Monday, November 28, 2011

Magical Mayong Pabitora Festival 2011

The picture at the entrance gate  shows King Of Mayong and his parliamentarians
Mayong a small and beautiful village near Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in Morigaon district is situated about 40-45 km away from Guwahati. Mayong is famous for its  history of magic,sorcery and herbal therapy. During the medieval period in ancient India, Mayong is said to remain the Indian Capital of Black Magic and Witchcraft. Mayong is full of supernatural stories. .Except for the few most of the magic secrets and spells were not documented but passed
from mouth to mouth from generation to generation.It is said that people came from far off and abroad to learn magic here. Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary  is mainly famous for its great Indian one horned Rhino. Besides Rhino the other animals are Leopard, Wild boar, Barking deer,wild buffalo etc. Assam’s Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary is also home to more than 2000 migratory birds and various reptiles. It is also an Important Bird Area ...(info courtesy wiki).
Pics showing the main entrance of the sanctuary ,the way to the event and an interesting cycle parking area.
 To highlight the significance of flora and fauna and other historical aspects of Mayong-Pobitora for the first time, Morigaon district administration in association with local people of Mayong Pobitora and supported by Assam Tourism Development Corporation successfully organised the Mayong-Pobitora festival 2011 at Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary from November 25 to 27.Live exhibition of the rural life of Assam , magic practitionary,cultural procession , traditional food and handicraft,Kayaking events,boating ,elephant safari ,sighting of rhinos and migratory birds were the main attraction of the event
We noticed some migratory birds on our way from car parking  towards  the event area.
The festival was inaugurated on 24th Nov but  because of Friday being a working day we could not attend it  .On inaugural day a cultural procession was headed by the King of Mayong, Tarani Kanta Raja, and Kanak Chandra Deka Raja of Raja Mayong village. Along with them, Braja Kanta Deka, the Raja of Hati Murai Mayong, was also present. Around 200 people participated in the cultural procession.On Sunday which was the concluding day of the festival me and my husband visited the place.After about an hour and half beautiful drive we reached Mayong.The day was sunny and pleasant.The crowd was huge but very well managed by the organizers.
 As we entered the venue the first thing that we saw was this competition of traditional game where the players eyes are blindfolded while they hit an earthen pot with a stick .People from electronic and print media were present in big number.Villagers were kind and sweet enough to give me a spot from where i was able to capture these pictures.Out of about six participants i saw only two girl succeed in breaking the pot .
In the pics ..Bejs/Magic practitioners feel that this event will go a long way in promoting old  tradition of magic.
As we moved further we saw people seeking advice from Tantriks/ magic practitioners ( Bej - in local language).Must read this interesting link if you want to know more on this : A spell of ancient Mayong magic in Pobitora rhino land
 Work of famous local artists were showcased in this handicraft exhibition .Beautiful wood carvings , masks , paintings and other exhibits were on display.
 Look at this beautiful bamboo art work .
The historical remainsof the ancient Mayong kingdom displayed by the conservation society of Mayong.The volunteers told us that some of these were gifts from Britishers .
 Mayong central museum and emporium in the village has preserved some of the ancient manuscript of Black Magic and Ayurveda.You can see old manuscripts ,silver jewellery, coins and other relics.
 Displayed here is one Palki /Dola (Palanquin) used to carry brides .The thick net was used to trap Tigers and Deers. An armour made of Rhino skin .Traditional brass utensils used in King's kitchen.
 I faced one on my worst fear here .... this friendly TV camera and reporter caught us and we had to say few lines about our  experiences at the event .Hope they don't air it .
 It took me sometime to recover from that interview shock .We avoided going to the shops that sold local hand loom ,woolen clothes and other items.The other ground was completely dedicated to the ethnic -food. The area smelt of smoked/grilled meat from pork ,mutton ,fish to chicken .Chandan tasted some mutton while i stood there only to take some pictures.
 Other neighboring villages had also participated.Ethnic food of various origin like Assamese ,Deori ,Karbi ,Nepalese was being cooked .The stalls were jam packed.
Post Updated on 29.11.11: Many of you want to know about that white ,round idli like snack in the above picture.This delicacy is known as Tekeli Pitha ,click here to know more about it .
 On walking little further we saw this pretty and small lake where visitors enjoyed boating .
 The event beautifully covered the traditional and cultural heritage of Assam .
 An old way of extracting oil from mustard seeds on display .
 For wild life enthusiasts elephant safari and jeep safari was arranged .
 Traditional Assamese Jewellery designs , bamboo jewellery(unique of NE).
 Brass metal traditional decorations ,wood carvings ,bamboo and cane furniture.
 We had our lunch at this small resort nearby which offered veg and non veg buffet priced at Rs 150(veg) and Rs 250 (non veg).The food was good and was served in this tent  very neatly and cleanly.I was surprised to find there a spacious and squeaky clean toilet .
 Some more colors of the festival. The above picture of 'My Room' is featured in my dear friend Clytie's beautiful blog Random Hearts.Thanks Clytie.
 After spending more than three hours we headed back to Guwahati .We bought two flutes for my kids and really regret doing it now .They played the thing the whole evening.
Here are some pictures of the lovely sights on our journey back to home .

