The Mystery of Mayong : What’s Hiding in India’s Magic Village? (3)

Mayong Series (Part 3)

NILIM KASHYAP BARTHAKUR

Continued from the last……

If the patient stands up, healthy and strong, the village rejoices, praising the bez for his skill and care. But if the person doesn’t make it, then they don’t blame the bez instead, they accept it as God’s will.

Then I learned about an interesting and unique festival, the ‘Mayong Indrajal Magic Festival’. You’ve probably seen all sorts of exhibitions in your life like cars, bikes, gadgets, but have you ever heard of an exhibition where traditional healers gather to showcase their skills?

Yes, a unique festival where healers perform their special practices, and anyone can pick a healer to try their treatment. It’s a fascinating event filled with ancient remedies and rituals, where you can explore and experience healing traditions in a warm, welcoming way.

The Mayong Indrajal Magic Festival, inaugurated on August 18, 2024, in Mayong, is a pioneering event designed to celebrate and preserve the village’s rich heritage of magic and traditional healing, organized by the Morigaon district administration and Mayong College. the festival aims to transform the Mayong-Pobitora area into a major tourist destination while revitalizing its millennium-old traditions.

The event features 101 local magicians, including bez who have practiced for decades, showcasing both traditional and contemporary magic tricks alongside healing practices. These demonstrations provide a public platform for bez to educate attendees about their methods, which often combine herbal remedies, mantras, and rituals.

During the festival, bez are invited to perform healing rituals, such as chanting mantras like Thumuri Ban or Atma Bandhani, which are historically prevalent in Mayong and used for curing ailments or spiritual protection. For example, a bez might demonstrate the preparation of a herbal concoction using tulsi (holy basil) or ryniaw (a local herb) to treat fever, explaining its medicinal properties and spiritual significance to the audience.

The Mystery of Mayong: What’s Hiding in India’s Magic Village? (Part 1)

These performances are part of a vibrant day-long program that begins with a grand cultural procession highlighting Mayong’s magical traditions, local arts, and cultural elements, including healing practices. The procession serves as an educational spectacle, where community members, particularly youth, observe bez practices, learning about herbs, mantras, and rituals through direct exposure.

The Mystery of Mayong: What’s Hiding in India’s Magic Village? ( Part 2)

A key educational component of the festival is the photo exhibition titled “The Magic of Mayong,” which offers an immersive look into the village’s mystical heritage, including its healing traditions. The exhibition displays artifacts, such as preserved mantra puthis (manuscripts) from the Mayong Museum, which document spells and herbal recipes used by bez.

These displays educate visitors about the historical depth of Mayong’s healing practices, fostering appreciation and encouraging younger generations to engage with their heritage. Dr. Utpal Nath is a steering committee member of the festival, emphasized its role in drawing youth attention to traditional practices, noting that modern education and disinterest have led to a decline in these traditions.

The festival’s inaugural edition featured only local and Northeast Indian magicians and healers, but organizers plan to invite international practitioners in future years, expanding its educational reach.

Mayongis emerging as a unique hub for rural health tourism, leveraging its Indigenous healing practices, rich biodiversity, and cultural heritage. Historically known as the “land of black magic,” Mayong has shifted its focus toward promoting traditional herbal remedies and Ayurvedic practices, attracting health-conscious tourists from across India and abroad.

The nearby Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary enhances its appeal by offering eco-tourism opportunities, creating a synergy between wellness and nature-based experiences.

Rural health tourism involves traveling to non-urban areas for health and wellness experiences, often utilizing natural resources, traditional practices, and cultural immersion.

In Mayong, this concept is deeply tied to Indigenous knowledge systems, particularly herbal medicine and Ayurvedic-inspired treatments, set against a backdrop of cultural mystique and natural beauty. The village’s proximity to Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, a biodiversity hotspot, adds a unique dimension, making it a compelling destination for holistic health tourism.

Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary is a key asset, enhancing the region’s appeal as a dual health and eco-tourism destination. Home to the world’s highest density of one-horned rhinoceroses and over 300 bird species, Pobitora attracts eco-tourists who can combine wildlife safaris, birdwatching, and forest therapy with Mayong’s health offerings.

In 2023, Assam’s eco-tourism sites, including Pobitora, contributed to the state’s $50-100 million eco-tourism revenue, with potential for growth through integrated health tourism packages.

‘Pobitora’, located in the heart of magical Mayong in the west of the district of Morigaon, is one of the very small but most important wildlife sanctuaries of Assam. It can be regarded as a little wonderland of nature, which hides many distinct natural features of worldwide importance.

There is a very lamentable story behind the name of this wildlife sanctuary. Legend says that there was a princess of unsurpassed beauty of the Kachari Dynasty of Mayong kingdom and that she had unfortunately died at her very young age.

