Daayan (Dayan, Ḍāin / Ḍāini)

The cited sources present the vernacular term daayan/ḍāin as etymologically linked to the Sanskrit dakini. Medieval Hindu texts (Bhagavata Purana, Brahma Purana, Markandeya Purana, Kathasaritsagara) describe dakinis as female paranormal entities associated with pātāla and as attendants of Kali characterised in those texts as fiendish and flesh‑eating. The available material frames this linguistic and conceptual connection but does not provide a specific continuous historical narrative tracing dakinis directly into contemporary daayan belief.

The provided sources primarily identify the daayan as a female spirit or ghost — often the restless spirit of a woman who suffered a traumatic or unresolved death — but do not supply consistent standardized visual traits or a detailed physical description in the cited material.

Cited descriptions emphasise that a daayan is a malevolent, vengeful supernatural agent. The linked dakini imagery in medieval texts depicts such female fiends as flesh‑eating attendants of Kali; from those texts the literature associates daayans with predatory, harmful behaviour toward humans. The available sources do not enumerate a specific list of additional powers (e.g., shapeshifting, flight, possession) for the daayan itself.