Odi Vidya is associated with black magic. The ritual is used
to annihilate enemies. Those people who performed Odi Vidya were known as
Odiyan. It was widely performed by people belonging to the communities of
Panan, Parayan, Pulayan and Velan. This type of black magic was famous in
Kerala and parts of Andhra Pradesh. To perform Odi Vidya against a person it is
necessary to know his birth star (Nakshatra), birth date and month.
After performing various rituals and mantras, the Odiyan
breaks a small stick in his hand. When he does this, the backbone of the enemy
will also break and he will die.
It is also believed that using a combination of juices of
particular herbs, Odiyan was able to change into various animals like ox, buffalo,
fox, tiger, dog, etc. After taking various shapes, Odiyan will kill the enemy
and then he will chant a mantra and return to his original form.
There are also stories which indicate that Odiyan had the
power to even kill the unborn child in the womb and bring it out.
Certain scholars are of the view that people who used to kill
enemies in the cover of darkness or through stealth created stories of Odi
Vidya to escape from punishment.