Vampires – A Study on Vampires in Indian Folklores, Article by Debajyoti Gupta

Vampires – A Study on Vampires in Indian Folklores

  An Article by Debajyoti Gupta 

 

Abstract

This writing focuses on the existence of vampires in India. For many, vampires are just fictional characters, but facts show a different side to this coin in our present world. The cases of vampires have been spotted in different places here, which is quite mysterious. A lot of Indian folklores have a vampire character relationship in them, and a good number of Indians believe that different vampire entities still exist.

Keywords – Existence, folklores, people, entities, mind.

 

Research methods

My article is based on the secondary data collected from articles and websites.

 

Introduction 

Vampires are Pseudo-creatures existing in the world. A dead person who comes at night and drinks the blood of the living is most known as vampires. Researchers’ tried discovering the actual existence of vampires, but there is no such proven stance.  India does indeed play an outsized part in vampire history. Some scholars believe vampire mythology actually began in India and spread across Eastern Europe to Greece and back along the spice and silk trails. It’s hard to grasp if this is often true or not, but what we all know evidently is that as European, Indian, and other Asian cultures began to interact, stories shared between the cultures and started influencing each other.

Practically every culture within the world has some type of ancient story of a couple of blood-sucking creatures relating to the vampires. India is not any exception. In fact, Indian mythology has considered several creatures, ‘vampiric’ in relevancy the trendy view of the vampire. Our modern description plays a task in vampire mythology.

Creatures called Betails (or Vetalas) were said to be evil spirits inhabiting the bodies of the dead. Betails would seek to kill the living. Some legends describe them as being half-bat and half-man, which can explain how bats became closely associated with vampire mythology over time. These aren’t exactly vampires as we all know them now, but there are elements that relate to the trendy concept of the creature.

Stories of vampires are in their everyday life; discovery channel vampires have also been featured in episodes displaying diverse parts of the world.

On November 5, 2014, in the early hours of the morning, (a rowdy & my neighbor) named Jack— dead years before— came back to life and is in his land close to his house. This house is built at the base of a mount (slope) and was erased a few years after his death, yet, it appeared in a vision.

Vampires in Indian Folklore

Vampires properly originating in folklore and widely reported from Eastern Europe in the late 17th and 18th centuries. These tales formed the basis of the vampire legend which later entered Germany and England, where they were subsequently embellished and popularized.

From the Indian folklore, Chedipe is a witch-vampire in the folklore of the region around the Godavari River in India. They are associated with the devadasis— a girl dedicated to a Hindu temple god and often treated as temple prostitutes. Women died an unnatural death, such as in childbirth or by suicide. Prostitutes may become chedipes, chedipes sometimes characterized undead beings.

In Indian folklore, vampire-like entities are the Vetala also called the Vetal or Baitaal.

Indian vampires 

The Indian vampire and vampiric entities appeared in ancient Indian texts, and some have speculated India as one place where belief in vampires originated and from there to surrounding lands.

Richard F. Burton published a book in 1870 named Vikram and the Vampire. In Indian literature the identity of vampires can be seen in many mythological tales as well as in the Arabian nights.

Proof shows that vampires originated from India to other countries. The first vampire creature was seen in India followed by Tibet and then China. Stories, travelled to Western Countries where people claim vampires. Within the ancient, Indians believe vampires are real. They still exist in India even today.

Vampires’ strong presence within mythology and folklore show a few vampires claimed to be real.

 

Indian vampire:

1. The Pay and Peymakilir – While Peymakilir prefers to devour the flesh of the dying and dead. The Pey drinks their blood.
2. Deadly beasts – The Peymakilir is deadly and fearsome and dances after sucking blood of the victims.
3. The Vetala – Vetala is another female vampire of India. This one, according to folklore has the power to enter the bodies of human. They can enter living victims as well, and use them as they please. This vampire causes the maximum destruction.
4. Rakshana – The word Rakshasa comes from a Sanskrit word, which means demon. In Hindu Mythology, they are vampire-like creatures known to be vicious and cunning. They are fearsome and kill people by tearing them apart. They are normally seen only in the night.
5. Pishacha – Pishacha are another kind of vampire who eat flesh and are typically associated with being feminine. They have red, swollen eyes and bulging veins. They are known to live around cremation grounds and can easily change their form. As per a popular Indian belief, people who see Pishacha die within 9-months.
6. Vetals – Creatures known as Vetalas were said to be evil spirits inhabiting the bodies of the dead. Some legends describe them as being half-bat, half-man, which may explain how bats became closely related to vampire mythology over time.

Difference between Christian and Indian mythology on Vampires

In Christian mythology, vampires are said to live eternally until killed.

Hindu mythology says that even though killed, vampires can be re-incarnated, maybe as humans. That’s why some people appear “evil” to many. It is also been said that in all cultures vampires can be found.

Conclusion 

Vampires are fictional characters, but they really exist in today’s world.  In their writings, popular stories about blood drinking creatures in Eastern India, you may call it a Vampire, or something else— they are supposedly immortals and survive only on blood. So, they are supposed to be subdued every year with Bali (a ritual sacrifice of animals and offering the blood to them). Some say Goddess Kali of Hinduism found a way of not allowing even a single drop of blood from the demon on the ground.

The blood apparently had the power of replication, each drop could create another Raktabeej (a demon). In order to kill the demon, Maa Kali created certain type of creatures that would drink the blood before it spluttered in any direction.

Since there were too many forms already, she made a number of such creatures to help in drinking the blood. They sucked the blood and finally she killed Raktabeej. However, there are many folklores and folk tales associated with vampires from the ancient past, which varies from different countries.