A woman who dies during the Diwali festival period, during labour, or unloved in her husband's family becomes a Churel. She cannot move on because she died with unfulfilled duties and unfinished grief. Her anger turns outward.
Her feet are turned backwards, a diagnostic sign in all accounts. She may appear beautiful to draw men close, revealing her true form — black tongue, dishevelled hair, hollow eyes — only when escape is impossible.
Seduces young men, draining their youth and life force over time. They age rapidly. She can disguise herself as a beautiful woman. She haunts the outskirts of villages and crossroads.
Weaknesses
- substanceSalt and mustard seeds scattered at threshold
- ritualProper funerary rites for the woman before death
Wards
- symbolIron nails in doorframe
- substanceLemon and chili hung at entrance
Dayan is a living woman who practices black magic (a witch); Churel is the spirit of a woman who died during childbirth or the post-partum period — she is already dead, not a practitioner.
Pichal Peri is a Pakistani/Punjabi spirit whose feet face backwards — a single distinguishing trait. Churel's primary mark is inverted feet AND her origin in maternal death; she is also known for seducing and draining men.
Petni is a Bengali female ghost tied to unfulfilled domestic longing; Churel is a North Indian spirit specifically born from maternal death during childbirth or puerperium, associated with seduction and draining vitality.
Community Record
- [1]Ghosts and Spirits of India. Crooke, William. 1896. The Popular Religion and Folk-Lore of Northern India. Archibald Constable.academic
- [2]Supernatural Beliefs of South Asia. Bhattacharyya, Bholanath. 1977. Some Aspects of the Esoteric Cults of Consort Worship in Bengal. Firma KLM.academic