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Ghosts are an important part of the folklore, and form an integral part of the socio-cultural beliefs of the people living in the geographical and ethno-linguistic region of Bengal, which today consists of the independent nation of Bangladesh, and the Indian state of West Bengal. Fairy tales, both old and new, often use the concept of ghosts. In modern-day Bengali literature, cinema and also in radio & television media, the references to ghosts are often found. There are also many alleged haunted sites in this region. It is believed that the spirits of those who cannot find peace in the afterlife or die unnatural deaths remain on Earth. The common word for ghosts in Bengali is ''bhoot'' or ''bhut'' (Bengali: ভূত). This word has an alternative meaning: "Past" in Bengali. Also the word ''Pret'' (Sanskrit) is used in Bengali to mean ghost. In Bengal, ghosts are believed to be the spirit after death of an unsatisfied human being or a soul of a person who dies in unnatural or abnormal circumstances (like murder, suicide or accident). Even it is believed that other animals and creatures can also be turned into ghost after their death. Usually after the death there are some Hindu rituals that are used to follow in Bengal which ends with a holy food offerings (called ''Pindodaan'') to the spirit of the dead person. This final ritual is done at ''Pret Pahar'' (Mountain of Spirits) in Gaya, Bihar. It is believed that if this final ritual remains incomplete the spirit cannot leave this mortal world for heaven and haunts their relatives to complete it. ==Types of ghosts and other supernatural entities == There are many kinds of ghosts and similar supernatural entities that frequently come up in Bengali culture, its folk-lores and form an important part in Bengali peoples' socio-cultural beliefs and superstitions. Few of such supernatural entities are mentioned here:〔http://arts.bdnews24.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/thakurmar-jhuli.pdf〕〔http://www.storypick.com/ghosts-of-bengal/〕 * Petni: Pretni are basically female ghosts who died unmarried or have some unsatisfied desires. This word originated from the Sanskrit word ''Pretni'' (feminine gender of ''Preta''). They can take any appearance. * Shankhchunni: The word "Shankhchunni" comes from the Sanksrit word ''Shankhachurni''. It is a ghost of a married woman who usually wears a special kind of traditional bangles made of Shell (called ‘Shankha’ in Bengali) in their hands, which is a sign of married woman in Bengal. Shankhchunni usually haunts the rich married women so that they can enjoy a married life and can satisfy all their desires just like a married woman. People say that they live in mango trees. * Chorachunni: These are thief ghosts who are very mischievous, and usually believed to be the souls of dead thieves. * Penchapechi: An unusual form of ghost. The Penchapechi take the form of an owl and hunt in the forests of Bengal. It follows helpless travelers through the woods until they are completely alone, and then it strikes. Unlike other ghosts, the Penchapechi actually consumes its victims, feeding on their body in an almost vampiric way. * Mechho Bhoot: This is a kind of ghost who likes to eat fish. The word ''Mechho'' comes from ''Machh'' that means 'fish' in Bengali. Mechho Bhoot usually lives near to the village ponds or lakes which are full of fish. These kinds of ghosts urges the late night fishermen or a lone person who carries fish with him to give them their fish by saying in a nasal tone - "Machh Diye Ja" (meaning "give me the fish"). If the person disagrees to leave the fish for the Mechho Bhoot, it threatens to harm them. Sometimes they steal fish from kitchens in village households or from the boats of fishermen. * Mamdo Bhoot: According to the beliefs of Bengali Hindu community, these are believed to be the ghosts of Muslims. * Gechho Bhoot: It is a kind of ghost that lives in trees. The word "Gechho" comes from the word "Gaachh", which means ''tree'' in Bengali language. * Brahmodoittyo (Brahmadaitya): These are one of the most popular kind of ghost in Bengal who are believed to be benevolent. It is believed to be the ghost of holy Brahmin. Usually, they appear wearing a traditional Dhoti (Bengali dress for men) and the holy thread on their body. They are very kind and helpful to human being as depicted in many Bengali stories, folk-lores and movies. * Aleya / Atoshi Bhoot: Marsh gas apparitions which sometimes look like a flying, glowing orb of fire (Will-o'-the-wisp) that confuse fishermen, make them lose their bearings and eventually drown. * Begho Bhoot: