Ghosts in Bengali culture

Ghosts are an important and integral part of the folklore of the socio-cultural fabric of the geographical and ethno-linguistic region of Bengal which presently consists of Bangladesh and the Indian states of West Bengal and Tripura. Bengali folktales and Bengali cultural identity are intertwined in such a way that ghosts depicted reflect the culture it sets in. Fairy tales, both old and new, often use the concept of ghosts. References to ghosts are often found in modern-day Bengali literature, cinema, radio and television media. There are also alleged haunted sites in the region. The common word for ghosts in Bengali is bhoot or bhut (Bengali: ভূত). This word has an alternative meaning: 'past' in Bengali. Also, the word Pret (derived from Sanskrit 'Preta') is used in Bengali to mean ghost. In Bengal, ghosts are believed to be the unsatisfied spirits of human beings who cannot find peace after death or the souls of people who died in unnatural or abnormal circumstances like murders, suicides or accidents. Non-human animals can also turn into ghosts after their death. But they are often associated with good luck and wealth in Bangladesh.
There are many kinds of ghosts and supernatural entities that frequently come up in Bengali culture and folklore. Ghosts have been important in the socio-cultural beliefs, superstitions and popular entertainment of the Bengali people. A few of these supernatural entities are mentioned here.
The word Shakchunni comes from the Sanskrit word Shankhachurni. It is usually described as the spirit of a married woman, wearing a special kind of traditional bangles made of shells (called ‘Shakha Pola'/'শাখা পলা’ in Bengali) around their arms, which is a sign of married Hindu women in Bengal. In Bangladesh (and sometimes India), Shakchunnis are different from Petnis, the former are said to live on top of trees and attack people who may disturb them. They are also believed to be invincible, able to be banished only through shamanistic rituals. Shakchunni's backstory unveils her past as a young woman who entered matrimony with a prosperous individual. Regrettably, her marital union proved to be marked by cruelty and abuse inflicted upon her by her husband, ultimately culminating in her untimely demise. Returning as a ghostly apparition, Shakchunni assumed the role of a relentless specter, haunting her erstwhile spouse. Given her distressing experiences within her own marital life, she harbored an intense longing for a harmonious companionship. Consequently, she targeted contentedly married women, subjugating and usurping their identities to perpetuate an illusion of matrimonial bliss on behalf of her victims.
In local folklores, Shakchunni is depicted as the exact opposite of traditional submissive Bengali women. They are depciated as evil, revenge-seeking, scary entities with pointy ears. Researchers of local folklores call this a subtle patriarchal message that women who deviate from a set societal expectations are as abhorrent as Shakchunni.
The Petni are female ghosts who died with unsatisfied desires or unmarried. The word Petni is derived from the Sanskrit word Pretni (feminine gender of Preta).
Tantric practices and black magic have been very popular in rural Bengal for centuries. Rural people from Bengal, obsessed with the occult, used to travel to the Kamrup-Kamakhya in Assam in order to learn the tantric ways and black magic. Many Sadhu (Ascetic Yogis), Tantric, Aghori, Kapalik and Kabiraj even devoted their lives to the pursuit of occult practices. Such people are said to have the power to invoke lower-level demonic entities such as Hakini, Shakhini (same as Shakchunni) and Dakini. Tantriks use these spirits either for divination or in order to inflict harm on others, with townspeople often seeking them in order to aid them in harming others. The most common practice was called "Baan Mara", a ritual used to kill the victim by inducing blood vomit. The two highest-level tantric mantra are the Kularnob and the Moha Damor, who included a lower level mantra named Bhoot Damor who referred to many different demi-goddesses. Damori is a name that refers to those supernatural entities conjured by the tantriks. In Tantra philosophy, if someone were to engage in ascetic pursuit and worship through the Bhoot Damor, the invoked Damori would appear to them and serve them. These beings are neither human nor ghostly, but exist in an in-between state, inhabitants of an unseen realm. They share similarities with the western concept of Fairies; or the Islamic/Persian concept of Pori / Pari.
The word Besho comes from the word Baash which means 'Bamboo' in Bengali. It was believed that these harmful ghosts, called the Besho Bhoot, lived within bamboo gardens, and walking past these areas after dusk was considered dangerous. Another superstition states that if a bamboo plant is leaning or laying on the ground, no one should cross over it and should instead go around it, in fear that the bamboo would rise up unexpectedly by the spirit, and the person would die impaled by it. Strange weather phenomenons, such as gusty winds, were said to occur within the bamboo gardens whilst the weather elsewhere was fine.
