has a healing effect” said Reverend R.D. Haichang president of the Northeast Baptist churchafter offering a silent prayer near the blessed pool, after coming all the way from Jaluki of Nagaland to collect the blessed water from Maboram village.

The village has become the centre of attraction for thousands of Christians  who come here every day to collect this water for its miraculous affect, thronging to the village from nearby villages and from distant places like the Karbi Anglong district of Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur. From quite a distance one can see people rushing to the village to collect water in containers of every shape and size, a long queue of men and women coiling the high ridge of the steep hill inching forward near the source has become a common sight in Maboram village now.

“We heard that Bodoruddin Azmal of Hojai gives blessed water to the needy and the water of Garampani geyser located in Karbi Anglong Golaghat border has therapeutic effect but this is completely different from all this, I have never seen people from Karbi Anglong rushing to a village of Dima Hasao with a container to collect water, this is incredible” Sanju Bora eminent an journalist said.

A signboard has been put up near the source where it simply written ‘HOLY WATER’. “If one has a bath with this water surely he will be cured from any skin infection or any other untreatable disease” Sema Zemi the village headman claims. “The whole matter came to light during a meeting of the village women on 13th February this year. During the meeting a village woman revealed that after bathing with the water from the pool she was cured of a very old infirmity. Since then lots of people have been cured from incurable illnesses, even the blind have got their sight back,” Sema Zemi informed.

Whether one believes it or not, thousands of people including the clergy from Nagaland and simple village dwellers like Nune Rankhel have walked great distances to collect the holy water with great expectation and a strong faith in God’s mercy which can also flow from a pool of water.

Sushanta Roy