These are ghosts of the people who were killed or eaten by the tigers in Sundarbans, which is known to be the Royal Bengal Tiger Sanctuary of the Bengal region. The villagers living in the area believe in these kinds of ghosts. These entities are said to frighten people who enters the jungle in search of honey or woods, and try to bring them to face tigers. Sometimes they do the mimicry of tigers to terrify the villagers. * Skondhokata / Kondhokata: It is a headless ghost. These are believed to be the spirit of those people who died by by having their heads cut-off by train accident or by some other way. This kind of ghost always searches their missing heads, and pleads others to help them to find it. Sometimes they attack the humans and make them slaves to search for their lost heads. * Kanabhulo: This is a ghost which hypnotises a person, and takes him to some unknown location. The victim, instead of going into his destination, goes to another place which is silent and eerie. After that the victim loses his sense. These types of ghosts strike at night. Lone travellers, or a person separated from his group becomes the victim of such ghosts. * Dainee: This is what we call "Witch" in English language. Dainee is not actually soul or spirit, rather is a living being. Usually in villages of Bengal, old suspicious women who know mumbo-jumbo and other witchcrafts or black magic are considered as Dainee. It is believed that the Dainee kidnaps children, kills them and suck their blood to survive a hundred years. * Ekanore : They are ghosts with only one leg. They have five hairs in their face. They live in Palm trees and hunts small children. * Boba: The Bengali version of the "Old Hag Syndrome" which is believed to be caused by a supernatural entity called "Boba" (meaning "dumb"/unable to speak). The Boba attacks a person by strangling him when the person sleeps in an Supine position/ sleep on back, even though the scientific explanation is believed to be Sleep Paralysis. The person hallucinates in his REM sleep while his brain is functioning but the body is asleep. This actually causes the person to completely unable to move or speak, and results in to hallucinate weird entities such as an old hag. In Bangladesh, the phenomenon is called "Bobaay Dhora" (meaning "Struck by Boba"). * Deyo / Mal: This is a water-nymph like creature with very long hair, which dwells in the rivers and lakes. It drags unsuspecting people into the water, eventually drowning them. The concept of such supernatural beings is similar to that of Rusalka from Slavic mythology. * Nishi: The Nishi (Night Spirit) lures its victim to a secluded area by calling to the person with the voice of a loved one. The Nishi only strikes at night, and once the victim responds to the call of Nishi, s/he becomes hypnotised, follow the voice, and are never seen again. So, it is unknown what happens to them. Some tantrics are said to nurture and conjure the Nishi, in order to use them to harm someone out of spite or revenge. The voice of Nishi (means 'Night') is known as "Nishir Daak" (Call of the Night). Bengali age old superstition suggests that Sleepwalking phenomenon is also caused by Nishi. According to folklore, the Nishi cannot call out more than twice, and so no one should answer a voice at night until being called at least three times. * Gudro Bonga: Even though these as worshipped as demigods by the Santhal community (an indigenous tribe in Bengal), many Santhal families are said to nurture and look after these small dwarf like supernatural creatures. This is because Santhals believe that these beings are keepers of hidden treasures on earth and can make them rich. These beings are believed to steal newborn infants from people's houses. Gudro Bongas are believed to live in clans. * Dhan Kudra: Experiences with such of entities are found in the myths of Bengal(specially south Bengal). They usually are short in height. It is a belief that they stay in somebody's house and they help the house-owner to make money. They are believed to bring luck. They are possibly similar/same beings as Gudro Bonga. * Rakkhosh: A demonic fierce-looking being with pointed fangs, sharp claw-like fingernails, and superhuman strength. The stories of these creatures feature in the Hindu epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata. A lot of fairy-tale stories in Bengali folklore also speaks of this vicious demonic tribe which feeds on human. Bengali women traditionally put their children to sleep by narrating scary folk-tale stories of the Rakkhosh. The punchline threat by a Rakkhosh in traditional Bengali folk-tales is this couplet: ''Hau, Mau, Cau,....Manusher