The Penchapechi take the form of an owl and haunt the forests of Bengal. They are said to follow helpless travelers throughout the woods until they are completely alone, in which case they strike. Unlike other ghosts, the Penchapechi actually consume their victims in an almost vampiric way.
Ailis are supernatural entities that mislead people to nearby rivers or lakes through the use of hallucinations. Upon arrival, they drown their victims.
These spirits are said to like the taste of fish, thus their name, Mechho, which comes from the word Machh, meaning 'fish'. Mechho Bhoot usually lives near village ponds or lakes with lots of fish. In folklore, these spirits persuade fishermen or isolated travelers into giving them fish by saying, in a nasal tone, -"Machh Diye Ja" in Bengali which is "মাছ দিয়ে যা" (meaning "give me the fish"). If the person refuses to give fish to the Mechho Bhoot, they threaten to harm them. Sometimes they even steal fish from kitchens in village households or from the boats of fishermen
These are believed to be the ghosts of Muslims. According to tales, they chose to kill people by twisting their necks.
The Gechho Bhoot is a kind of spirit that lives on trees. The word Gechho comes from the word Gaachh "গাছ", which means tree in Bengali.
Atoshi (or marsh ghost-light) is the name given to a strange phenomenon of light that happens near the marshes ( similar to the Will-o'-the-wisp), especially reported by the fishermen of West Bengal and Bangladesh. These so-called marsh lights often look like levitating orbs of fire that glow, which confuse fishermen, lure them in the water and drown them. Like the Nishi or the western idea of a siren, their voice is irresistible. Local people believe that these are the ghosts of fisherman who died whilst fishing. The fishermen of Sundarban delta region, especially the Khasti and Manna fishermen communities, strongly believe in these and always do an Atoshi-taron ritual before they go fishing. Sometimes this levitating orbs of fires can be seen in vast open fields and usually they are seen in groups .
The word Begho comes from the Bengali word "বাঘ ", meaning 'tiger'. According to the beliefs of people living in and around the Sunderbans, Begho Bhoot are ghosts of people who were killed or eaten by the tigers in Sundarbans, which is also known as the Royal Bengal Tiger Sanctuary of the Bengal region. Local folktale suggests that these apparitions frighten people who enters the jungle and lead them to tigers. They are also said to make the noise of a tiger roar in order to scare villagers. Begho Bhoot is symbolic of the hardships of poor, working class people who often fall victim to their livelihoods.
These headless spirit are said have come from people who were Beheaded in a train accident or some other way. These spirits search for their missing heads, or ask others to help them find it, even making their victims slaves.Local people calles them golla Kata (গল্লা কাটা ) which means Beheaded .
The Kanabhulo are ghosts which hypnotize their targets and abduct them to a silent and eerie location, which causes the victim to slowly lose its senses. These types of ghosts strike at night. Lone travellers, or a person separated from their group are usually the victims of such ghosts.
The word Dainee means "Witch". The Dainee is not an apparition, but a living being. Mostly prominent in the villages of Bengal, the title is given to older women who are said to practice black magic. It is believed that the Dainee kidnap children, kill them and feast on their blood to survive a century, similar to the idea of a hag
These are one of the most popular ghosts in Bengal who are considered benevolent, as they are believed to be the spirits of Holy Brahmin. They appear wearing a traditional dhoti and sacred thread on their body. Many Bengali folktales and movies portray them as being very kind and helpful to the living.
Brahmodaittyo reflects the rigid and discrimnatory nature of caste hierarchies followed in the past. Socio-political experts point out the fact that most other ghosts in local folklores of Bengal are depicted as dark-skinned while Brahmodaittya is depicted as fair skinned and benevolent.
This is the Bengali version of the "Old Hag Syndrome", whose name means "dumb"/unable to speak. The boba attacks its victims by strangling them when they sleep on their back (in a Supine position). This phenomenon, which is called "Bobaay Dhora (attacked by the boba) in Bangladesh, most likely refers to a common Sleep Paralysis. In this case the possessed person becomes free when someone touches them.
