A vetala ( sa, वेताल ') or Betal is a

Bhairava Bhairava ( Sanskrit: भैरव ) or Kala Bhairava is a Shaivite and Vajrayāna deity worshiped by Hindus and Buddhists. In Shaivism, he is a powerful manifestation, or avatar, of Shiva associated with annihilation. In Trika system ''B ...

form of Shiva in

Hindu mythology Hindu mythology is the body of myths and literature attributed to, and espoused by, the adherents of the Hindu religion, found in Hindu texts such as the Vedic literature, epics like ''Mahabharata'' and ''Ramayana'', the Puranas, and ...

, usually defined as a knowledgeable (

fortune telling Fortune telling is the practice of predicting information about a person's life. Melton, J. Gordon. (2008). ''The Encyclopedia of Religious Phenomena''. Visible Ink Press. pp. 115-116. The scope of fortune telling is in principle identical w ...

) paranormal entity said to be dwelling at

charnel ground A charnel ground (Sanakrit: श्मशान; IAST: śmaśāna; Tibetan pronunciation: durtrö; )Rigpa Shedra (July 2009). 'Charnel ground'. Source(accessed: Saturday December 19, 2009) is an above-ground site for the putrefaction of bodies, g ...

s. The vetala is comparable to the

vampires A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mischief or dea ...

of Western

mythology Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narra ...

. Reanimated corpses are used as vehicles by the spirits for movement, the corpse no longer decays while it is inhabited by a ''vetala''. A vetala may possess and also leave a dead body at will.

Description

In Hindu folklore, the vetala is an evil spirit who haunts cemeteries and takes

demonic possession Spirit possession is an unusual or altered state of consciousness and associated behaviors purportedly caused by the control of a human body by spirits, ghosts, demons, or gods. The concept of spirit possession exists in many cultures and r ...

of corpses. They make their displeasure known by troubling humans. They can drive people mad, kill children, and cause miscarriages, but also guard villages. They are hostile spirits of the dead trapped in the 'twilight zone' between life and

afterlife The afterlife (also referred to as life after death) is a purported existence in which the essential part of an individual's identity or their stream of consciousness continues to live after the death of their physical body. The surviving es ...

. These creatures can be repelled by the chanting of

mantras A mantra (Pali: ''manta'') or mantram (मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words in Sanskrit, Pali and other languages believed by practitioners to have religious, ma ...

. One can free them from their ghostly existence by performing their funerary rites. Being unaffected by the laws of space and time, they have an uncanny knowledge about the past, present, and future and a deep insight into human nature. Therefore many sorcerers seek to capture them and turn them into slaves. There is also a strong Vetala cult in the Konkan region, under the names of Betal, Vetal, Vetoba. Since Betal is said to be the brother of the goddess

Shantadurga Shantadurga (Devanagari:शांतादुर्गा, ) is the most popular form of the Hindu goddess Durga revered in Goa, India, as well some parts of Karnataka. She is a form of the ancient Mother goddess known as Santeri. She is wor ...

, there will be a temple dedicated in honour of Betal either within the temple complex of Shantadurga or somewhere in the sylvan surroundings. There is a Betal temple in Amona, Goa. Betal is a form of

and is the head of all spirits and ghouls and vampires and all kinds of pisachas. He has another form which is a more potent and fiery form, that of Agni Vetal who is the sevak of the goddess

Kali Kali (; sa, काली, ), also referred to as Mahakali, Bhadrakali, and Kalika ( sa, कालिका), is a Hindu goddess who is considered to be the goddess of ultimate power, time, destruction and change in Shaktism. In this tra ...

ka. Agni Vetal (Agya Vetal) has flames on his head and controls fire. Agni Vetal is used by Tantriks to perform evil black magic on people. But it isn't Lord Agnivetal's fault because the Tantriks misuse the powers given to them on propitiating Agnivetal (rather his Daityas which are at his feet-they are the ones who accept the blood sacrifices).

Literature

The ''

Baital Pachisi ''Vetala Panchavimshati'' ( sa, वेतालपञ्चविंशति, IAST: ) or ''Betaal Pachisi'' ("''Twenty-five (tales) of Betaal''"), is a collection of tales and legends within a frame story, from India. It is also known as inter ...

'' or Vetala Tales is a collection of stories compiled no later than the 11th century. It features a frame story of a sorcerer who asked King

Vikramaditya Vikramaditya (IAST: ') was a legendary king who has been featured in hundreds of traditional stories including those in ''Baital Pachisi'' and '' Singhasan Battisi''. Many describe him as ruler with his capital at Ujjain (Pataliputra or Prati ...

to capture a vetala who lived in a tree that stood in the middle of a cremation ground. The only way to do that was by keeping silent. Every time Vikramaditya caught the vetala, the vetala would enchant the king with a story that would end with a question. No matter how hard he tried, Vikramaditya would not be able to resist answering the question. This would enable the vetala to escape and return to his tree.