Gondho Pau'' (meaning: "Hau, Mau, Cau (nonsensical rhyming words),....I Smell a Human"). *Khokkosh: These are dwarf-like malicious and grotesque monster, which is depicted as a smaller version of Rakkhosh. The stories of Khokkosh is frequently found in traditional Bengali fairy-tales and folk-lores. They are similar to the concept of Goblins. *Doittyo / Danob: They are monsters that have human appearance, but of prodigious size and extraordinary strength. Same as Giants. * Jokkho / Jokkh: A supernatural warrior-type entity who are the guardians and protectors of hidden treasures/wealth on earth. They are usually considered to be benevolent, and said to bestow fertility and wealth upon their devotees. There is a commonly used Bengali idiom - ''Jokkher Dhon'' (literal meaning: Jokkho's Wealth) which actually implies "protecting a beloved person" or "safeguarding precious wealth". * Pishach: Pishach are flesh-eating demonic entity. They like darkness and traditionally are depicted as haunting cremation grounds and graveyards. They have the power to assume different forms at will, and may also become invisible. They are also believed to feed on human energies. Sometimes, they possess human beings and alter their thoughts, and the victims are afflicted with a variety of maladies and abnormalities like insanity. The female version of Pishach is called "Pishchini", which is described to have a hideous and terrible appearance, however she appears in the devious disguise of a youthful, beautiful maiden to lure young men. She drains their blood, semen, and virility. She dwells and prowls in places associated with death and filth. They are similar to the western concept of Vampires. * Jinn / Djinn: The Muslim community of Bengal strongly believe that any supernatural/ghostly/demonic/paranormal occurrence, phenomenon and manifestation is the work of Jinn. Jinns can be both benevolent or malevolent. Malevolent Jinns (Demon) can be really evil, and can cause haunting in human residences, empty houses, toilets, lakes, graveyards, morgues, hospitals, and in the wilderness. Some people are also believed to conjure Jinns, and use them to fulfil their evil purposes. When a Jinn is in the vicinity, a person might experience a strange perfume/flowery smell or terrible odour of rotten meat, or burning odour even though no possible source of those smell/odour can be found. Jinns have no physical body of their own, and are creatures from an unseen dimension/realm. When they come to our reality, they need to get attached to an object or living being which they possibly use as a portal. Such objects can be very ordinary unsuspecting things (such as a coin, ring, mirror or just a piece of paper). Jinns are also believed to take the shape of a human or animal, and are shape-shifters, and often take the form of a snake, dog, or bull. When Jinn attaches itself to a living person, people call it jinn/demonic possession. Jinns are exorcised by pious people like Imam or Mawlana or Kabiraj who commands/forces the Jinn to leave the possessed person by reciting chapters from the Quran. Other exorcism rituals include the use of talismans/ Ta'wiz/Tabiz, or by conjuring a good Jinn to counteract the forces of the possessing evil Jinn. Jinns have the ability to predict future, can read people's thoughts, have extraordinary strength and powers; and a person possessed by a Jinn can demonstrate such abilities. However, Jinns are dimwitted, foolhardy, aggressive, angry and deceives humans with their lies. There are also good and wise jinns who are believed to be pious and save/help human from dangerous/ fatal situations. Jinns are believed to eat raw fish/meat/bones and are fond of traditional Bengali sweets. The sweet salespeople in Bangladesh strongly affirm the idea that Jinns come to the sweet shops at late night in human form to buy sweets. Jinns live in clans, and every clan is headed by a King Jinn. There are several distinct classes of Jinn, such as Marid, Ifreet and Ghul (Ghoul) and Qareen.〔https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=qKL3AgAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=the+vengeful+jinn&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwilx8PAvrPJAhXBuhoKHaaxBH8Q6AEIJTAB#v=onepage&q&f=false〕〔https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=xMEipdTtH9oC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false〕〔http://www.ittefaq.com.bd/print-edition/drishtikon/2014/10/03/7337.html〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ghosts in Bengali culture」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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