Skip to main content

Vetala - India's original Dracula!


In Hinduism, Vetala (Betal) is a powerful semi-demonic creature. Vetala is also venerated in some temples and can resurrect dead people. They take control of the cremation ground's corpse and act via it. According to certain Hindu religion academics, he is a favored deity of tantriks and black magic practitioners.

Vetalas, according to Hindu mythology, are the companions of Virabhadra, Shiva’s ferocious creation. They have a wide range of magical abilities. Vetalas are also thought to be servants of Hindu gods such as Goddess Kali, Hanuman, Ganesha, and Virabhadra. Vetala is one of the Shiva Ganas in the epics and Puranic literature. According to a narrative in the Shiva Purana, he is an incarnation of Bhairava himself.

According to the Shiva Purana, Goddess Girija and Shiva were enjoying each other's company in the solitude of their dwelling. One day when Bhairava was delegated to guard its entrance, goddess Girija came out of her dwelling as she was under Shiva’s command. Bhairava was enamored with her beauty, yet he refused to let her go outside. Angry Girija condemned him to reincarnate as a Vetala on Earth. Shiva incarnated on earth as Mahesha for the sake of his favorite Gana, and Girija became Parvati after him.

According to another mythology described in the Kalika Purana 46th canto, two of Shiva’s attendants, Mahakala and Bhringi, were cursed by Gauri and took birth on Earth as Bhairava and Vetala, respectively. Even though the Vetala is said to be an incarnation of Bhairava in the Shiva Purana, the religions exist in parallel and have different followers.

Vetala has been known from ancient times as a member of the Shiva family. A large army of Skanda, son of Shiva, is described in the 45th canto of the Mahabharata’s Shalya Parva. Vetala, also known as Vaitali, is one of the fighters in this army. The name of a mother deity named Vetala-Janani appears in the next canto in the same manner. Vetala’s and his mother’s worship and cult appear to be as old as the Mahabharata. According to some texts, Vetalas fought the demons alongside Mother Goddess Durga. They assist the Goddess Shakti’s many incarnations in their battles with demons. 

People’s Common Perceptions of Vetala

In some parts of the country, such as Maharashtra, the Vetala cult is still alive and well. Stone or wood are used to make the Vetala murtis. In some groups, it is customary to worship Vetal by remaining naked and offering him a sheep sacrifice.

There is a mantra mentioned in the Kathasaritasagara that can be used to regulate Vetala. Vetalas are thought to live in corpses and are fed wine, meat, and other such foods. Some people pray to Vetala to help them locate hidden wealth and harm their adversaries. Vetalas are said to be capable of finding valuables as well as possessing a person’s mind and body and causing damage.

Vikram-Betal stories

The Panchabinsati Katha — stories of Vikramaditya and Betal – contains the most popular stories of Vetala. Vetala is clever being in these legends. Vetal tells twenty-five stories to King Trivikramsen, who is also known by the popular short-form Vikram. Vetala-Panchvimshati is the name given to this collection of 25 stories. The format of the stories is intriguing. At the end of the story, Vetal gives the king a riddle to answer. Vetala admires the intelligent king because he offers proper answers.

Temples of the Vetala

A well-known Vetala Temple may be seen in Pune’s Guruwar Peth. One of the Maratha Peshwas is supposed to have delivered his plea to him. As a result of the deity’s command, he presented a big bell to the temple. In Bhubaneshwar, there is another notable temple named after Vetal. It was said to have been constructed in the eighth century AD

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why Sanyasi (Monk) Wear Orange Colour?

  From violet to red, From white to black, Hinduism attaches a spiritual meaning to almost every spectral color. But one color that is really associated with Hinduism is the orange or saffron color. Whether it is the orange flag adorning most temples in India or the bright orange color of fire in the Yagyas, orange color has a special significance in Hinduism. Even our monks or sanyasis wear orange robes because it represents fire and therefore purity; impurities are burned in the fire. But this wasn’t always the case. Earlier monks used to wear clothes, colored with the soil (red earth) found near the anthills which almost resemble the orange color. Because there was a tradition in India of going and meditating near anthills and by coloring your robes with that particular soil is to remind yourself that your physical self is just an outcrop of the land that you walk upon. Another aspect of wearing clothes that are washed in the soil is because it is the best way to make the...
2 comments
Read more

Why Sutras are worn in Hindu Culture?

There are many rituals in Hindu culture. Some rituals are celebrated to birth some after death, including burial and cremation practices. All these rituals trace their roots from the Vedas, the oldest spiritual scriptures in the world. Among all these rituals that Hinduism has, wearing threads or Sutra in different body parts also have their own significance. Sutra literally means thread. The word is also used in the sense of being a formula like the Yoga Sutras and the Shiva Sutras. Let me explain the science behind it. Let’s say I have a copper plate and I held it for a minute and then you were to touch this copper plate. If you are a little sensitive, you will feel it resonate in a completely different way because that plate has absorbed some of my energy. But that plate will not be able to retain this energy. If the same copper plate was shaped differently, it would hold the resonation much longer. Certain forms are able to hold energy much longer than others. So, in this ...
5 comments
Read more

Vanaras in Ramayana was in fact an Neanderthal men?

  Vanaras are one of the most important characters in Ramayana. As described in Ramayana, Vanaras are special species that looked like monkeys. But Ramayana never mentions Vanaras as monkeys. These species were dominant in the southern part of India and rules South India including Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia Indonesia, etc. What does Vanara mean? Vanara is a Sanskrit word having two-part “Van” means “Forest” and “Nara” which means “Human” so the literal meaning is “humans who lived in the forest”. Vanaras were definitely not monkeys since the monkey is called Vankapi / Kapi or Markata in Sanskrit.  Why finding evidence of Neanderthal man is difficult in India? Archaeological and Scientific Revolutionary studies say Neanderthal was a species that inhabited Europe, Africa, and Western Asia starting some 2,30,000 years ago. Neanderthal man had hyoid bones , which enable them to speak and look like humans very closely. Though some evidence of Neanderthal man was found in I...
5 comments
Read more