In a remote village in the South East corner of India nearly a hundred years ago the following incident happened.
It was a sleepy little village with a small population mostly agriculturists. In those days superstition was deep rooted and was followed meticulously lest some evil spirit place a curse on the village.
Coming to the actual story it was a rainy night and a Gypsy passing through the village to another place could not proceed due to rain. So wanting to take shelter in a house for the night he knocked on the door of a house. The door was opened by a girl of sixteen or so and she asked him what he wanted. He said that he needed her permission to spend the night in platform like structure in front of the house with a tiled roof.
The girl refused and said that her parents were away. She asked him to leave the premises at once. He begged and pleaded with the girl she said that he can stay till her parents returned home. He agreed and lay down . After a little while he asked for a glass of water. The girl reluctantly obeyed.
Soon after the parents returned and finding a stranger in the premises asked him to get out. He said that he was there with her daughter’s permission. The parents chided the girl and chased away the gypsy. Meanwhile a villager saw the girl giving water to the gypsy.
The next day morning he concocted a story about seeing the girl with another Gypsy in a compromising position.
According to tradition of the village, he reported the matter to the village panchayat (a kangaroo like court ) with five members which hears disputes between parties and imposes strict punishment for any misdemeanor.
The president of the panchyat immediately summoned the girl and the parents.
He accused the girl of having slept with the gypsy and cited in support the evidence of the villager who concocted the story. The girl’s and her parents pleas went unheeded as several of the villagers accused the girl of questionable conduct.
The president of the panchyat sent villagers to go and bring the gypsy to the village to stand trial, Accordingly people ran and after several hours came dragging the Gypsy along with them.
He denied the charge and pleaded innocence. The panchayat rejected the plea.
The president said that as per tradition for this type of conduct they should be tied to a wooden scaffolding and left to die without water or food and exposed to sun and rain. Accordingly amidst protest from the parents of the girl, a wooden scaffold was erected and both of them tied to the scaholding poles and left to die with their hands and feet tied.
The villagers came daily to see them and pass offensive remarks against them and said justice has prevailed.
Day by day the two weakened and finally when the end was near the villagers came to witness their last few seconds. Since all eyes were fixed on the girl, she suddenly spoke and uttered in a terrible voicle that when dead she will come back and haunt them and wreak vengeance on them in the most horrible way.
A few days after her death the girl returned and shone a brilliant light in the villager’s eyes. She blinded them all. She however said that they will see her only and nothing else.
The Panchayat members who sentenced her were all hanged at the same scaffolding on which she was punished. Her accuser was also caught and hanged. Those who tried to flee the village were way laid and killer by the girl.
The girl even blinderd children at childbirth. The villagers were completely terrorised. The girl continued to torment the villagers for years.
Meanwhile one of the relatives of the villagers, a woman with a six year old daughter, came to the village to meet her relatives after a long time. She was shocked to find her relatives blind and when questioned they said that ghost of the girl inflicted the damage to their vision. The visitor did not believe in ghosts and said that it is a contagious disease that has spread among the villagers. The next day when they were in the house the ghost appeared and came near the visitors and even circled them once. But she did not do any harm, but simply left.
The relatives asked the visitors to go away saying that the ghost girl has targeted them and would soon attack them. The visitors did not believe and refused to go away. That day when the visitors were traveling in their car, the ghostly girl way laid them and shone a bright light on them. She child could not with stand the glare and last her vision. The relatives begged them to leave but even then she refused. She took the girl to a doctor in a nearly town who after examining the child said that damage was slight and she can be cured. Both the woman and the child returned back to the village.
But the next day the girl developed severe headache and high fever. The villagers said the ghostly girl has targeted the child and the girl would certainly die. They wanted to call a ghost hunter and try to save the girl.
But the mother refused. She said she would try a different method. She took the girl to the scaffolding where the ghosty girl died. She left her daughter suffering from severe head ache and high fever at he foot of the scaffolding. She spoke the following words.
“Oh ghostly girl I understand your anger. The foolish villagers have done a terrible wrong to you and I feel sorry for you. But what has been done can not be undone now. I beg you to forgive the people most of whom had no part in the tragedy . please give up your vengeance at least now. The villagers will treat you as a noble spirit and offer payers to you.
If you accept my pleadings please cure my daughter who is ill here. If you still wish to continue you, your vengeanceful kill this little girl. If you wish to forgive and forget the past cure the girl. I will come tomorrow morning.” With these words she left. Night long they could hear drums beating and called the villagers and told them to beg for the mercy from the ghostly girl.
The next morning when the mother went to see the childm the girl was cured and alive. She thanked the ghosty girl called the villagers and told them to beg for mercy from the ghostly girl. The villagers did so, from then on the ghosty girl did not attack anybody.
The villagers prayed her for favours she obliged them and in course of time the villagers began to refer her as a devata.
