Magic in South Asia
Mantra, yantra and tantra, the lemon and chillies hung against the evil eye, astrology, and temple healers and exorcists. 201 entries on EveryJaadu so far.
Places of magic
Ujjain 4Varanasi 4Delhi 3Manipur 3Gaya 2Haridwar 2Khajuraho 2Knossos 2Mathura 2Moirang 2Sehwan 2Tarapith 2Thiruvananthapuram 2West Bengal 2Ahmedabad 1Allahabad 1Anand district 1Anandpur Sahib 1Angkor Thom 1Angkor Wat 1Artigas 1Arun Valley Region 1Atla village 1Batu Caves 1Bhedaghat 1Bodh Gaya 1Bukkur 1Bungamati 1Canary Islands 1Chandradwip 1
Rites of the region
Nimbu-mirchi and nazar utarnaThe kajal dot on a childConsecrating a yantraTheyyamBhuta KolaKolam at the thresholdNavagraha shanti
Countries
PurposeProtectionHealingSeeing and foretellingLuck and prosperityLove and attractionCursing and harmCleansing and purificationSpeaking with spirits and the deadChange and initiationBinding and oathsPower and authorityWonder and entertainment
WhoShamansFolk healersPriests and ritual specialistsWitches, sorcerers and cunning folkDiviners and readersMediums and the possessedCeremonial magicians and alchemistsHouseholds and ordinary peopleStage magiciansScholars and sceptics
BeliefHindu and TantricBuddhistJainMuslim and SufiJewishChristianSikhZoroastrianShinto and TaoistIndigenous and shamanicAfrican and Afro-diasporicPagan and NeopaganEsoteric and occultFolk and village customSecular and stageOther traditions
馃嚨馃嚜 Peru and 1 moreApu
Sacred mountain spirits in Andean tradition that protect communities and control natural resourcesBeing 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚙馃嚧 Bolivia and 2 moreYatiri
A lightning-struck healer in Aymara communities who restores balance with nature and ancestorsTradition 路 Healing 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚚馃嚤 Chile and 1 moreCultrunkultrung
A ceremonial drum central to Mapuche spiritual practice and identity in Chile and ArgentinaTradition 路 Healing 路 Protection Living
馃嚠馃嚦 IndiaNechung Oracle嘟傕綋嘟︵紜嘟嗋酱嘟勦紜嘟忇紜嘟栢境嗉嬥綐
The official prophetic medium and spiritual advisor to Tibet's Dalai LamaOracle 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Protection Living
馃嚙馃嚧 Bolivia and 5 moreKallawaya
An itinerant group of traditional Andean healers known for their medicinal plant knowledge and ritual practicesTradition 路 Healing 路 Protection Living
馃嚠馃嚦 India and 5 moreAsian witchcraft
A broad overview of magical practices and persecution across Asian culturesTradition 路 Cursing and harm 路 Protection Living
馃嚨馃嚜 Peru and 2 moreTsentsak
Invisible darts used by Amazonian shamans for healing and sorcerySubstance 路 Cursing and harm 路 Protection Living
馃嚦馃嚨 Nepal and 3 moreGurung ShamanismTamu Cho
The ancient shamanic beliefs and rituals of the Gurung people in NepalTradition 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Yatiri: EEJCC, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Cultrun: Universidad Nacional de La Plata, CC BY 3.0, source
- Nechung Oracle: Christopher Michel, CC BY 2.0, source
- Asian witchcraft: Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Public domain, source
- Apu: Cecilia Sacsa, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Tsentsak: Veton PICQ, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Kallawaya: Unknown author, Public domain, source