Informative

Annual Ghost Fair of Malajpur

Malajpur, Madhya Pradesh. A quiet place like any other rural town in central India. It is well known for the Samadhi (tomb) of the great saint named Gurusahab Baba. But on the night of the Paush month, when a full moon climbs into the sky, this quiet town shakes with horrifying screams.

For the last three hundred years, the town has been home to the most bizarre supernatural events called the Bhoot Mela or the Ghost fair. It is said that the Ghosts, who have found refuge within their human hosts, leave them and come out screaming, being unaware of what they are doing. In this blog, we will tell you about this interesting paranormal occurrence in the heart of India, known as the ghost gathering of Malajpur.

Ghosts and exorcism

Call it a ghost, spirit, demonic or angelic presence, or just an ire feeling. Ghosts, spirits, or Angelic presence have shaped human history like nothing else. Many of us who are followers of the faith must have experienced this at least once in our lifetime.

Ancient religious texts describe these phenomenons in detail. While many spiritual practitioners consider it a supernatural occurrence, the rest consider it the outburst of the negative feelings pent up deep within us. So what exactly happens in the Devji Maharaj temple? Let’s take a look.    

Guru Sahib Baba Devaji Maharaj    

Devji Maharaj Temple was a Hindu saint who lived in the 16th century and was well known for his spiritual powers and expertise in exorcism. Even after so many years, villagers tell his miracles, how he turned stones to coconut, clay to jaggery, and sand into salt to feed the poor. During a devastating drought, he overflowed the granaries in the village Malajpur, when people started dying of starvation.

Saheb Devji Maharaj had expertise in Ayurveda, and he used to treat many patients free of cost and was well known for treating the blood. Four hundred-year-old poems depict how he would help people by expelling evil spirits and negativities from them.

His altruistic nature made many follow his teachings, and his followers erected the temple after him. He took a live Samadhi (leaving the body in complete meditation) under a tree. The villagers built the temple around that tree where he took the Samadhi.

After Guru Sahib Devji Maharaj left his body, villagers remembered this pious soul with the annual fair. When the afflicted make rounds of the tree, they believe that the shadow of the evil spirits is warded due to the aura of the great sage. Even though Hindu people believe in the Guru Sahib Baba are not burnt as per the standard Hindu practises but buried as respect to their Guru.   

Devji Maharaj Temple and the Ghost fair

Located near district centre Baitul, Malajpur temple is about 300 km away from Bhopal city. Temple has a vast courtyard, a home to the tomb of Guru Sahib, a tree where he left his physical body, and a Deepa Stambha (lamp pillar).

On the full moon night of Paush month, the temple hosts this Ghost fair in the courtyard. This Ghost fair lasts for a month and ends on Basant Panchami. This one-month fair invites thousands of devotees, all the way from Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh, who add charm to the celebrations. They believe that attending the festival and praying on the tomb of Devji Maharaj will bring them a great deal of luck, prosperity, and mental peace.

Exorcism at the Devji Maharaj Temple

 Exorcisms are conducted here during the Paush month, where thousands of devotees come here to expel their relatives’ evil spirits, demons, and witches.  

During the time of this monthly fair, evening Aarti (prayers) is conducted every day, and then, the exciting ritual of exorcism begins. As per the Sanatana tradition, devotees visiting temples walk in the clockwise direction to intake positive energy from their Divine. But here, only the possessed people perform Parikrama (circumambulations) clockwise while the spectators chant ‘Guru Maharaj Ki Jay’ in loud voices, making the environment enchanted.

As the night advances, many possessed start to shout, scream, laugh, cry, and curse, and its sight is not meant for the faint-hearted. The victims become different people, often with unstable and violent streaks, without the slightest regard for themselves and what they are doing. People often claim that their possessed relatives speak with a different voice and sometimes in a foreign language that they have never heard of. Many show superhuman strength and need at least four-five people to control them.  

The non-possessed people shall walk anti-clockwise to attain protection from Guru Sahib Baba Ji. Priests sprinkle the holy water on the public and on the possessed, and many of the possessed turn hysterical and collapse on the ground after some time. Camphor is lit on the palms of those who are exhausted. Possessed people who lie on the floor calmly are considered free from the possession.  

The few ones who are still going strong are softly beaten up with the brooms to get rid of the evils and negativities by the temple priests. The priest or Tantriks ask the possessed several questions, and then remedies are suggested by the priests depending on the answers provided by the possessed. Camphor is applied to the victim’s palms and feet, so they can be free from the bad omens. Jaggery is offered if the wishes of the devotee are fulfilled here.

Psychologists believe that the possessed people are mental patients with severe psychological disorders. This may happen with pent-up emotions, bursting out suddenly in the form of rage, screaming, and uncontrolled physical activity, and we comprehend it as a ghost, evil spirit, or dark force. Nevertheless, this magnificent fair continues to draw large crowds, increasing each year is the testimony to the success of this inexplicable phenomenon.

Next time, when you are in Madhya Pradesh, please visit this magnificent village named Malajpur, located in the heart of India. Enter the temple with an open mind and bow down to the pious memory of saint Devji Maharaj. Perform the Parikrama anti-clockwise to get rid of the negativities within you. With all the mind, body, and soul, pray to him to remove the darkness and negativities within you. Do not forget to bring some Jaggery as a present for Guru Sahib Baba Devji Maharaj. When you leave the premises, you will feel a new start, a new life embracing you in the form of cool breezes caressing your face at dawn, coming from the plains of central India.

We hope this blog helped you gain insight into the Ghost fair of Malajpur.  

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