8 Bengali Urban Legends

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Introduction -

There is an abundance of ghosts or bhoots in Bengali Literature of Folklore, consisting of societal and cultural experiences which are passed from one generation to the next generation. Compared to this, the ghosts of other areas consist of occupying domestic spaces like human possession, living amongst them, haunting them, etc. Meanwhile, the Bengali ghosts, occupy marshals, ponds, jungles, and much more. Let me also tell you that they are capable of taking the human form.

In Bengal, many people believe that if a root of a haldi or turmeric is burned and kept near the nose of a ghost then the Bengali ghost won't be able to handle the smell of the burning root. The hunger of a Bengali ghost is much large, especially for fish. In times, these ghosts have gained some popularity and in today's discussion, we're gonna address some of them. So, with that said let's start!

1. Brahmadaitya

So, the first ghost we're gonna talk about is Brahmadaitya. So, it is considered in Hinduism that the spirits of Brahmins become Brahmadaitya. In India, there is a culture or tradition where when Brahmin boys reach a certain age then they have to take part in a ceremony which we call thread ceremony or upanayana. 

According to the legend, if a Brahmin boy is killed within 10 days after the upanayana ceremony for whatever reason then his spirit becomes a Brahmadaitya. Brahmadaitya often makes peepal trees their home which is considered an important tree in Hinduism. You guys might even have heard in villages that there is a ghost living in the peepal tree which is mostly a reference to Brahmadaitya.

Brahmadaitya often only eats food which are offerings after a puja or prayer. In general, they often don't try to scare humans or anything, in fact, in some cases it is said that they help fellow Brahmins. Lal Behari Dey, a 19th century Bengali folklorist, according to him these Brahmadaitya often gets offended fast. Once they get angry, their anger doesn't go away until they have killed their offender.

Now, they don't try to scare humans but this is their other character that comes out when they are offended where they can harm humans too. How much of this is true that I will leave it to you guys.

2. Sankhachurnis

Our next ghost is Sankhachurnis. Sankhachurnis are ghosts of married woman and widowed wives, and their name is based on their clothes which is as white as sankha (conch shells). Sankhachurnis are less violent but they get offended fast. They possess married women so that they can experience their married life again. 

According to popular folklore, a lady had accidentally made contact with a sankhachurni due to which the sankhachurni got offended and trapped in a tree and took the human form of the lady to live her life. After taking her form, the sankhachurni entered the home of the lady. The mother-in-law and husband were impressed by the changes in the lady because she had become more efficient and often completed chores fast, and took great care of people.

But you know how lies are always caught? Pretty fast, people started seeing the real truth behind the lady. Limits were crossed when people once saw her taking food several meters away by elongating her hand just like Mister Fantastic. Obviously, this was the work of the sankhachurni. She also didn't make food by burning the wood but would rather put her leg to burn and then cook food on it. 

To get rid of the sankhachurni, the mother-in-law used the method of turmeric root and when the sankhachurni was sleeping, she brought it near her nose. Upon smelling the burned root, the sankhachurni got weak and got back to her real form. In her real form and also bound, she had to release the real lady and had to leave the house.  

3. Daaini

Let's move on to our next ghost which is Daaini. Hearing Daaini, you might have thought of it being similar to a Daayan and let me tell you it's literally the same. They are basically Bengali witches who performed Black Magic. Daaini lives in dark and abandoned areas where no one can see them so that they can perform their Black Magic, making them stronger. 

But to live you need food and their food is far from normal. They can eat pigs, hens, and even kids. But here comes the scary part, if this Daaini starts living in a village or a place where humans live then the kids start disappearing in that area. Why? Well, you guys already know. Those who don't, let me tell you, Daaini uses these kids either in her black magic or eats them.

This is the reason why many people in villages believe in Daaini and why many get wrongfully accused as one, similar to Salem Witch Trials. 

4. Mecho Bhoots

The next ghost or bhoot that we are going to discuss is called Mecho Bhoot. It is said that the hunger of a Bengali bhoot is increased because the Mecho Bhoot are ghosts who died drowning or were fishermen. Mecho Bhoot means fish ghost.

Mecho Bhoot is fond of eating fish and, haunts lakes and ponds to fish to feed their hunger. Similar to other Bengali bhoots, they also don't harm humans instead they stop lone travelers and fishermen, and whisper 'Machi diye ja' meaning give me fish. These ghosts steal fish from boats and even enter some local villages for fish. 

Now imagine they go into someone's home and don't find fish, so they will eat the tastiest dish made that day. Mecho Bhoot is similar to an Assamese urban legend 'Ghorapak' with the only difference being that it doesn't harm anyone. 

5. Aleya

The next bhoot that we are gonna discuss is Aleya. Many stories are made whenever something is shining or seen in the sky like lightning being related to a ghost or God. In Bengal too this bright-looking orb is another urban legend called Aleya. It is said that these illuminating orbs are spirits of dead fishermen who roam and help fishermen to see the path.

Many of these spirits take them to their place of death to tell what happened to them. Aleya does this so that their body is discovered and delivered to their family so that their spirit can achieve moksha (salvation). 

Aleya usually appears in the Sundarbans area because this area is famous for incidents involving fishermen. Again, you guys might have noticed that Aleya doesn't harm others. Till now, we have only seen Daaini who attacks other people.

6. Nishi Dak

Let's discuss the next bhoot called Nishi Dak. Nishi Dak is the ghost of those people who after death weren't given a proper burial. Upon looking, Nishi Dak appear as a shadow and if we give notice to their name then we get to know a very important detail. So, nishi means night, and dak means call.

So, Nishi Dak calls upon their victim with the voice of their loved one, and in the dark, they bring their victim to a secluded area where they kill them. Yes, this ghost is dangerous. 

But to tell the difference between the call of a Nishi Dak and a loved one is easy. Nishi Dak only calls upon 2 times so if you hear your name more than two times then you are safe.

7. Ekanore

The next bhoot or ghost is Ekanore. Ekanore are those ghosts who live on the palm tree and it is said that they are not visible to adults nor do they target adult humans. They are only visible to kids, specifically cheeky kids.

Ekanore are creepy by looks and their hair looks like the leaves of a palm tree due to which they mostly hide in them. In general, it is believed that this type of ghost doesn't exist and is made up stories to scare cheeky or naughty kids so that they behave properly. 

Now, if we focus on their name, Ekanore has only one leg so the name 'ekanore' which literally means one leg.

8. Kanabhulo

Now our last ghost is Kanabhulo. Kanabhulo is one of the most complicated Bengali ghosts because where they come from or what their origin story is, nobody knows it. There have been some stories but no one knows anything more about it. 

Kanabhulo hypnotizes its victim to control them and drags them to the depths of Patal or Hell where no one knows the way back. This is the reason why people believe that this ghost originated from Hell.

The typical victims of Kanabhulo are those passengers who are walking on a lonely road. Another reason behind Kanabhulo not having a origin story is because those passengers never came back so how will we know what happened with them? 

Conclusion -

It's also possible that this is just a made-up story but that is not for me to decide. So, these were 8 Bengali Urban Legends and that's it for today. There were more urban legends that I couldn't include here so there is probably going to be a part 2 of this.

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This is it, guys. I hope you enjoyed reading it. Please tell me if I was wrong somewhere in the comment section. Also a question for you guys: What are your plans for Navratri? Tell me in the comment section.

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Peace out ✌️.