The Divine and the Demonic: Supernatural Affliction and Its Treatment in North India

The book opens with an account of Mehndipur, a Hindu pilgrimage centre renowned for the treatment of spirit possession and supernatural malaise. It describes the village’s history, sacred geography, temples, deities, pilgrims, ritual offerings, and healing ceremonies. Particular attention is given to Balaji, Bhairava, and Pretraj, the principal divine figures associated with the diagnosis, punishment, and expulsion of malevolent spirits. The central chapters examine patterns of supernatural affliction, including possession by spirits, sorcery, witchcraft, and the evil eye. They analyse local ideas of causation, attribution, susceptibility, gender, marital status, and social vulnerability. The study then provides a detailed interpretation of exorcism as an emotionally charged process through which patients separate themselves from affliction and reconstruct a positive sense of self. The final chapter compares the authority and practices of Hindu priests, bhagats, tantriks, and other healers, while the conclusion restates the value of a phenomenological approach to supernatural illness and ritual treatment.