Magic for me was as simple as playing some tricks, or doing abra cadabra before I got to know about Mayong, a small village just 40 km away from Guwahati.
Every aspect of Mayong is mystical and surreptitious. Even the origin of its name.
If legends are to be believed this village gets its name from the Sanskrit word ‘Maya‘ which means ‘illusion’.
While some villages pass down the skills of farming or craftsmanship to the next generation, the elders of Mayong pass down sorcery and magic to their kids. They still use these magical powers for social welfare and to cure ailments among themselves.
A walk through the village and a few conversations later you’ll be familiarised with the folklore and the stories of men allegedly disappearing into thin air in certain areas.
And who knows if you get convinced of the stories of people turning into animals and beasts that can be tamed only by BLACK MAGIC.
Before you doubt my words, let me tell you, history also testifies to the wrath of this place.
According to Alamgir Nama, a chronicle of the first 10 years of Emperor Aurangzeb’s reign, Mughal armies feared not the armies of Assam, but the power of black magic that was contained in Mayong.
Apparently, this village in Assam has solutions to all your problems.
Lost something? The tantric will put a flower in a metal bowl, which starts moving by itself and moves directly to the place where the stolen item is kept.
Suffering from back pain? A copper dish can provide you relief. Moreover, it can also find out whether you are really suffering from pain or not?
And if you want to go to some place, just chant the ‘Uran Mantra‘ and you’ll be flown there within minutes.
These tricks are as scary as they sound. Some of them are so gross and brutal that they can shake you from within. But they are surely a way of life for the people of Mayong.
According to TOI, the place boasts of legends like those of Chura Bez who could disappear into thin air just by muttering the ‘Luki Mantra‘ and sedate an angry tiger with his ‘Baagh Bandha Mantra‘.
His granddaughter, Nareswari Devi, once told TOI,
I was a young girl then, but my grandfather’s stupendous feats are fresh in my mind’s eye. Now you see him, now you don’t – we would rub our eyes in disbelief as he suddenly became invisible.
This secret village in Assam garnered media’s attention when a documentary, Mayong: Myth/Reality, was made by the filmmaker Utpal Borpujari. It delves deep into the lives of the people of Mayong and their art of magic.
Yes, for them it’s the most precious art inherited from their ancestors.
With a decline in the belief in magic and most people dismissing it as superstition, locals are now forced to take up other conventional occupations, leaving witchcraft and black magic behind.
Hemendra Nath, a 70-year-old magic practitioner, still believes in the power and need of magic. He once told TOI,
People these days dismiss magic as superstition. Nowadays when people fall ill, they prefer to go to the doctor, instead of coming to us. But there are still people who come to us with their troubles—be it domestic, professional, or any disease.
Residents of Mayong are proud of their knowledge of magic and most of it is preserved in the Mayong Black Magic and Witchcraft Museum, Guwahati, a popular spot among the tourists visiting Assam.
It has been listed as one of the ten most unique museums off the beaten path by National Geographic.
With a handful of practitioners left, the legendary magical art of Mayong may soon pass into history, but according to folklore, the saints of Black Magic and other witches still reside in the dark corners of the forest. Spooky right?