Every February, people gather in the village of Malajpur in the state of Madhya Pradesh for a unique ghost fair. It’s one of India’s most celebrated festivals... an ancient fair, where exorcists rid the body of evil spirits.
Amardas Yadaz is taking her sister-in-law, Dharmati Bai, to the Malajpur Ghost Fair. This is an ancient fair, where exorcists rid the body of evil spirits. Amardas believes that a ghost has taken control of her for more than a month now she’s been shouting strange words. “My sister-in-law must have been possessed by a ghost. We come here to pay our respects to the temple. They’re treating her now and I hope she’ll be cured.”
Head priest Lalji Yadav is holding a broom and starts to beat Dharmati with it. After some time, he offers her some holy water and declares that she’s now free from the evil spirit.
“We catch ghosts here and they never return to the body after we treat the patients. We treat them by bringing them to the temple. We use brooms for ghosts … a practice we’ve been using for hundreds of years at the temple. Every year people from different areas come for an exorcism.”
The temple, built in the 18th century, is a shrine to Saint Deoji – believed to have the power to exorcise evil spirits. And believers say the power has been passed on to the temple’s priests.
More than half a million people come here each year, says local Mekam Singh Rajput.
“Anyone who comes here will have his wishes fulfilled. People come here to pray for their wishes. Especially those that are possessed by evil spirits and ghosts….are cured at the temple. People from different parts of the country visit this fair and get treatment at the temple. If you’re looking for a miracle, then you should visit the temple.”
In rural society, belief in ghosts is widespread across the region. Women still attend ghost festivals like this believing that their wishes will be granted. Indrawati Kherwal comes from Ghodadongri village, 85 kilometers away from the festival venue.
This is her 22nd visit to the temple. She asked for a child for her daughter who finally gave birth after seven years of marriage. “I’ve been coming here for the last 25 years. I believe you just have to come here with your wishes and they will be fulfilled by the temple’s saint. I’ve got everything I asked for. And those who visit the fair know about the miracles.”
Despite progress in science and technology in India, many people still turn to exorcism rituals to cure diseases. That includes epilepsy, depression or mental disorders which are seen as a result of possession by evil spirits. Sarma Niwarihas hopes to find a cure for his brother.
“He was beating and abusing everyone, and even burnt his clothes at home. We believe that he was possessed by ghosts. We brought him here for treatment and his condition is improving.”
But starting this year, the district administration has started to introduce modern medical treatment instead of relying on exorcism rituals. The local media has been criticizing the ghost fair for conning innocent villagers and playing on their beliefs.
Rahul Sharma is a clinical psychologist from a government medical college. “People who come here are illiterate and have very little knowledge about the diseases that their relatives are suffering from. They come here because of a lack of knowledge and their belief in superstition. We just want to tell them that medical treatment is available for them. And that they should not waste their time at the temple.”
