Shadows lurking in the dark, strange apparitions that send a chill down your spine. Exorcism is a word that conjures up eerie images of ghosts, spirits, and other paranormal phenomena. There are many religious places in India including temples and mosques that are associated with exorcism. One such place is the mysterious Chogan Temple deep in the tribal heartland of Madhya Pradesh near the historic town of Mandla, which was once the centre of the Gond kingdom.
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Mysterious Chogan Temple In Chogan Mandla
Evil spirits and ghosts have always had a place in every culture and religion of the world. Man has always been morbidly fascinated by the paranormal, and this fascination has been the grist to the mills of movie-making. If Hollywood horror thrillers like, ” The Exorcist,” “The Omen,” “The Conjuring,” and many others have terrified and thrilled audiences, Bollywood films like, “Stree,” have spun their ghostly web too around audiences.
One may feel that the belief in the existence of demons and their possessing people is only in the realm of fiction. But this belief is also one of the widely held religious beliefs in the world. The remedy that is offered for this is an exorcism in India.
Modern science and psychiatry may offer seemingly logical explanations for being, “possessed,” by evil spirits with terms like schizophrenia, multiple personality disorder, trauma, etc., However, there are even today many takers for the occult. That is why exorcism is still practised in pockets in India and around the world.
The mysterious Chogan temple is just one of the many places where exorcism is exercised. Some of the other prominent centres for this occult practice include the Mehendipur Balaji Temple in Rajasthan, the Gangapur Dattatreya Temple in Karnataka, and the Hazrat Saiyed Ali Mira Datar Dargah in Gujarat.
Experiencing Exorcism At The Mysterious Chogan Temple
A short walk across a path that cuts through barren fields leads to the Chogan Temple, Mandla, Madhya Pradesh. As we approach the temple, curious glances from the villagers follow us. We spot a few visitors squatting outside the temple. It is afternoon as we enter the Chogaan temple with some degree of trepidation.
The Chaugan temple consists of a small courtyard with a small semi-dark room in the centre. Smaller structures surround it. What grabs our attention instantly is a tall iron ladder that rises to the skies.
Not far from the ladder is a small canopy kind of structure with open arches on all four sides. Sinister-looking chains hang from the roof of this canopy. The tools of exorcism, we think, as we move towards the main structure of the small temple.
A temple usually brings to mind a structure with elaborate carvings and design. But this temple in the village of Chogan Mandla is a simple and bare structure. The only characteristics of a temple that are visible are some crude images of Hindu deities that can be seen in the niches on one of the walls. The white and saffron flags that flutter in the breeze are another characteristic that one identifies with temples.
The main structure is a small and spartan room with a sloping roof made of red tiles. The walls are white-washed with a shade of blue, and the only door is brightly painted in blue. The room is dark, and just inside the door sits the temple priest dressed in white, dispensing succour to those who come to the temple with hope in their hearts. A lamp burns inside the temple, the flame of which has been kept burning continuously by the successive generations of the priest, whose name is Ramesh Parthi.
As we approached the temple, we observed a lady prostrating before the priest. A toddler and a slightly older sibling who were apparently the woman’s children waited on the raised portico beside the door of the temple. While the elder of the siblings sat patiently, the not-so-patient toddler lay there bawling. The priest mumbled something indecipherable and stroked her bent back with metal tongs and a weather broom in quick succession apparently blessing her.
The woman’s husband had been hospitalized in the city of Nagpur some 200 kilometres away and was undergoing surgery. Her faith had drawn her to the Chogaan Temple, Mandla, to pray for his recovery and well-being. Call it coincidence or divine intervention, right before us the woman received a call that gave her the glad tidings of the successful completion of her husband’s surgery.
So we learned, that the Chogaan Temple, Ramnagar, is not just another one of the exorcism temples of India, but also a place where the faithful head to with their normal problems in search of a solution.
Chogan Mandla And The Stairway to Heaven
At the heart of the mysterious Chogan temple, is the ladder, which is also referred to as, “Swarg Ki Seedhi,” which means, “ladder to heaven,” or, “stairway to heaven.”
The temple does not have an idol, the Gonds traditionally were not idol-worshippers. However, the presiding deity of the temple is the ladder itself. It is worshipped ritualistically by offering coconuts and the waving of incense sticks by the priest Ramesh Parthi.
The priest Ramesh Parthi explained that the ladder was worshipped as Goddess Kali herself, and it was her grace which cured people of their afflictions.
Exorcism Temple In India | Chaugan Village | Chaugan Mandla
The mystery of the temple of exorcism had primed our minds to expect something that was beyond the realms of normalcy, bordering on the paranormal. However, it was not to be. We found out that there was no exorcism at Chogan Temple in India, at least not the kind that one is led to believe.
There is no use of mumbo-jumbo or the recital of strange-sounding and frightening mantras. In priest Ramesh Parthi’s own words, “there is no mantra, it is all about the faith of the people in the Mother, which helps them .”
Ramesh Parthi’s arsenal against the evil spirits and demons that, “possess,” the people who throng the Chogaan Temple, Ramnagar in search of succour consists of a pair of tongs, a feather broom, ash from the fire that burns in the temple, and his own faith as well as that of the people. He has not learned any secret mantras or chants from his father, he has just observed what his father used to do and does just that, with complete faith in the Goddess, who resides in the form of the ladder that seems to rise to the heavens.