It was a sleepy little village with a small population mostly agriculturists. In those days superstition was deep rooted and was followed meticulously lest some evil spirit place a curse on the village.
Coming to the actual story it was a rainy night and a Gypsy passing through the village to another place could not proceed due to rain. So wanting to take shelter in a house for the night he knocked on the door of a house. The door was opened by a girl of sixteen or so and she asked him what he wanted. He said that he needed her permission to spend the night in platform like structure in front of the house with a tiled roof.
The girl refused and said that her parents were away. She asked him to leave the premises at once. He begged and pleaded with the girl she said that he can stay till her parents returned home. He agreed and lay down . After a little while he asked for a glass of water. The girl reluctantly obeyed.
Soon after the parents returned and finding a stranger in the premises asked him to get out. He said that he was there with her daughter’s permission. The parents chided the girl and chased away the gypsy. Meanwhile a villager saw the girl giving water to the gypsy.
The next day morning he concocted a story about seeing the girl with another Gypsy in a compromising position.
According to tradition of the village, he reported the matter to the village panchayat (a kangaroo like court ) with five members which hears disputes between parties and imposes strict punishment for any misdemeanor.
The president of the panchyat immediately summoned the girl and the parents.
He accused the girl of having slept with the gypsy and cited in support the evidence of the villager who concocted the story. The girl’s and her parents pleas went unheeded as several of the villagers accused the girl of questionable conduct.
The president of the panchyat sent villagers to go and bring the gypsy to the village to stand trial, Accordingly people ran and after several hours came dragging the Gypsy along with them.
He denied the charge and pleaded innocence. The panchayat rejected the plea.
The president said that as per tradition for this type of conduct they should be tied to a wooden scaffolding and left to die without water or food and exposed to sun and rain. Accordingly amidst protest from the parents of the girl, a wooden scaffold was erected and both of them tied to the scaholding poles and left to die with their hands and feet tied.
The villagers came daily to see them and pass offensive remarks against them and said justice has prevailed.
Day by day the two weakened and finally when the end was near the villagers came to witness their last few seconds. Since all eyes were fixed on the girl, she suddenly spoke and uttered in a terrible voicle that when dead she will come back and haunt them and wreak vengeance on them in the most horrible way.
A few days after her death the girl returned and shone a brilliant light in the villager’s eyes. She blinded them all. She however said that they will see her only and nothing else.
The Panchayat members who sentenced her were all hanged at the same scaffolding on which she was punished. Her accuser was also caught and hanged. Those who tried to flee the village were way laid and killer by the girl.
The girl even blinderd children at childbirth. The villagers were completely terrorised. The girl continued to torment the villagers for years.
Meanwhile one of the relatives of the villagers, a woman with a six year old daughter, came to the village to meet her relatives after a long time. She was shocked to find her relatives blind and when questioned they said that ghost of the girl inflicted the damage to their vision. The visitor did not believe in ghosts and said that it is a contagious disease that has spread among the villagers. The next day when they were in the house the ghost appeared and came near the visitors and even circled them once. But she did not do any harm, but simply left.
The relatives asked the visitors to go away saying that the ghost girl has targeted them and would soon attack them. The visitors did not believe and refused to go away. That day when the visitors were traveling in their car, the ghostly girl way laid them and shone a bright light on them. She child could not with stand the glare and last her vision. The relatives begged them to leave but even then she refused. She took the girl to a doctor in a nearly town who after examining the child said that damage was slight and she can be cured. Both the woman and the child returned back to the village.
But the next day the girl developed severe headache and high fever. The villagers said the ghostly girl has targeted the child and the girl would certainly die. They wanted to call a ghost hunter and try to save the girl.
But the mother refused. She said she would try a different method. She took the girl to the scaffolding where the ghosty girl died. She left her daughter suffering from severe head ache and high fever at he foot of the scaffolding. She spoke the following words.
“Oh ghostly girl I understand your anger. The foolish villagers have done a terrible wrong to you and I feel sorry for you. But what has been done can not be undone now. I beg you to forgive the people most of whom had no part in the tragedy . please give up your vengeance at least now. The villagers will treat you as a noble spirit and offer payers to you.
If you accept my pleadings please cure my daughter who is ill here. If you still wish to continue you, your vengeanceful kill this little girl. If you wish to forgive and forget the past cure the girl. I will come tomorrow morning.” With these words she left. Night long they could hear drums beating and called the villagers and told them to beg for the mercy from the ghostly girl.
The next morning when the mother went to see the childm the girl was cured and alive. She thanked the ghosty girl called the villagers and told them to beg for mercy from the ghostly girl. The villagers did so, from then on the ghosty girl did not attack anybody.
The villagers prayed her for favours she obliged them and in course of time the villagers began to refer her as a devata.
