Black magic, occult practices and witchcraft still evoke huge curiosity, interest and amazement in the minds of people. Although witchcraft in Europe has been a widely studied phenomenon, black magic and occult are not yet a popular theme of academic research, even though India is known as a land of magic, tantra and occult. The Indian State of Assam was historically feared as the land of Kamrup-Kamakhya, black magic, witchcraft and occultic practices. It was where different Tantric cults as well as other occult practices thrived. The Khasi Hills are known for the practice of snake vampire worship. The village of Mayong is the village, where magic and occult is still practiced as a living tradition.
This book is one of the rarest collections where such practices are researched, recorded and academically analyzed. It is one of those collections where studies of all three practices of Black Magic, Witchcraft and Occult are comibned into one single book.
Edited by:
Sajal Nag
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 216mm,
Width: 138mm,
Weight: 1.090kg
ISBN: 9781032522517
ISBN 10: 1032522518
Pages: 590
Publication Date: 28 November 2024
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Further / Higher Education
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
List of Illustrations Preface Introduction Sajal Nag PART I: TANTRA AND ESOTERISM 1. Vaishnavite Occult Practices in Medieval Assamese Society: A History of Acceptance and Defiance Chandan Kumar Sarma 2. Kec""aikh""at∂, Eater of Raw Flesh: A Profile of the Multifaceted Goddess in North-East Jae-Eun Shin 3. Witchcraft, Sorcery and Tantricism in the Khasi Pnar Society Hermina B. Lakiang 4. Magic, Religion and Mother Goddess Kamakhya: Esoteric Practices in Assam Archana Barua PART II: PRACTICES OF OCCULT 5. Some Astronomical Beliefs in the North-East and other Parts of India J.H. Hutton 6. Remnants of Spiritual/Faith Healing System among the Lepcha and Limbu Communities in Sikkim Mahendra Prasad Gurung & E .K. Santha 7. Leopard-Men in the Naga Hills J.H. Hutton 8. U Thlen—The Snake Vampire: Belief and Practice among the Khasi TEJIMALA GURUNG NAG 9. Chon Ritual and Head Hunting among the Kukis of North-East India TINGNEILAM THANGEW 10. Human Sacrifice in Assam EDWARD GAIT 11. Bej Bejali in the Assamese Socio-cultural Context VANDANA GOSWAMI 12. Mayong: The Land of the Occult ASSADUZZAMAN PART III: MAGIC, SUPERNATURALISM AND DIVINITY 13. Magical Attributes: Some Glimpses from Medieval India M. PARWEZ 14. The Divine Origin, but Not Right, of Khasi Kings KYNPHAM SINS NONGKYNRIH 15. Supernatural Belief of the Kuki: A Case Study of Witchcraft and its Cures D.L. HAOKIP 16. ‘White Magic’ Practices of the Adivasis of Jungle Mahals: A Different World View NIRMAL KUMAR MAHATO 17. Satanic Cult among the Christian Tribes of the North-East India PHOIBI LALNIROPUI TUOLOR 18. Sylvan Spirits and Cultural Practices in Assam RAJIB HANDIQUE PART IV: WITCHCRAFT AND WITCH HUNTING 19. Witchcraft Viewed through the Legal Lens in Jharkhand: A Study of Witchcraft Practices and the Anti-Witchcraft Law in Jharkhand BASHABI GUPTA 20. Witchcraft: Power Relations and Totemism of the Bodos DINA SWARGIARI 21. Notions of Witchcraft among the Khamtis of Arunachal Pradesh TAGE HABUNG & RANJEETA MANNOW 22. Society, Belief and Practice: Witchcraft and Witch Hunting in Assam JAHNABI GOGOI NATH 23. The Enchanted Community: Kaose and Doi (Witchcraft) among the Kukis of North-East India JANGKHOMANG GUITE 24. Witchcraft, Witch Hunting, Gender and Property Relationship NIKITA SHANDILYA 25. Women as Witches, Women as Homo Sacer: A Study of Contemporary Witch Hunting OBJA BORAH HAZARIKA 26. Witchcraft Practices in the Plantations of Upper Assam: A Case of the Santhals OLYMPIA KURMI AND SARAH HILALY 27. Magic and Witchcraft (Dawi) among the Mizos ROHMINGMAWII 28. Practice of Witchcraft among the Adis of Arunachal Pradesh SARAH HILALY 29. Practice of Witchcraft among the Rabhas of Assam BARNALI SHARMA 30. Contextualizing Witch Hunting Practices in Assam DEBARSHI PRASAD NATH Contributors
Sajal Nag is currently a Senior Professor and Head, Department of History and Dean, School of Social Sciences, Assam University, Silchar. He is the author of The Beleaguered Nation: Making and Unmaking of the Assamese Nationality (Manohar: 2016); and Contesting Marginality: Ethnicity, Insurgency and Sub Nationalism in North East-India (Manohar: 2002); among others.