66 comments:

  1. I was waiting for your post Kavita for a long time and this is such a treat! Right from the entrance, the magic starts, literally!! Quite a different festival with magic and sorcery and witchcraft involved but they have included other aspects like relics, food, etc...
    Loved the post, the collages give a vivid picture of the place and your narration completes the story...
    And Lol about the TV interview, I am just like you!!!!
    Have a wonderful week ahead, keep posting:)

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  2. What a lovely mythical, magical place and celebration, Kavita. Thank you so much for sharing this with us. We can't be there but you gave us a lovely feel of what it was like to be there.

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  3. A beautiful glimpse of the Pabitora Festival. Very well captured. As always :)

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  4. Greatly enjoyed this post and actually wanted to be there myself ! In all your posts and photographs, there is such great feeling of pride and love for your karmabhoomi that comes through, which I love. Look forward to many more such posts ....

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  5. I especially liked the handicraft!

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  6. Kavita Ba, Nice to read you post.Beautiful photographs.Thanks for sharing.

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  7. fascinating post!!
    loved all your pics and vivid description!

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  8. Good to see you back again and you are back with a bang featuring such a wonderful events. The handicrafts are amazing.

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  9. Long time Kavita since there was a post from you. You seem to be thoroughly enjoying.

    The handicrafts are so exotic. it seems so easy but lot of work isnt it?

    The even seems to be colorful. Thanks for sharing.

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  10. Hi, nice post..i have been there too on 25th nov, took some photographs there if you would like to see here is the link http://goo.gl/LkbXg

    Regards

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  11. interesting and wide variety of things!

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  12. Hey you got some beautiful photographs of nature here..My favorite is lake and the hanging bridge..
    And really liked those bamboo works- jewelries and bamboo humans-awesome art.
    Thank you for this wonderful journey..
    Keep writing :)

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  13. I too was longing to read your new post. Loved reading about the Mayong Pobitora festival. Amongst the Karbi food items some resemble our Idlis!

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  14. Questions:

    * How did Chandon like the barbecued mutton?

    * Was the toilet a Western sit-down toilet? Hope so.

    * What kind of flutes did you buy your kids? Nose flute or mouth? Made of bamboo or of metal?

    * Is the weather always this nice in November?

    Loved this post, Kavita. Very enjoyable!

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  15. So a long wait has a reason after all!
    That is yet another good report.
    Much of Asssam reminds about the country sides in Kerala. The wares seems tribal like the African ethnic.
    The meat looks yummyyyy and tempting , which is an understatement.
    In fact any place that has less prominence on the tourist map will survive the onslaught of mindless man
    Thanks K for the good Post with some nice pics

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  16. What a unique festival... right from food, artifacts, furniture, jewelry to Black magic!! Amazing!! Loved the bamboo figurines! This post is truly a visual treat! :)

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  17. wowo beautiful .. i loved all the pictures ..
    what a day you had hmmmmmmm :)

    Bikram's

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  18. Pobitora wildlife means 'Pavitra wildlife'?!

    Cycle stand is really unique!

    I am happy to know that GIRLS succeeded in breaking pots!

    The bamboo artwork is lovely! The shape of the woman is perfect! Nice!

    The children played the flute only during one whole evening?! Too bad, I thought they are still playing!

    Enjoyed reading this post of yours, Kavita! Day by day, we are becoming more familiar with Assam! Thank you!

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  19. I forgot to add: Clean toilets? That is a happy news, Kavita!

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  20. First of all, nice to see you here again after a break! It's always interesting to see the world of you. I am especially always interested in human creativity-people are able to create so many items, many of them very deliberated and worth paying attention to.
    Nice bird pictures also:)

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  21. wonderful post..a visual treat!

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  22. gorgeous photos, fascinating trip...thanks for sharing...

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  23. Lovely trip and fascinating details. I especially loved the fabulous bamboo work and the food snaps :). Very interesting just like all your posts. BTW, I also love your new profile pic!

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  24. Arti : I remember reading about Magic of Kamrup in my school days but never really had any chance to visit the hub .It was my long time wish come true .Thanks for enjoying :)

    Kay : Locals requested me to tell others about their village which i promised that i would do.I am glad that you liked the post.

