Into the Heart of Mayong: Premlata's Travel Diary

he term ‘black magic’ has a negative connotation and suggests abuse or misuse of supernatural powers. This is what dissuaded me from visiting Mayong when I was told that the place was rich in ‘black magic.’ However, with much persuasion from my friend Raj, I visited and am happy I did. High spiritual energy is what one can feel as one walks around. It is absolutely clean, with no garbage around, and the place has good motorable roads even though it has a completely rural setting. 

Before exploring the place, one should visit the museum, which would dispel any doubts about the place. Besides, when one knows the history, one can absorb what one sees around with more interest. 

The Place

Situated on the banks of Brahmaputra, this place has much to offer. One can see paddy fields all around, and most of them are owned by individuals who grow and stock their rice for the whole year. I was also surprised to see long stretches of sarson (mustard) fields. I always associated Sarson with Punjab. As you drive around, you can see plenty of cows all over. It seems all are domestic cows and belong to the villagers. However, the cows appeared malnourished and emaciated.  

I was staying at Prashanti Tourist Lodge, which the Government of Assam runs. Surprisingly, the other people there were elderly retired couples. This suggests that the place is considered a place for relaxation as there is nothing much to do. I saw some private resorts while I was driving around, and they also had conference halls. The place can be promoted as a convention center or for health and wellness. Driving around, you see hills, hillocks, rivers, and temples.

Tourist Attraction

Mayong has the Pobitora Wild Life sanctuary, and a jeep ride to the forest was enjoyable. We could spot a one-horned Rhino, typical to Assam, from close enough to get a SELFIE!!! Currently, there are 107 Rhinos in this sanctuary. I was amazed to see a huge lizard, too! Of course, wild boars and pigs could be sighted, too! A jeep ride costs around 1750/- per jeep, and the tour lasts an hour. A guide joins mid-way. 

Apart from this, there is a hanging bridge on the river. There is a Dolphin point as well. Organized by the Tourism Department, a boat that can accommodate 30 people can be hired on a per-seat basis (cost per boat is 3000/-. The boat ride lasts for over an hour and takes the tourists deep into the river from where Dolphins can be sighted.

The People 

People here are simple, and one can see satisfaction and happiness on their faces. Schools and colleges are in good condition. Every household has its own store where they stock rice for the entire year; each household has a temple separate from the house they live in. The main deity that most villagers have in their homes is Krishna. 

I visited the home of the guide. His mother weaves the mekhala on the fabric herself. She has the charkha at home. In fact, she was draping a cotton stole over the saree, which she said was woven by her at home. 

Connection with Ghatotkach

As I was moving around, the guide informed me that the descendant of Ghatotkach is the current Raja and resides in the village. He lives like a commoner, and anyone can walk in to meet him. I was curious and did venture to meet him. There is mention of the Mayong hills in the Mahabharata. Ghatotkach, the son of Bheema (one of the Pancha Pandavas) and Hidimba (Rakshasi Kanya), received magical powers here. 

I met the current Raja – Taruni Singha, and he said he is the 40th King after Ghatotkach. They lived in the hills up to the 9th King, and from the 10th King onwards, they came down to the plains. As is usual, the eldest son takes over from the Raja. A very simple, unassuming human being, he has just retired as a Geography teacher from a local school. 

Spirituality & Temples 

This place has sixteen Ganesha Temples, and it is believed that none of the temples were manually built. However, they looked like rock-cut structures, which may be very old. I asked two people, and they said that even their grandfathers did not know who had built them. I could visit just two, but the energy at each temple was overwhelming. Both these temples were rock-cut structures on the foothills of the Mayong Hills. There is a belief that anything lost can be recovered from puja offered at the Ganesh temple, Gobhali, also known as Shilghar Ganesha Mandir. The other Ganesha Temple I visited was Hatimuria Ganesha Mandir.  

The experience at the Shiva temple – Rangadangaria Than - between the barks of an old tree (age unknown to villagers) was unique. When I reached there, the silence itself was overwhelming, and one naturally wanted to keep silent. You are overpowered, and you are immersed in the silence. As you can see in the picture, an old, very old villager is offering prayer. As he lit the lamp and waved the arathi, I stood through the process. He was chanting mantras (I could not gather the words as they were very soft). I did not want to move away. I absorbed the energy arising out of the Arathi and mantra chanting. After he finished, he touched his forehead to the ground. What happened next was unexpected. He turned towards me and touched his forehead to the ground. Only an enlightened soul can do this. 

I had two different people take me around on two different days. The guide said on the first day that he could share many facts about the place, but language was a barrier. He was not comfortable with Hindi; he just had broken communication. I could not understand Assamese, so we had to leave it there. 

The guide the next day, while taking me around, pointed out many Than and Naamghars. These are places where high energy can still be experienced, and no deity is present in those places. He took me to one such Than where it seemed five cats still lived. It is not always that one can get to see them; I could not, but you can sense the energy there. I was informed that there were several Thans around the village with the energy of different deities. 

Naamghar, as I understand by the description, are halls where people assemble to take the name of the Gods – Keertanam as we would call it. The entire village has many such Thans and naamghar, which suggests the high energy that prevails in the village. Another Shiva temple is atop a hill. The villagers have made walkable steps (230) to reach the hilltop. It seems there is a tortoise and a Shivalinga on the hilltop, and they do not know how it happened. They have made a replica at the bottom (which I did see) for those who cannot climb up. I did not walk up the 230 steps. 

I was taken to another remote place, where I had to walk for about 500 metros as the Toto could not go right up. There was an enclosure at the foot of Mayong Hills. It seems initially, narabali took place. After that stopped, goat bali was done and now only pigeons. Even today, pigeon bali is done, and two pigeons continue to live in that enclosure. They are still determining their age. I did not go into the enclosure as it was getting dark; the walk up to the enclosure was uneven and narrow. The sword used to offer the Bali was still kept, but it had been stolen and brought back. The hill at this place also has a legend. People climb up the hill and return only after one year. No one shares what they did and why they climbed up the hill. 

Practice of Tantra

The museum convinced me of what people claim: Tantra is used only for positive things like healing or saving a situation. It is never used to harm another person. A few who did get into such practices are paying heavily in terms of ill-health or otherwise.

I was surprised to find that many women, too, are engaged in such healing and application of tantra-mantra for healing. I always associated this with men – I wonder why. These are generally older women, and unfortunately, the tradition is not being followed by the younger generation, which means it may soon become extinct. 

I could meet just one family where this is practiced. The elderly woman, close to 100 years of age, can cure burns by simply blowing on the burn and chanting some mantras. Her daughter-in-law has learned this practice in addition to having remedies for women unable to conceive. She prepares some herbed powder, and there are three conditions to follow while taking it. One has to go there personally, and it cannot be bought. The conditions are simple, like sitting on the threshold of the room with your back to the room. 

I asked if a cure for cancer had been found, and they said as of now, blood cancer has been cured. But that can be cured even through modern medicine. However, they did say some practitioners were working on cancer cures. 

All these people who practice tantra for healing and other purposes do not charge any fee or money. If you feel obliged, you can keep 11/- or 21/- on a tamboolam (paan patta) with or without a coconut. Just offer it as Dakshina. I have relatives in Nowgong, and they are native to this region for as long as I can remember. They often used to narrate magical stories, but I would think they were hallucinating. Assam, as a whole, is the place for such magical happenings.

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