These entities are described as dwelling in rivers, ponds, and lakes. They have many different names throughout Bengal. They appear as young women with long wet hair and eyes with no irises, who had either committed suicide by drowning (due to an unhappy marriage) or violently drowned (especially after becoming pregnant with unwanted children). In folklore, they are known for luring young men into nearby bodies of water where they entangle them with their hair and drown them. Sometimes they seduce their targets, forming a romantic relationship in which case they ask for a promise. If the promise is broken, they reveal their true form and kill their target. These creatures are similar to the Rusalka from Slavic mythology.
The Nishi (lit. Night) lure their victims into secluded areas by calling to them with the voice of a loved one. The Nishi strike only at night, and only if the victim responds to their call, in which case it becomes hypnotised and forced follow their voice until it disappears. However, according to folklore, the Nishi can only call their victims twice, thus one can tell if they are called by a Nishi by waiting for a third call. If it comes, the call isn't made by the Nishi. Some tantrics are said to nurture and conjure the Nishi in order to harm others. The voice of the Nishi is known as "Nishir Daak" (Call of the Night Spirit). An old superstition also claims that the Sleepwalking phenomenon is also caused by the Nishi. There is also a black magic ritual known as "Nishir Daak" in this ritual after midnight the tantrik walks throughout the area or village with a small pot like kolshi in hand which has water in it and calls out names of the people who lives in that area one by one . If someone answers the call he then traps that persons soul in that pot of water and closes it . Then whoever drinks the water of the pot gets the rest of the years the victim had to live after that the victim dies .
These dwarf like creatures look like small children and are often worshipped as demigods by the Santhal, who chose to care and nurture them. The word Gudro means 'small' and Bonga means 'demigod' in the Santhal language. Santhals believe that these beings know the location of hidden treasures on earth and can make them rich. However, they are also said to steal newborn children.
These short creatures are known for bringing good luck and helping whoever houses them make money. They are possibly similar to the Damovoy of Russian folklore.
These beings are depicted as having thick fangs, sharp claws, superhuman strength and magical abilities. They are featured in the Hindu epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata. Many fairytales from Bengal also speak of these creatures, describing them as vicious beings who feed on humans and large animals. A common call of the rakkhosh in traditional Bengali folk-tales is this couplet: Hnau, Mnau, Khnau,... manusher gondho pnau(Bengali:হাঁউ মাঁউ খাঁউ,... মানুষের গন্ধ পাঁউ) The first three are gibberish words describing the opening of the mouth and the intention to devour, whilst the second phrase means "I smell humans". This is comparable to the "fi fie foe..." phrase associated with giants.
They are small monstrous beings, similar to the rakkhosh, but they are not found in Hindu myths. They are featured in the "Lalkamal Neelkamal", a story in the Thakurmar Jhuli.
The Daitya look human, but possess extraordinary size and strength. Similar to the Giants.
The Pishach are flesh-eating demonic entities who mainly feed on cadavers. They dwell in the dark and often haunt cremation grounds and graveyards. They are most likely to stay in dirty places such as rubbish piles, swamps and in jammed water resources .They are also described as having shapeshifting abilities and invisibility. Sometimes, they are said to possess human beings and alter their thoughts, driving them insane. The female version of the Pishach is called "Pishachini", which is described as either having a hideous appearance or disguised as a young beautiful maiden who lures men. They drain their victims blood, semen, and virility. They dwells are found in places associated with death and filth. They are similar to the western concept of ghouls.
The Betaal are described as spirits that inhabit corpses and charnel grounds. These evil spirits may use the corpses as vessels, enabling them to move freely. Once a corpse becomes possessed by the Betaal, it no longer rots. The creature may also abandon their corpse-vessel at will.
Warrior-like entities who are guardians of treasures within the earth. They are considered to be benevolent, able to bestow fertility and wealth upon their devotees. There is a commonly used Bengali idiom - Jokkher Dhon (literal meaning: Jokkho's Wealth) which means "protecting a beloved person" or "safeguarding precious wealth".
Most often believed by the Muslim community of Bengal, the Jinn are blamed for any supernatural, ghostly and demonic phenomenon and manifestation. Jinns can be both benevolent or malevolent. Malevolent Jinns (Demon) can haunt human residences, toilets, lakes, graveyards, morgues, hospitals and even the wilderness. For more details, see Jinn.
These fabled ghosts have only one leg, hence the name, Ekanore, with "ek" meaning "one" in Bengali. They generally lives on palm trees and hunt down naughty children.
