Chetak is an art secretly learnt by women. It is a form of the black art. A woman well versed in the mantras of chetak can do any mischief she chooses. She can kill a child or turn any person into a dog or other animal by the power of her incantations. The Chetakin can remove all the hair from the head of a woman, or scatter filth, etc. in a person’s house, make marks of crosses with marking nuts on all the clothes, or play many other such tricks without betraying a trace of the author of the mischief. The chetakins are able to mesmerize a man and order him to do anything they want. A Chetakin or witch cannot herself appear in the form of an animal.

They follow revolting forms of ceremonies. All witches who have learnt the black art meet at night once a month on the AmÁvÁsya day or no moon day of every month, at a burning ground outside the village. On such occasions they go quite naked, and apply turmeric and red powders to the body and forehead. While coming to the cremation ground they bring on their heads burning coals in an earthen pot called Kondi. At this meeting they repeat their mantras, and take care that none are forgotten. After completing the repetition of the mantras, they go round the village and return to their respective houses. They have no special haunts or seasons.

In the KolhÁpur District the woman who is in possession of a chetak is called chetakin. The chetak is said to abide by her orders. It is believed to bring corn and other things from houses or harvesting grounds. It is seen only by its mistress the chetakin. The belief that the chetakins can turn a person into the form of an animal does not prevail in this district. They do not wander from one place to another. The chetakin has to go once a year to the temple of the deity from whom the chetak has been brought, and to pay the annual tribute for the use of that chetak or servant spirit.1

There are no witches in the RatnÁgiri District. It is said that there are some at Kolwan in the ThÁna District. They are generally found among ThÁkars. Some of them come to the RatnÁgiri District, but though no one can tell anything about their powers, ignorant people are very much afraid of them.2 It is believed that they can turn persons into animals by means of their incantations. The person once charmed by their mantras is said to blindly abide by their orders. It is also believed that they can ruin anybody by their magic.

There are no witches at RÁi in the ThÁna District. The woman who can influence evil spirits to do harm to others is called a BhutÁli. It is said that the BhutÁlis assemble at the funeral ground in a naked state on the full-moon day and on the AmÁvÁsya, or the last day of every month, to refresh their knowledge of the black art.3

A witch has dirty habits and observances. The chief sign for detecting a witch or chetakin is a foam or froth that appears on the lips of her mouth when she is asleep. The only means to guard against her witchcraft is to remain on friendly terms with her, and not to hurt her feelings on any occasion. People generally keep a watch over the actions of a woman who is suspected to be a witch, and if she is found practising her black art, and is caught red-handed, people then pour into her mouth water brought from the shoe-maker’s earthen pot or kundi. It is believed that, when she is compelled to drink such water, her black art becomes ineffective.4

In the ThÁna District it is believed that the skin round the eyes of a witch is always black, her eyes have an intoxicated appearance, her nails are generally parched and have a darkish colour, and the lower portions of her feet seem to be scraped. When any sorcerer gives out the name of such a BhutÁli, she is threatened by the people that, should she continue to give trouble in the village, her own black art or another spirit would be set against her; and she then ceases to give trouble.5

There are some sorcerers in the ThÁna District who can move a small brass cup or vÁti by the power of their magic. They can detect a witch by the movement of this vessel. When the brass vessel or vÁti reaches the house of a witch, it at once settles upon the witch’s head. She is then threatened by the people that she will be driven out of the village if found practising her black art.6

In the KolhÁpur District, when the people come to know of the existence of a witch in their village, they take special precautions at the time of harvest. They arrange to harvest a different kind of grain to the one selected for harvesting by the witch. After some time they go to the field of the witch, and discover whether there is a mixture of grain in her field. If they are convinced of the fact, they take further precautions. In order to avoid being troubled by the chetak, they keep an old, worn out shoe or sandal and a charmed copper amulet under the eaves at the main door of their houses, or make crosses with marking nut on both sides of a door. At some places chunam spots or circles are marked on the front of a house, the object being to guard against the evil effects of the chetak’s tricks.7