Mayoung is a village in Morigaon district, Assam , India. It lies on the bank of the river Brahmaputra, approximately 40 km from the city of Guwahati. Once Mayoung is considered the cradle of black magic in India , Mayoung is a tourist attraction because of its history. Its coordinates is 26o15’31.87”N and 92o02’26.85’’E.
The origin of the name Mayoung may be based on any of the several sources including the Sanskrit word Maya (which means illusion), the chutia / Tiwa / Deori word Ma-young which means mother , the Kachari word for an elephant , or from maa for Mother Shakti and ongo meaning part. Some people believe that Manipuris from the Moirang clan used to inhabit this area therefore ; the name Moirang became Mayhong with time.
Mayoung along with Pragyotishpur (the ancient name of Assam) find place in many mythological epics , including the Mahabharat. Ghatotkacha (son of Bhim) of Kachari kingdom took part in the great battle of Mahabharat with his magical powers. It was also said about the Mayoung that the saints of black magic and the witches take shelter in mayoung forest till now. According to a article published on “Mayoung – Land of Black Magic and Witchcraft” – many tales of men disappearing into thin air , people being converted into animals , or beasts being magically tamed , have been associated with Mayoung. Sorcery and black magic were traditionally practiced and passed down over generations. This was shown on April 2019 on Zee News and reporter Sohail hosted the show. They have also shown some actual magic done by villagers.
Narabali were carried out in connection with the worship of Shakti until the early modern period . Excavators had recently dug up swords and other sharp weapons that resembled tools used for Narabali in other parts of India, suggesting that human sacrifice may have occurred in the Ahom era. In 1337 Mohd. Shah want to usurp assam with the help of their 1 lakh horsemen but the people of Mayoung village vanished all the horsemen soldiers from land by their black magic powers.
Mayoung is a tourist and archeological location as because of its rich wildlife , archeology pilgrimage , eco-tourism , adventure tourism , cultural tourism and river tourism. There are numerous archeological relics and artefacts, including books on black magic and Ayurveda at the Mayoung Central Museum and Emporium , which was opened in 2002. Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary is very close to Mayoung. This Wildlife Sanctuary has the highest density of one horned Rhinoceros in the world.
There are many doctors in Mayoung as well, often known as Ojaa. It is believed that they do not use any medicines to treat illness , but black magic and most probably have ghosts working for them as assistants. Local people say that these doctors use copper plates to treat pain. They chant a few mantras , place the plate on the injury and wait for it to ‘eat away’ all the pain. In case a person is suffering from high pain, the plate would then overheat and smash onto the ground. People here also claim that chronic diseases have been cured in Mayoung by black magic.
The wizard also use their magic to locate a lost property. According to the local people , when someone loses their possession , they go to the black magician , who places a flower inside a metal bowl and starts chanting mantras. With mantras , the bowl starts moving on its own on the ground , all the way to the place where the lost item is kept.
It is believed that they also have the ability and powers to make people disappear or make them a beast. They can even make predictions and can see the future with the uses of broken glasses. Their rituals of curing sometimes include sacrifices. One of the strange practices is to chant mantras by balancing a plate of copper in the back of a person. Villagers still believe that many witches of the past who had once practiced black magic dwells in the jungle of Mayoung.
Mayoung Central Museum:- The museum is housed in an old dilapidated gallery in Mayoung. It is quite hard to figure out unless you have guide with you. But once you get in, it is like stepping back in time. The statue of a tiger greets you at the door. The inside is dark , damp and chilling. Walls are adorned by pictures of the art. There are terracotta dolls , weapons , stone inscriptions and even a palanquin from the mystical land of Mayoung.
The manuscripts are written in Assamese scripts , Brajavali and Kaitheli. These can be read by only few men in the village now.