Their names mean "Dwarf Ghost". They are believed to live on an island far away, and when people with boat come over, the Bamons go into the water deep down, swim to the place of the boat and make the boat break. They can also transport into humans, but are weak to potions. They have green appearance and their favourite sayings are: Ha u ha u (Ha ha ha) and Dhbansa karaba (I will destroy!)
The 14th day of the Krishna Paksha (waning phase of the moon) which is also the night before Kali Puja and the second day of Dipaboli is celebrated as Bhoot Chaturdashi (translation, the fourteenth of ghosts) by Bengali Hindus. On this night, 14 earthen-lamps (choddo prodip) are lit at homes to appease the spirits of the past 14 generations of ancestors. It is believed that on the night before Kali Puja, the spirits of these ancestors descend upon the earth, and these lamps help them find their way home. Another popular belief is that Chamunda (a fearsome aspect of Kali) along with 14 other ghostly forms ward off the evil spirits from the house as 14 earthen-lamps are lit at different entrances and in the dark corners of the rooms. It is customary to consume a dish of 14 types of leafy vegetables (choddo shaak) during Bhoot Chaturdashi so that evil spirits are unable to possess the body.
According to legend, Lalbagh Fort, Golf Heights Banani, Airport Road; Chalan Beel in Sirajganj, Pakri Beach, Mirsarai Highway Crossing in Chittagong and many other places in Bangladesh are claimed to be haunted.
Ghosts, other similar supernatural entities, as well as tales of paranormal powers (such as clairvoyance, psychic phenomenon etc.) are plots for many short stories and novels in modern-day Bengali literature. Some classic literature and folk-lore are also based on such plots. The number of Bengali films of this genre are small in number compared to the western world. Multiple radio and TV programs also feature stories of people's paranormal experiences. Common people of both Bangladesh and West Bengal love the supernatural thrills, and the personal stories of people's paranormal experiences are hot topics for gossip, rumours and hangout discussions among friends and family.
Literary works involving ghostly/demonic beings is one of the most popular genres in Bengali literature. In the early days, ghosts were the only ingredients of Bengali folk-tales and fairy-tales. Lal Behari Dey collected many folk-tales of Bengal, and translated them in English. His book called Folk-Tales of Bengal, first published in 1883, features many amazing folk-tales associated with ghostly and supernatural beings.
Thakurmar Jhuli is the most classic collection of Bengali children's folk-tales and fairy-tales, which was compiled by Dakshinaranjan Mitra Majumder in 1907. There we can find many different categories of supernatural entities (such as Rakkhosh) featuring in different stories. Other such story collection from the same author are Thakurdadar Jhuli (1909), Thandidir Tholay (1909) and, Dadamoshayer Tholay (1913).
Many Bengali writers have practiced the genre of supernatural/horror in their short stories, novels, and others forms of literary works. Some are mentioned below:
Other than the writers mentioned above, other prominent writers of Bengal have also written short stories involving ghosts and the supernatural, such as Provatkumar Mukhopadhyay, Achintya Kumar Sengupta, Satinath Bhaduri, Buddhadeb Bosu and so on. However, at the present day, some young Bengali horror story writers are being somewhat influenced by the western horror literature, and their writings thus lack the originality of the classic Bengali horror literature and ghost stories.
Classic Bengali films with horror/supernatural plot are only a handful. Kankal (1950), Hanabari (1952), Monihara of the Teen Kanya movie anthology (1961) Kuheli (1971), were quite popular horror/supernatural thriller flick in the era of Bengali black and white movies.
There are only a few modern Bangladeshi horror movies and most of these movies can be typically categorized as low-budget horror-comedy. Few such examples are Rokto Pipasha (2007), Daini Buri (2008) and, Sedin Brishti Chilo (2014). Some Bangladeshi movies involving supernatural theme are stories about shapeshifting snakes or Ichchhadhari Nag that can take human form. Examples of such movies are Kal Naginir Prem, Bishakto Nagin, Bishe Bhora Nagin (1999), Sathi Hara Nagin (2011) etc.