In popular culture

Vikram Vetal Vikram may refer to: * Vikram (name), a male name in the Hindu community * ''Vikram'' (1986 Tamil film) * ''Vikram'' (1986 Telugu film) * ''Vikram'' (2022 Tamil film) * Vikram (actor) (born 1966), Indian actor * Vikram (spacecraft), an Indian ...

'', a 1986 Indian fantasy film directed by Shantilal Soni was based on the ''Baital Pachisi'' about King Vikramaditya and the Vetala. ''

Vikram Aur Betaal ''Vikram Aur Betaal'' is an Indian television series that aired on DD National in 1985 & re-telecast in 1988 after the hit Series Ramayan. The series contained stories from Indian stories. The concept of the program was based on ''Baital Pac ...

'' was a television programme based on the ''Baital Pachisi'' produced by

Ramanand Sagar Chandramauli Chopra ( ; 29 December 1917 – 12 December 2005) known professionally as Ramanand Sagar, was an Indian filmmaker, editor, playwright, poet and an author. He is best known for making the television show ''Ramayan'' (1987-1988). The ...

and directed by his son Prem Sagar that aired on

DD National DD National (formerly DD1) is a state-owned public entertainment television channel in India. It is the flagship channel of Doordarshan, India's public service broadcaster, and the oldest and most widely available terrestrial television chann ...

channel. It was remade as ''Kahaniya Vikram aur Betaal Ki'' in 2009 and aired on

Colors TV Colors TV is an Indian general entertainment broadcast network owned by Viacom18. The network's programming consists of family dramas, comedies, youth-oriented reality shows, shows on crime and television films. History It was launched on ...

. ''

Vikram Betaal Ki Rahasya Gatha ''Vikram Betaal Ki Rahasya Gatha'' (which is also known as Vikram-Betaal) is an Indian television epic series created by Peninsula Pictures, based on Baital Pachisi. The series has aired on &TV and digitally on ZEE5 platform, starring Aham Shar ...

'' (2018), an Indian mythological serial based on ''Baital Pachisi'' aired on &TV. Indian animator

Rajiv Chilaka Rajiv Chilaka also known as Rajiv Chilakalapudi and Sitarama Rajiv Chilakalapudi is the founder and CEO of Hyderabad-based Green Gold Animations and the creator of a few cartoons including Krishna cartoon series and '' Chhota Bheem'' which has ...

directed ''Vikram Betal'', a television film for

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, ...

in 2004 which was produced by his

Green Gold Animations Green Gold Animation Pvt Ltd, is a Hyderabad-based Indian Animation company, with offices in India, Singapore, Philippines and the United States. It is known for creating the '' Chhota Bheem'' television series and the ''Krishna'' film series. Gr ...

. ''

Vicky & Vetaal ''Vicky & Vetaal'' is an Indian Supernatural Sitcom series which premiered on Disney Channel India. The series is produced by Cinevistaas Limited was launched on 7 October 2006 as the first major original production of the network, and Disney' ...

'' (2006–2007) and ''

Vicky Aur Vetaal ''Vicky & Vetaal'' is an Indian Supernatural Sitcom series which premiered on Disney Channel India. The series is produced by Cinevistaas Limited was launched on 7 October 2006 as the first major original production of the network, and Disney' ...

'' (2015–2016), which aired on

Disney Channel India Disney Channel is an Indian pay television channel operated by Disney India. The channel is the Indian equivalent to the original American network which was launched on 16 December 2004. Disney Channel is available as a pay television channel ...

, also featured Vetala as the main character. Vetala were also a part of ''

The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel ''The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel'' is a series of six fantasy novels written by Irish author Michael Scott, completed in 2012. The first book in the series, ''The Alchemyst'', was released in 2007, and the sequels were released ...

'' and have appeared in television shows such as ''

Supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

season 7 episode 11, Adventures in Babysitting'', '' Sleepy Hollow'', ''

Jekyll & Hyde ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' is a 1886 Gothic novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series of strange occurrences between his old ...

'', and a web series titled ''The Vetala'' released in 2009, written and directed by Damon Vignale. The 2020 Indian zombie horror series ''

Betaal ''Betaal'', Betāl or Betāla is an Indian zombie horror streaming television series based in a remote village that serves as the battleground between East India Company Army officer Lt. Col John Lynedoch, his battalion of zombie redcoats fr ...

'' also features a curse of Vetala. ''The Vetala'' (Linda Leith Publishing, 2018) is a novel by Canadian author Phillip Ernest. It tells the story of Nada, a professor of Sanskrit, who finds herself face to face with the imaginative vetala, the subject of her life-long study.

References

Sources

Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend The ''Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend'' (2002) is a book written by Anna L. Dallapiccola, and contains information on over one thousand concepts, characters, and places of Hindu mythology and Hinduism, one of the major religions of the Indian ...

() by Anna Dallapiccola {{Baital Pachisi Demons in Hinduism Vampires Corporeal undead Revenants