Indian-specific ghosts.

[sick31]

Dear Hubbers,

My friend is doing an article on the ethnocentric ghosts that the various cultures. He called me up yesterday and asked me if there are any ghosts/evil spirits/demons, which are peculiar to the Indian culture, and for the life of me, I couldn't tell him.

I called my mother to ask her, but she was in an anoying/whimsical mood, and she told me Indian people are very pious, so we don't have such things.

She has to be wrong. The West have their bogeyman, the Chinese their eight levels of Hell, with an entire KINGDOM of demons, vampires and suchlike. The Malay have their poster-girl, the pontianak.

What do we scare our children with? Or do we just borrow ideas from everywhere else?

Please help if you have any information.

-Vijay

[Hulkster]

Well let us go deep into the acclaimed spirits and demons of the indian culture.

Suspect No 1
- Mohini Pisasu
(Appears as a beautiful lady who preys on man's blood and is some sort of a demoness. Origins unknown. Is said to not touch a man if he urinates in a circle and sit inside a circle)

Suspect No 2
- KuttiChatan
(The indian equivalent of toyol or the foetus devil..it is less scarier and more naughtier as it is reputed to be pitch black with a scarey smile that looks like it did not brush its teeth with colgate for years. It basically does things that its master commands it to do but is totally allergic to divine stuff.)

Suspect No 3
- Ratha Kaateri
(This demonic woman who loves blood is no aishwarya rai to see. The mohini pisasu atleast satisfies man by apeparing beautiful. This demoness however straightaway appears like she just got acidified. And she does not have to see blood to get lusty...she immediately dives in for blood)

Divine suspects
-Mayana Kaliamman
( Also known as sudugadu kaliamman...some believe her to be a demonic goddess with a skull garland and a terrifying stare who dances upon a corpse resembling her husband. She is said to dance within the night at the realm of the dead(sudugaadu) and each strand of hair on her head is a jeeva or a soul of someone dead. Legends say she is a form of parashakthi(shiva's wife) and hence that also makes her shiva's wife. She is also said to go uncontrollably wild which can be stopped by her husband focussing all her wild energy on himself by appearing as a corpse..thus that picture. She is also said to be wife of yama the God of death due to her also being goddess of death.)

Thats all i know..the rest you got to ask the spirits themselves..

[pavalamani pragasam]

Listen to 'kandha shashti kavasam'!!!

[Alan]

Hulkster! I am amazed! You seem to know so much about Indian Myths!!!!!!!!!! I haven't heard any of these 'devils' before!

[Hulkster]

Actually Alan there are more but i forgot what they are called..the indians(those who live in India) should know more...

PS: Kaliamman is not a demon..she is a goddess but because of her supernatural connection i thought of stating her name and my mum used to scare me with her song if i did not sleep. what song you ask? "Shakthi vanthaalae di!"

[NOV]

Listen to 'kandha shashti kavasam'!!!

paarka paarka paavam podipada
billi soonyam perumpahai ahala
valla bootham valaashtihap peihal
allal paduthum adangaa muniyum
pillaihal thinnum puzhakadai muniyum (110)

kollivaayp peihalum kuralaip peihalum
penkalai thodarum bramaraa chatharum
adiyanaik kandaal alari kalangida
irisi kaatteri ithunba senaiyum
yellilum iruttilum yethirpadum mannarum (115)

kana pusai kollum kaaliyodu anaivarum
vittaan gaararum migu pala peihalum
thandiyak kaararum sandaalar halum
yen peyar sollavum idi vizhunthodida
aanai adiyinil arum paavaihalum (120)

[solona]

Hi Vj

My humble contribution to Hulksters list

Vaethlaam - a ghost which haunts trees like muragai maram, vaeppai maram etc a eternal enemy to king Vikramathithan, sort od Indian equivalent to Vampire

Kolli vai pisasu - a ghost with fire on the mouth, village legends tell that these ghosts haunts deserted places at nights

bootham - something my mother used to call whenI refused eat when I was small, I imagined it to ressebme a bit the Aladdin lamp ghost

Personnally I have never met the above VIPs but have heard lots of stories about them from my honorable grand ma who used to narrate them with such a liveliness that I was convinced that these things existed (when I was a kid )

[great]

pls include Hulkster to the list :P

He is a terror

[pavalamani pragasam]

And what interesting stories about 'kaaththu' & 'karuppu' which have an extraordinary, passionate affinity for young pregnant women fully decked with jewels & fragrant flowers who dared to venture out of their house after sunset!!! For this one ban for pregnant women I believe there is some scientific truth based on health factors like chilly weather at night. I can't forget my grandma's ( and ma's) displeasure at my hubby taking me out for a night show when I had conceived our first son more than 3 decades ago. I am prone to respiratory infections, sneezing at the least provocation!

In rural areas the 'kodangi' with his udukku is a very much real feature till today. How can he flourish if there were not so many 'spirits' in the minds our lay people???

[tfmlover]

Veppa mara uchchiyil ninru peyonru aaduthunnu vilaiyaadap pogum pothu solli vappaanga... un Veeraththa Kolunthileye Killi vappaanga... velaiyatra veenargalin moolaiayatra vaarththaigalai vEdikaiyaaga kooda nambi vidaathE...nee veettukkallae payanthu kidanthu vembi vidaathE

the old successfully spin tales to fear and manipulate little human minds..
may not be a super hit but see night shyamalan's 'the village' there is a message why not to trust everything the old say .