The name of the Princess was ‘Pobitra’, and after her death, she was cremated in a corner of this area, where this wildlife sanctuary is now located. Depending on this legend, it is said that the name’Pobitora’ came into existence from the name of the princess’Pobitra’.

Pobitora is a home to a total of 22 species of mammals, 27 species of reptiles, 385 species of birds, 80 species of butter flies, 41 species of fishes, 8 species of frogs, 8 species of turtles, 64 species of trees, 31 species of shurbs, 22 species of herbs, 6 species of cane/bamboo, 17 species of climber, 23 species of grass and 17 species of aquatic plants. [Source: Office of the Range Officer, Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary]. All these denizens with their natural beauties and charms together make the Pobitora a little Garden of Eden.

There are an ample number of ancient shrines and temples in different villages of Mayong and its surrounding villages. It is undoubtedly a unique and incredible feature of this tiny area for the promotion of pilgrimage tourism. It is said that some of those shrines and temples were used as a centre for the study of magic and witchcraft in the past.

Though the shrines and temples have not been systematically developed and decorated or properly managed for tourists, yet their mesmerizing, pristine beauty and holiness can attract tourists easily.

The Gossain Uliowa Utsav (i.e., the festival of bringingGods together for an outing) is the most important cultural celebration of Mayong. It is solely a local festival and can be regarded as the core of Mayongian culture.

It is celebrated for three days, every year in the month of Bohag (Mid-April), i.e., from the fourth Bohag to the sixth Bohag. It was a royal festival and was initiated by the ancestors of the royal lineage of present Mayong, i.e., the 10th king of Mayong kingdom, Raja Sharascha Chandra Singha, in 1668.

The celebration of this centuries-old festival mainly centres around the statues of five deities, which were brought by the king Sharascha Chandra Singha from Navadweep of Bengal. The names of those statues are -1. Basudeva, 2. Gopal, 3. Lakshmi, 4. Narayan and 5++. Siva.These five deities are popularly called as ‘Pancha Gossains’ of Mayong.

The most significant feature of this festival is that every day, during the festival days, the Pancha Gossains are taken out in a great procession and the traditional king of Mayong takes active part in it with his other Royal Offers.

Another special feature is that it is mobile type in nature and the three days of this festival are celebrated at three different places of Mayong. Three colourful fairs are also held locally at all the three places and people gather there from different villages of Mayong irrespective of caste and creed.

The global wellness tourism market was valued at $801.6 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach $1.02 trillion by 2027, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.2% (Global Wellness Institute, 2021). India’s share in this market is significant, contributing 5.8% to national GDP in 2021 ($160 billion) and is expected to reach $400 billion by 2031 (FICCI, 2022).

Rural health tourism, though a niche segment, is growing due to its affordability and authenticity, appealing to health-conscious travelers.In 2023, Assam’s tourism sector supported over 9.7 million domestic and 9.2 million foreign tourist visits nationwide, with a portion visiting Assam for niche segments like wellness and eco-tourism (Economic Survey, 2023). The state’s tourism revenue is estimated to contribute significantly to its $48 billion, with health and wellness tourism forming a growing segment.

Assuming Mayong captures 0.5% of Assam’s 9.7 million domestic tourists (48,500 visitors) and attracts 10,000 foreign tourists annually (a modest estimate given its niche appeal), the total annual visitor count could reach 58,500.

Mayong’s rich cultural mosaic, which is rooted in centuries-old indigenous knowledge, is evidence of the people’s tenacity and intelligence. However, this priceless legacy is in danger of disappearing due to the unrelenting forces of urbanization, modernity, and the dwindling remnants of oral traditions. These customs, which are full of spiritual and historical importance, are much more than just regional artifacts.

Social media has emerged as a potent force in this attempt. Social media sites like Instagram, YouTube, and X present previously unheard-of chances to record and disseminate Mayong customs, reviving customs that run the risk of going extinct. By encouraging young people to feel proud of their heritage and allowing audiences around the world to recognize the richness of Mayong culture, these digital tools can help close the generational divide.

Social media can elevate the voices of Mayong communities through interactive engagement, visual documentation, and narrative, guaranteeing that their knowledge is not only conserved but also honored as a dynamic, ever-evolving legacy. There is an unrealized potential for Mayong to become a cultural tourism hub that attracts tourists from all over the world to marvel at its distinctive heritage.

Careful planning, sustainable development, and infrastructure investment might turn the area into a bustling tourist destination that promotes economic growth and community pride in addition to showcasing its customs. In order to move forward, a careful balance must be struck between embracing the potential of modernity and respecting the sacredness of Mayong’s cultural heritage.

Mayong can tell its narrative to the world and make sure that its heritage is honored rather than commercialized by establishing areas where tourists may authentically participate in local customs. A coordinated effort, including local communities, legislators, and cultural advocates, is necessary to preserve Mayong’s indigenous knowledge.

Nilim Kashyap Barthakur is a Mass-Communication & Journalism student and writer

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