Editing Ghost (section)

=== Hinduism ===
A [[Bhoota (ghost)|bhoota]] is the ghost of a deceased being in [[Indian religions]].<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Kpd9lLY_0-IC | title=Students' Britannica India | isbn=978-0-85229-760-5 | last1=Hoiberg | first1=Dale | date=2000 | publisher=Popular Prakashan }}</ref> Interpretations of how bhootas come into existence vary by region and community, but they are usually considered to be perturbed and [[restless ghost|restless]] due to some factor that prevents them from moving on (to [[reincarnation|transmigration]], non-being, [[nirvana]], or [[swarga]] or [[naraka]], depending on tradition). This could be a violent death, unsettled matters in their lives, or simply the failure of their survivors to perform proper funerals.<ref name="ref88muliq"/> Belief in ghosts has been deeply ingrained in the minds of the people of [[Indian subcontinent|the subcontinent]] for generations. There are many allegedly haunted places in [[Indian subcontinent|the subcontinent]], such as cremation grounds, dilapidated buildings, royal mansions, [[haveli]]s, forts, forest [[bungalow]]s, burning [[ghat]]s, etc. Ghosts also occupy a significant place in the [[Bengali culture]]. Ghosts and various supernatural entities form an integral part of the socio-cultural beliefs of both the Muslim and Hindu communities of [[Bangladesh]] and the Indian state of [[West Bengal]].

The Bhutas (singular 'Bhuta'), spirits of [[Apotheosis|deified]] heroes, of fierce and evil beings, of [[Hindu deity|Hindu deities]] and of animals, etc., are wrongly referred to as "ghosts" or "demons" and, in fact, are protective and benevolent beings. Though it is true that they can cause harm in their violent forms, as they are extremely powerful, they can be pacified through worship or offerings referred to as Bhuta Aradhana.<ref>"Museums of India - National Handicrafts and Handilooms Museum, New Delhi" ({{ISBN|0-944142-23-0}}) by Jyontindra Jain and Aarti Aggarwala.</ref>

The [[Churel]], also spelled as '''Charail''', '''Churreyl''', '''Chudail''', '''Chudel''', '''Chuṛail''', '''Cuḍail''' or '''Cuḍel''' ({{langx|hi|चुड़ैल}}, {{langx|ur|چڑیل}}), is a [[myth]]ical spirit of a woman who died during pregnancy or childbirth, which may be a [[demon]]iacal [[revenant]] said to occur in [[South Asia]] and [[Southeast Asia]], particularly popular in [[India]], [[Bangladesh]], [[Nepal]] and [[Pakistan]]. The churel is typically described as "the [[restless ghost|ghost]] of an unpurified living thing", but because she is often said to latch on to trees, she is also called a tree-spirit.<ref name="test">{{cite book|author=Crooke, William |author-link=William Crooke|title=An Introduction to the Popular Religion and Folklore of Northern India|date=1894|url=https://archive.org/stream/introductiontopo00croorich#page/69/mode/1up|page=69|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> According to some legends, a woman who dies during childbirth or pregnancy or from suffering at the hands of her in-laws will come back as a [[revenant]] churel for revenge, particularly targeting the males in her family.

The churel is mostly described as extremely ugly and hideous but is able to [[shape-shift]] and disguise herself as a beautiful woman to lure men into the woods or mountains where she either kills them or sucks up their [[Vitality|life-force]] or [[virility]], turning them into old men. Their feet are believed to be turned the other way around, so the toes face the direction of their back. The churel is called as [[Pichal Peri]] in [[Punjab]] and [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]].

There are many [[folk remedies]] and [[folkloric]] [[sayings]] that elaborate on how to get rid of [[revenant]], bhoot and churels, and a number measures that supposedly prevent churels from coming to life. The family of a woman who dies a traumatic, tragic, or unnatural death might perform special rituals fearing that the victimised woman might return as a churel. The corpses of suspected churels are also buried in a particular method and posture so as to prevent her from returning.

==== Buddhism ====
In Buddhism, there are a number of [[plane (esotericism)|planes]] of existence into which a person can be [[wikt:reborn|reborn]], one of which is the realm of [[preta|hungry ghosts]].<ref>Firth, Shirley. ''End of Life: A Hindu View''. The Lancet 2005, 366:682-86</ref> Buddhist celebrate the [[Ghost Festival]]<ref>Jose Vidamor B. Yu ''Inculturation of Filipino-Chinese Culture Mentality'' Gregorian Biblical BookShop, 2000 {{ISBN|978-88-7652-848-4}} p. 110</ref> as an expression of compassion, one of [[Buddhist ethics|Buddhist virtues]]. If the hungry ghosts are fed by non-relatives, they would not bother the community.