In many Bengali films, ghosts are depicted in a lightly comical mood and sometimes in a friendly way. One of the examples is Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne (1969) as mentioned earlier is adopted from the story of Upendra Kishore Roychowdhury and directed by Satyajit Ray. In this film the King of Ghosts gives three boons to 'Goopy' and 'Bagha', the two poor village boys who aspired to become a singer and drummer respectively. With the help of those boons they had amazing adventures. The film is the first film of the Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne series, followed by a couple of sequels - Hirak Rajar Deshe was released in 1980; and Goopy Bagha Phire Elo, written by Ray, but directed by his son Sandip Ray, was released in 1992.
Nishi Trishna (1989), directed by Parimal Bhattacharya was the first Bengali vampire movie, starring Shekhar Chatterjee, Prasenjit Chatterjee and Moon Moon Sen. In this movie, some friends plan to visit the infamous Garchampa Palace which had a bad reputation for demonic blood-sucking beings that were terrorising the locality. They ultimately solve the mystery, and kill the vampire and his mentor.
Putuler Protisodh (1998), directed by Rabi Kinagi, was also based on the supernatural. The movie's story revolves around a girl named Bini who was married to Avinash. She falls prey in the hands of her in-laws who ultimately murdered her. The soul of Bini enters her doll to take revenge. She kills her mother-in-law, father-in-law and her maternal uncle one by one, and finally wants to kill her husband. But Avinash's second wife Laxmi was able to free Bini's soul from the doll.
Jekhane Bhooter Bhoy (2012), directed by Sandip Ray, is a movie based on three classic Bengali ghost stories. The stories are Satyajit Ray's Anath Babur Bhoy, Brown Saheber Bari and, Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay's Bhoot Bhabishyat.
Probably the most well-known film of horror genre in recent times is Bhooter Bhabishyat (2012), directed by Anik Dutta. It tells the story of a haunted mansion 'Choudhury Palace', where ghosts from different ethnic backgrounds and eras reside (a Bengali zamindar of 18th century, an actress of the 1930s, a modern rockstar, a soldier of Indian Army who died in Kargil, etc.). The film with its simple but humorous story went on to become a massive blockbuster of 2012.
Goynar Baksho (2013) is another popular film involving the supernatural. The film, directed by Aparna Sen, is an adaptation of Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay's tale of 3 generations of women & their changing position in society as seen in relation to a box of jewels, handed down from one generation to the next.
Chhayamoy (2013) is another notable horror movie based on Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay's novel of the same name. The story is about Indrajit, a UK based scholar. While working to preserve historical documents he find a parchment from which he learns about treasures hidden in an old palace in Simulgarh, a village of West Bengal. Indrajit comes to the village, finds out the treasure, but, a local goon Gagan Sapui accuses him of robbery, beats him up and expels him out of the village. Sapui wants to melt those coins to make new jewellery. After being beaten up, Indrajit goes to forest near the village where he meets Chhayamoy, a benevolent ghost. After listening the incidence from Indrajit, Chhayamoy decides to teach Gagan a lesson.
A live radio program called Bhoot FM was aired by Bangladeshi radio channel Radio Foorti 88.0 FM at 12:00 am, every Friday night. The program started airing on 13 August 2010; and was hosted by RJ Russell. In this program, people from all over Bangladesh used to come and share their real-life experiences associated with ghosts, demons, jinns and the paranormal/supernatural. The Bengali community from all over the world also used to share their supernatural experiences by sending audio clips and emails that were played/read in this program.This program came to an end in the year 2019 but right now another program named "Bhoot Dot COM" is being hosted by RJ Russell aired by Shadhin Radio.Other such radio program was Dor, aired by ABC Radio 89.2 FM. Dor was recorded from different haunted places of Bangladesh, and is hosted by RJ Kebria along with RJ Suman and tarot card reader Radbi Reza. Similar kind of programs were also aired on TV channels, such as Moddhorater Train (meaning 'Midnight Train') by Maasranga Television.
There are some radio programs which feature recitation of horror stories. Such radio program is Sunday Suspense by Radio Mirchi, aired from Kolkata, which features recitation of horror stories, as well as stories of other genres such as detective fiction, fantasy, and Sci-fi, etc. Similar such radio program is Kuasha, aired by ABC Radio 89.2 FM from Bangladesh, which features horror stories written by writers, and also stories sent by listeners of the program.
Pett Kata Shaw, a 2021 anthology series released on Chorki (OTT), features the modern revival of the mysterious and lurid folklores of Mechho Bhoot, Jinn, Kanabhulo and Nishi.