    Abha : thank you so much for your kind words Abha.

    Ugich Konitari :i so value your words of encouragement.Mean a lot to me .Thanks.

    Giribala : thank you .

    Rupam Sharma : you are very kind Rupam .Thanks.

    Magic eye : thanks a lot :)

    Rajesh :thank you .

    Insignia : looking at artisans work on these handicraft was a treat .I so enjoyed my day .Thanks .

    Gautam : you are a fabulous photographer .I visited your all the post on the festival and they are WOW !Thanks.

    Joshi Daniel : happy to see you here.Thanks.

    Sonu : hey brother so many thanks for always reading my post .Glad that you like them.

    P.N.Subramanian : Thank you so much .Those idli looking delicacy is known as 'Tekeli Pitha'-many say that it is similar to 'Puttu'.

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  25. Gigi : Chandan loved mutton and asked for second plate .The toilet seat was Western .We bought bamboo mouth flute and they come very cheap ,not even a dollar for two.Weather is always beautiful in November .So are you thinking of visiting here in November ?

    Anil :I think if he had non veg food eating company he would have tried more stuff .I was finding it hard to stand there for long.Many say that Assam and Kerala are cousins.Thanks for reading the post.

    Shilpa:the handicraft of India never ceases to amaze me .Do visit NE if you get a chance.Thanks.

    Bikram :i loved your Banglore post .Lucky you ,you met so many blogger friends.Next time please visit NE.Thanks.

    Sandhya: the cycle stand was funny and interesting.Surprisingly there were no thefts.And the flutes...hmmm..i have hidden them in a secret place .Imagine they were trying to play Kolaveri Di .lol.

    Ola : happy to see you here.It feels very good when i see you friends enjoy the post.Thanks a lot .

    Ashok:thank you so much .

    Lin :i loved your Iceland updates .Thanks for your comment:)

    Rachna :Hope you do visit Assam someday.Thanks for liking my DP.

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  26. Glad to "find" you back soon after the Missing Blogger Alert :)

    Loved being at the festivities through your post/pictures. Someone is rocking in polkadots!

    Oh those fried fish on sticks had me drooling for sure...

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  27. I'm so glad to see you, Kavita! I've missed your posts.

    I truly enjoyed visiting this festival with you :=} So many sights and sounds, vivid colors and temptations!

    Thank you!!!

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  28. after a long wait,a lovely post
    the artifacts & wooden carvings are so beautiful
    the pics did all the talking

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  29. Kolaveri song is spreading like virus, now...lol!

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  30. Kavita,

    As always, very informative post with such beautifully captured photographs. Thanks for taking me on virtual visit.

    Take care

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  31. thats after a long wait...
    and this one makes up for the gap i guess...this is more than just a blog post... wow.. you have come with a colorful festival with all livliness...

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  32. What a beautiful and colourful post Kavita! must thank u so much for bringing the flavours of the wonderful NE here :)
    I so want all that jewellery :)

    Ha ha! U must hv enjoyed the free flute recitals at home :)

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  33. Nice pictures! And the food looked yummy! :)

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  34. Kavitaji, It was such a pleasure to read your post on Mayong Pabitoro Festival. You have provided splendid pictures and detailed information on the minutest aspect of the life culture & heritage of this enchanting village.Made delightful reading.You have mentioned about the King of Mayong & about magic & sorcery & wonderful handicrafts & spicy(?)ethnic food supported by nice pics - Mayong appears to be place from out of the glorious past - magical mystical almost unreal in today's world. Makes me want to visit this place-only problem is it is so far away from Coimbatore :)( I noticed a white round idli like rice preparation. What is this?)

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  35. what awesome pix n post..i have become yr ardent fan boss..

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  36. It seemed like I was there. Beautiful post, great description and excellent pictures

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  37. Wow!...worth the wait..
    thanks for sharing something different... and knowing more about india..which otherwise is impossible!
    I love that pichha of yours..looking good!
    the place looks kinda interesting,,and all that magic is at times scary to me!
    the food looks very reasonable ..I hope you enjoyed..usually this kinda simple food is very interesting ... I love those jewellery pieces..looks very traditional!
    have a good week ahead!

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  38. someone is back with a bang and a magic wand! ;)
    i always wonder how you manage to squeeze in such wonderful information in all your posts. beautiful. kitna majja aaya hoga. can only imagine. i so wish i can visit Assam someday soon :)

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  39. This is a very nice post. I loved all your pictures and the information you shared, thanks.

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  40. thanks for the virtual tour of the festival .

    pictures are live and wonderful .

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  41. Beautiful photos, you have some really amazing shots here. I enjoyed this, thanks for sharing.

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  42. Where to begin? Perhaps by saying how I wish I had been there.

