India

India has a ghost culture. And call it "Bhoot" to Ghosts. Indian believes in general that Bhoots are able to alter and assume forms of various animals at will, but are usually seen in human form.[8] However, their feet often reveal them to be ghosts, as they are backwards facing.[9] As the earth is regarded as sacred or semi-sacred in many traditions of the Indian subcontinent, bhoots go to lengths to avoid contact with it, often floating above it, either imperceptibly or up to a foot above.[9] Bhoots cast no shadows, and speak with a nasal twang.[10] They often lurk on specific trees and prefer to appear in white clothing.[11] Sometimes bhoots haunt specific houses (the so-called bhoot banglas, i.e. bhoot bungalows), which are typically places where they were killed or which have some other significance to the bhoot.[12] Many ghost stories in the region combine these elements. For instance, they might involve a protagonist who fails to flee or take countermeasures when they run across a bhoot. Instead, they unwittingly accept the bhoot's companionship (e.g., makes the ghost a companion as he/she walks through a forest, picks up the ghost in his car because it looks like an attractive woman waiting by the roadside at night). They become progressively aware that their companion is dressed entirely in white and has a funnily nasal voice, before the horrifying realization dawns on them that their companion's feet are turned backwards, or he/she is not casting a shadow in the moonlight, or is walking without actually touching the ground. Bhoots are said to seek out milk and immerse themselves in it. Consuming bhoot-contaminated milk is considered a typical route for bhoot-possession of humans, which has also been a frequent plot element in bhoot stories.[10] A particular kind of bhoot, that of a woman that died during pregnancy or childbirth, is known as a chudail (dakini in Nepal and eastern India). Chudails look like human women, but their feet are turned backwards or other features are turned upside down. They can change their forms at any time. Chudails often try to lure young men at road crossings and fields or similar places. If a man is enamored of a chudail, it is believed that she will cause his death. There are, however, stories of people living with a chudail, or even marrying one.