa do not use any medicines to treat illness. Instead,  they rely on black magic and have ghosts or genies working for them as assistants. Physically, these village doctors use copper plates to treat pain. They place the plate on the wound, chant a few mantras and the person is healed. In case the person is suffering from excruciating pain, the plate will get overheated and smash onto the ground. Wizardry is  also  used to locate lost property. When someone loses their possession, they go to a Bez or Ojaa, who places a flower inside a metal bowl and starts chanting some spells.

With the magic spells the bowl starts moving on its own and travels to the place where the lost item is kept. There are stories to know that 100,000 horsemen of Muhammad Shah had disappeared near Mayong (during  war  times in the 1330s) owing to black magic and witchcraft. According to folklore, in 1667 Aurangzeb had instructed his Mughal General Raja Ram Singh to defeat the Ahoms in Assam but failed due to the black magic of Mayong as per Alamgir Nama, a book chronicling the 10-year rule of Emperor Aurangzeb. A vast  majority  of the population of Mayong knows and still practices black magic. Locals do palm reading and some work as fortune tellers and claim to predict a person’s future using seashells and broken glass pieces.

Human   sacrifice was  also  prevalent in the past  as  a ritual to attain more magical powers while worshipping Goddess Shakti. The swords and other sharp weapons recently  found  by the Archaeological Survey of India bear  testimony to this fact.There is an old Mayong Central Museum, which  is a treasure of all the dark yet fascinating arts. One can find manuscripts on papers and palm leaves with mantras written in early Assamese scripts, Brajavali and Kaitheli, terracotta dolls, weapons and hookahs are also found.  There are numerous archaeological relics and artefacts, including books on Tantra Kriya and Ayurveda at the Mayong Central Museum and Emporium, which was opened in 2002. Late Janaki Ballav Patnaik, an old Congress veteran who himself was a believer of tantra, also visited the village when he was Governor of Assam.

It  was  reported that because of his interest some black magicians and Bezs demonstrated their tricks live to him. He also took some interest in compiling and preserving the ancient art of Myaong. Mayong is also an abode of numerous shrines and ancient temples and is also  known as the land of Pancha Devta: Lord Ganesha, Vishnu, Shiva, Dinesh (Sun) and Goddess Parvati. On the hill top there is one Narasingha Temple, surrounded by the mighty Brahmaputra River.

Witchcraft, magic or the supernatural does not always mean rickety old hags flying on nasty- looking brooms or blood dripping from skeletons- it is all beyond human rationality and science. And despite its spooky aura, Mayong continues to be a tourist attraction with nearby Pobitora wildlife sanctuary which has many one horned wild rhino population. Mayong is a tourist and archaeological location because of its rich wildlife, archaeology, pilgrimage, eco- tourism, adventure tourism, cultural tourism and river tourism. It is a different story that because of lack of patronage and for better earnings many local people  are leaving the old and weird profession and moving into normal jobs.

India is an ancient country where there used to be many superstitions along with great traditions. These are some places where black magic is still practiced. Odisha: Hirapur near Bhubaneswar a quiet and eerie town and the abode of the angry Indian goddesses, the Chausathi Yogini or Mahamaya Temple, the open roof shrine facing the East was first discovered in 1953 believed to be famous for black magic.

Uttar Pradesh: The cremating grounds of Varanasi, named Manikarnika Ghat is stated to be a place of black magic where the Naga Sadhus and Aghoris are prevalent. Varanasi which is the most sacred place for Hindu pilgrims where Lord Shiva is the reverend god, is also worshipped by tantrics to gain supernatural powers.

West Bengal: Nimtala Ghat in Kolkata is the place for Aghoris who practice Black Magic. Kerala: A village called Peringottukara in Kerala is well known for black magic. Tantrics earn a good amount from their practice here. Andhra Pradesh: There are a few areas in Hyderabad such as Sultanshahi, Moghalpura, Chatrinaka and Shalibanda where Babas and Sadhus and even Muslim Pirs are commonly found practising black magic claiming the removal of the bad effects.