Superstition or faith? ‘

Dailybhaskar.com  |  Mar 03, 2013,
Pics: Superstition or faith? 'Ghost Fair' is held in MP to treat patients

Malajpur: A woman clad in sari with her hair wild, scrambles on a heap of mud with pebbles strewn all around, as if trying to run away from some invisible and mysterious power. She dons a terrifying look on her face as she sinks to her knees, sobbing loudly.

These ‘devotees’ have arrived at Malajpur; a village in Madhya Pradesh‘s Betul district, 350 km from state capital Bhopal, for being exorcised at a shrine of Guru Maharaj Deoji, a Hindu holy man who is believed to have lived in the 18th century.  ‘Devotees’ believe that he had the power to exorcise evil spirits.

How did this start:

People believe that since the beginning of 18th century this month-long fair is being held annually  at Malajpur during the ongoing Magh month.

The people who bring their relatives here believe that their bodies have been “taken over by the ghosts of the dead” and that exorcism is the only release for them.