Yes, there are chains, and they are used, but only in the case of aggressive victims who might harm themselves and others. In such cases, the victim who is in the demonic grip of evil spirits stays in the temple for a few days and is shackled with chains if needed. Once he is free of the “spirits,” he goes home, completely cured.
The Priest At The Mysterious Chogan Temple
The Chogan temple is a place of worship, counselling, and in many ways a consultation and remedial centre for mental ailments. It is a place revered by the tribals of Madhya Pradesh, and a centre of hope for them. Ramesh Pardhi presides over his congregation with characteristic simplicity and humility.
He has taken over the duties of the temple as its priest after the demise of his father. Before him, his father was the priest, and before his father, his grandfather, and so on. The priesthood of the temple is a legacy that has been handed down from generation to generation.
Monday is the day of the week when patients flock to the temple from far and wide with their tales of woe. They get an audience with the priest and unburden themselves. The priest assigns specific dates to the people to appear with the patient in question, quite like the hearings in court. He then dispenses with each case as he deems fit based on the direction of the divine Mother.
About Chaugan Village In Madhya Pradesh
The Sarpanch of the village Sravan Pardhi talks to us about Chogan village. According to him, the village has a population of about 2,000. Chaugan village is home to indigenous tribes – the Gonds and the Baigas. The village is inhabited by the Gond, Baiga, Lohar, Pradhan, and Ahir tribals. The chief occupation of the villagers is agriculture and labour work.
The claim to fame of the village is the presence of the Chogan temple, which is the residence of Devi Kaali, and a Shaktisthal. He says that people from faraway places to the temple in search of a cure for their ailments.
Images Of Chougan Temple Near Ramnagar, Mandla, Madhya Pradesh
Do demons and evil spirits exist? Does exorcism work? These are questions to ponder for you, our dear readers, and it is up to your faith and reasoning to arrive at any conclusion.
However, we leave you with some haunting Images of Chougan Temple in Madhya Pradesh to help you in your thought processes.
Other Places of Interest Near The Mysterious Chogan Temple
There are many interesting places to visit in the vicinity of Chougan village. Here are some of them.
- 350-year-old Moti Mahal which was the citadel of the Gond Kingdom
- Begum Mahal
- Badal Mahal
- Vishnu Mandir
- Rajarajeshwari Temple Mandla
How To Get To Chogan Temple, Ramnagar
The Chogan temple is located in the Chogan village in Ramnagar near the town of Mandla in Madhya Pradesh.
- Chogan is about 18 kilometres from the historic town of Mandla
- Mandla is about 406 kilometres from Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh
- The nearest airport to Mandla is Jabalpur at a distance of about 100 kilometres
If you planning to visit the Chogan or Mandla, you can book your flight tickets right here through Cleartrip or Makemytrip or CheapAir or Priceline and fly to Jabalpur. If you are thinking of a road trip from Jabalpur or Bhopal, do check out the rental car and bus options.
Where To Stay While Visiting Chaugan Mandla’s Exorcism Temple In India
You can stay in Mandla and visit Chogan village, apart from other places of interest in the region. There are hardly any luxury hotels in Mandla, one of the decent hotels is Shikhar Palace.
You can book Shikhar Palace or any other hotel in Mandla, Jabalpur, Bhopal, or anywhere else right here!
You can book Hotels/Resorts in Mandla or any destination right here through any of the options given here – TripAdvisor or Cleartrip or makemytrip or goibibo or Booking.com or HotelsCombined or Agoda and save a lot by getting the best deals on booking your stay.
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Mysterious Chogan Temple Madhya Pradesh – FAQ
Which are the main exorcism temples in India?
The famous exorcism temples in India are the Mehndipur Balaji temple in Rajasthan and the Dattatreya temple in Karnataka.
What is the mystery of Chogan Temple in Madhya Pradesh?
Tribals from far and wide come to the Chogan temple, many of them are possessed by evil spirits. After prayer at the Kali temple worshipped as a ladder, they become alright. Sometimes they stay in the temple for a few days.
How far is Chogan temple from Mandla?
Chogan temple is about 18 kilometres from the town of Mandla in Madhya Pradesh.
Which is the strangest temple in India?
The Karni Mata temple, where rats roam freely is believed to be one of the unique temples in India. The temple is dedicated to Karni Mata, and the rats are believed to be the ancestors of the villagers.
What is exorcism?
Exorcism is believed to be the removal of so-call evil spirits from a person.
As we leave the mysterious Chogan temple, the image of the ladder rising to the skies haunts us. We ponder over the faith of the many people who throng here with hope in their hearts and desperation in their eyes.
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You talk about haunting images in this post. However I found the Chogan Temple images serene and peaceful. It is your description that I found haunting. I might have trouble sleeping tonight. Maybe someday I will muster enough courage to visit such temples. Till then I’m happy reading such interesting posts on your blog.
India is the Land of Wonders. Every place either has a History or a Mystery. Thanks for sharing about this tepmple, I only read about Mehndipur Balaji temple in Rajasthan.
I’m an atheist. Although I have been to temples like this but I was never convinced that there r spirits inside people. But chogan village looks interesting.
Exorcism. Wow! This is really intriguing! Never knew about this place in Madhya Pradesh. Also that stairway to heaven is interesting.
This is such an interesting article. I have never heard of this, and it is fascinating how strongly faith helps these people with their lives and health. The Ladder is such an interesting facet of this temple – very unique.