    I loved this post, so interesting and informative, colourful and vibrant, I loved the way you presented your photographs and (a big bonus) they seemed to load much more quickly.

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  43. Kavita your posts are wonderful, detailed. It is as if I have visit the Fesitval. Hope to meet u when you are in Delhi.

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  44. Kavita your posts are wonderful, detailed. It is as if I have visited the Fesitval. Hope to meet u when you are in Delhi.

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  45. Good to see this lovely, colorful, post about the rich cultural diversity ! I had traveled to Guwahati , Saulkuchi , Shilliong etc some years back! Your sweet post brought back the fond memories I cherish!

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  46. Hi again Kavita - I just wanted you to know your heart was featured on today's Guest Heart Thursday! Thank you!

    clytie-randomhearts.blogspot.com

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  47. I'm so glad to have found your blog. Fascinating post, and great photos. I can't wait to read through them all.

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  48. All this sounds so interesting and wonderful.
    Like that handicraft one with the weaving. Great mastercraftsman work.

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  49. Your blog is interesting. I met many of your country. Thank you, I could see your photos and comments. Warm greetings to you. / Peter

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  50. hahah kaviiiii..i knew u r der...sweet of u..take care..best wishes always buddy...

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  51. NRIGirl : thanks for missing blogger alert :)you are a true friend H:)Happy that you noticed my polka dots heeee .

    Clytie :touched by your gesture to feature me in your blog.Means a lot .Thank you so much .

    Sujatha: someone is looking pretty in yellow.Thanks for reading the post.

    Jack :thank you so much.

    Deeps :glad you liked it .Thanks.

    Swaram:yeah ,i now regret not buying bamboo jewellery .may be next year .Thanks for liking the post Swathi.

    Nona:thanks a lot.

    Ramakrishnan:Welcome to my page .Thank you so much for your encouragement.That IDLI looking dish is called Tekeli Pitha here.Because you and few others asked me about it ,i have included a link right below which explains it in details.

    Ramesh : thank you.Congratulations on your 500th post.

    A :Amrit ,i am glad that you enjoyed.Thank you so much.

    Harman: you lyk ma piccha - danke !My mother in law was little worried about us going there .She warned us not to eat anything from anyone ,not to accept gifts and many other things.

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  52. Crypticcrow :awww ,you are so sweet :)haan ,bahut maza aya , it was lot of fun .If get chance you must visit Assam for a wonderful travel experience.Thanks once again.

    Margaret Cloud : thank you .

    Team G Square:Welcome to my blog .You have a wonderful blog ,i visited it yesterday.Thanks a lot for reading.

    Petty Witter: thank you Tracy .Since i started resizing my pictures writing a post is lot easier .It takes less time to upload too .

    Rahul Bhatia :Welcome to my blog .I am yet to visit your blog ,my be i will right after answering all the comments here.Thanks for your kind visit.

    Neha :Warm Welcome.I am glad you enjoyed the post .Will visit your blog soon.

    Haddock :thank you so much .

    Petrolina:Warm welcome.Thanks a lot.

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  53. Phew! what a trip,the pictures the write up, the food, the handicrafts, everything was so fascinating.
    Thanks for bringing all this to us.

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  54. wow..so interesting.....

    http://sushmita-smile.blogspot.com/

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  55. what a delight,keep up blogging.

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  56. º°♥❤ Olá, amiga!
    ❤ Seu país é maravilhoso.
    º°❤ Paisagens lindas, artesanato maravilhoso...
    Boa semana!
    ❤Beijinhos.
    º°❤Brasil

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  57. Wonderful narrative. And quite an informative set of pictures. Hope to see the place sometime.

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  58. WOW! This looks so much fun and sounds exciting

    Love
    http://www.meghasarin.blogspot.com

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  59. Such a comprehensive coverage. Brilliant.

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  60. Amazing post. As usual I felt that I visited the place with you.

    Did you learn any magic? ;-)

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  61. A wonderful post Kavita!
    I loved all the pictures!

    Thank you for sharing!
    I know it must take a while to do a post like this as you have so much information and you write so well.

    Take care, be well!
    Joy always to you!

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  62. wont let u forget us...so dropped in 2 say hiiiiiiiiiii

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  63. WOW! The Pictures are lovely. And you do a thorough job of reporting the event. Kudos to you ji! : )

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  64. yr comment landed in spam again..but if it is from kavita..u know how sentimental i can get..so will retrieve from anywhere..what say!!! hahaha thanks yar

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  65. yr comment landed in spam again..but if it is from kavita..u know how sentimental i can get..so will retrieve from anywhere..what say!!! hahaha thanks yar

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  66. Very beautiful and colourful pictures. You have described about the event very nicely and in detail. Lovely post.

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