lot of concern in India.
It is thought that if someone dies un-timely before they should have died, or
has died due to unnatural causes, then the spirit of that person lingers on in
the physical world. Hence the ghost of these women can find men and seduce them
to satisfy their own unfinished physical desires - the desires that they were
not able to enjoy when they were alive. The western version of mohini appears
to be the “succubus”.
Preta
The pretas are supposed to
be spirits of men whose proper cremation was not carried out when they died. It
is said that a proper cremation is necessary in the Hindu religion and if it is
not carried out, the spirit will not leave the physical world to be reborn
elsewhere. Pretas have a liking for something that normal people don’t such as
rotting corpse or feces. They are supposed to invisible.
Jinn or Genie
Jinns are the same as
genies. They are mostly believed to exist by people of the Muslim faith. Since
India has a significant population of Muslims, the concept of jinns also exists
in India. Jinns can be good, bad and evil. They are supposed to be everywhere
and they may or may not do anything. I remember a Muslim friend telling me once
that she had a “jinn” in the house. I asked her how she knew this. She said
that, there was always a distinct smell of flowers in the house no matter what
she did. She thought that there was a presence and most likely it was a
harmless jinn. She got rid of it eventually by removing pictures of animals
from the wall. Apparently, the jinn was attracted to the photos of animals on
the wall.
Note :
I hope I have given you some idea of types of ghosts and spirits believed to
exist in India. I hope these real life stories and encounters in the book will
throw more insights into the ghosts and hauntings from India and further your
understanding. Please take note that these are real events and some names have
been changed to protect the identities of those concerned.
My Great Grandfather And The Chur ail
Every family has their secrets and stories; these are the stories handed down
from generation to generation. These are the stories that are never discussed
during the bright light of day in front of the whole family, but rather the
stories that are told in hushed tones, from one person to another in a darkened
room. My family on my father’s side has a story such as this, the story of my
great grandfather and the churail.
First of all, do you know
what a churail is? Sometimes, it is used to describe a witch but most often, it
is a woman who died while pregnant or during childbirth. Typically, if the
woman died due to negligence of her husband, she will return to the world from
her grave as “churail”, seeking vengeance on men, and any man will do.
Instead of being burned
and ashes thrown in the River Ganges, in the olden Hindu tradition it was said
that women who died in this manner should be buried face down, to prevent them
for escaping the grave and by being buried face down, they see only the earth.
Without being able to see upwards, to the world of the living, they would not
be able to get up and roam. Unless precautions were taken, women who died while
pregnant or while giving birth would become churails.
“You know the story of
great grandfather and the churail,” my cousin told me one night when I was
young, trying to scare me.
“She will creep into the
rooms of men and suck their life force, turning them old and killing them, just
like one nearly did to great grandfather,” my cousin continued. I went wailing
to my father who berated my cousin for telling me stories but I saw the look my
father gave my aunt and saw her shake her head no to him.
A few years passed and I
asked my cousin about the story, curious. The look that passed between my aunt
and my father told me that there was a story there and that was how I heard the
story, told to me in whispers by my cousin, in a room with only a lantern to
light
It is thought that if someone dies un-timely before they should have died, or
has died due to unnatural causes, then the spirit of that person lingers on in
the physical world. Hence the ghost of these women can find men and seduce them
to satisfy their own unfinished physical desires - the desires that they were
not able to enjoy when they were alive. The western version of mohini appears
to be the “succubus”.
Preta
The pretas are supposed to
be spirits of men whose proper cremation was not carried out when they died. It
is said that a proper cremation is necessary in the Hindu religion and if it is
not carried out, the spirit will not leave the physical world to be reborn
elsewhere. Pretas have a liking for something that normal people don’t such as
rotting corpse or feces. They are supposed to invisible.
Jinn or Genie
Jinns are the same as
genies. They are mostly believed to exist by people of the Muslim faith. Since
India has a significant population of Muslims, the concept of jinns also exists
in India. Jinns can be good, bad and evil. They are supposed to be everywhere
and they may or may not do anything. I remember a Muslim friend telling me once
that she had a “jinn” in the house. I asked her how she knew this. She said
that, there was always a distinct smell of flowers in the house no matter what
she did. She thought that there was a presence and most likely it was a
harmless jinn. She got rid of it eventually by removing pictures of animals
from the wall. Apparently, the jinn was attracted to the photos of animals on
the wall.
Note :
I hope I have given you some idea of types of ghosts and spirits believed to
exist in India. I hope these real life stories and encounters in the book will
throw more insights into the ghosts and hauntings from India and further your
understanding. Please take note that these are real events and some names have
been changed to protect the identities of those concerned.
My Great Grandfather And The Chur ail
Every family has their secrets and stories; these are the stories handed down
from generation to generation. These are the stories that are never discussed
during the bright light of day in front of the whole family, but rather the
stories that are told in hushed tones, from one person to another in a darkened
room. My family on my father’s side has a story such as this, the story of my
great grandfather and the churail.
First of all, do you know
what a churail is? Sometimes, it is used to describe a witch but most often, it
is a woman who died while pregnant or during childbirth. Typically, if the
woman died due to negligence of her husband, she will return to the world from
her grave as “churail”, seeking vengeance on men, and any man will do.
Instead of being burned
and ashes thrown in the River Ganges, in the olden Hindu tradition it was said
that women who died in this manner should be buried face down, to prevent them
for escaping the grave and by being buried face down, they see only the earth.
Without being able to see upwards, to the world of the living, they would not
be able to get up and roam. Unless precautions were taken, women who died while
pregnant or while giving birth would become churails.
“You know the story of
great grandfather and the churail,” my cousin told me one night when I was
young, trying to scare me.
“She will creep into the
rooms of men and suck their life force, turning them old and killing them, just
like one nearly did to great grandfather,” my cousin continued. I went wailing
to my father who berated my cousin for telling me stories but I saw the look my
father gave my aunt and saw her shake her head no to him.
A few years passed and I
asked my cousin about the story, curious. The look that passed between my aunt
and my father told me that there was a story there and that was how I heard the
story, told to me in whispers by my cousin, in a room with only a lantern to
light
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