I grew up watching Harry Potter and The Salem Witch Trials and always had a strong fascination for the mysterious and inscrutable. One of the activities on my bucket list, had been a visit to Mayong in Assam. I was stung by the curiosity bug to find out if there really is something that qualifies as the supernatural or black magic. For me, Mayong has always been the Hogwarts of Assam. And I guess you too are curious to know what Mayong beholds.
Mayong is a small village in the Morigaon district of Assam located on the banks of the Brahmaputra River. It is only a few minutes away from the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, which is one of the best places to witness the Indian-one horned Rhino. The origin of the name Mayong has no evidence to back it but some locals believe that it is derived from the Sanskrit word "Maya" which means illusion. There is also a belief that the village was the habitat of the Moirang clans belonging to Manipur and as a result, the term Moirang became Mayhong and then Mayong.
It had been a long while since our group from college had a reunion and we decided to try something adventurous and explore the unknown. Mayong is 40kms from Guwahati. After you land at the Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport you can either head to it via road or take a train to the Jagiroad Railway Station. Alternately you can also reach Mayong by car via Morigaon. We drove from Guwahati around 3 pm. We had no plans to halt at Pobitora because our goal was to reach Mayong before dusk. Nogen Khura and his wife whom I had met during my project days on Witch-Hunting agreed to host us and take us to the prohibited corners of the village. The clock struck 4.35 pm when we landed in the mysterious Hogwarts of Assam. I was elated to see Nogen Khura and his wife standing to receive us. They gave us a warm welcome and served Xaj ( Xaj is a rice-based alcohol beverage) in a brass bowl, til pitha, ghila pitha,narikol laru, kumol saul and gur.
The clock was ticking and the evening grew darker, colder and somewhat eerie. Nogen Khura took us to the chief Bez (a man with knowledge of esoteric practices). He was in his eighties and we were enthralled to hear stories from him that evaded the confines of logic. He narrated stories of a wild tiger being tamed with the Bagh Bandha mantra and people vanishing into thin air. He apprised us 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. These 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 (more like voodoo in Haiti.) With the magic spells the bowl starts moving on its own and travels to the place where the lost item is kept. Unbelievable and creepy right? But perhaps this is what magic is all about! Tales with no logical explanation.
We also got 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. Not a single trace had been left behind. The elderly Bez apprised us that Mayong has mythological roots too as the Chief of the Kachari Kingdom, Chief Ghatotkacha- son of Hidimba and Bheema had taken part in the battle of Mahabharata after attaining different magical powers from Mayong.
If you are a history buff you will know that Mayong has historical significance too. According to folklore, in 1667 Aurangzeb had instructed his Mughal General Raja Ram Singh to defeat the Ahoms in Assam. Alamgir Nama, a book chronicling the 10 year rule of Emperor Aurangzeb, mentions that even the Mughals feared Mayong's black magic. Narabali 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.
Nogen Khura then took us to the old and dingy Mayong Central Museum, which is a treasure of all the dark yet fascinating arts. One can find manuscripts with mantras written in early Assamese scripts, Brajavali and Kaitheli, terracotta dolls, weapons and hookahs. 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, and Goddess Parvati.
We got to witness a scenic view after our short hike atop a hill to Narasingha Temple, surrounded by the mighty Brahmaputra river.
Although a mere mention of Mayong can scare the living daylights out of people even today we cannot deny the fact that magic: black or white has played a crucial role in shaping the course of the world that we live in today. A place of ethereal beauty Mayong has been labeled as 'The black magic capital of India'. However, Mayong has to offer more than this. Mayong is home to the annual Mayong Pobitora Festival, which is held for three days every year in November. 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 and will continue to be an integral part of Assam's history and biodiversity.
By Shilpa Roy,
Wireless, Guwahati
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