Editing Ghost (section)

====Indian subcontinent====
{{Main article|Bhoot (ghost)}}

A ''bhoot'' or ''bhut'' ({{langx|hi|भूत}}, {{langx|gu|ભૂત}}, {{langx|ur|بهوت}}, {{langx|bn|ভূত}}, {{langx|or|ଭୂତ}}) is a supernatural creature, usually the ghost of a deceased person, in the popular culture, literature and some ancient texts of the [[Indian subcontinent]].

===== North India =====
Interpretations of how ''bhoot''s come into existence vary by region and community, but they are usually considered to be perturbed and restless due to some factor that prevents them from moving on (to [[reincarnation|transmigration]], non-being, [[nirvana]], or heaven or hell, 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">{{Cite book |title=Students' Britannica India, Volumes 1–5 |editor=Hoiberg, Dale |author=Ramchandani, Indu |publisher=Popular Prakashan, 2000 |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-85229-760-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Kpd9lLY_0-IC |quote=Bhut also spelt bhoot, in Hindu mythology, a restless ghost. Bhoots are believed to be malignant if they have died a violent of premature death or have been denied funerary rites. |access-date=2016-03-14 |archive-date=2023-07-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230725112555/https://books.google.com/books?id=Kpd9lLY_0-IC |url-status=live }}</ref>

In Central and Northern India, ''ojha'' or [[spirit guide]]s play a central role.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Biswas |first=Ankit |date=2020-11-24 |title=The Practice of Shamanism and Indigenous Art of India |url=https://www.karwaanheritage.in/post/the-practice-of-shamanism-and-indigenous-art-of-india |access-date=2024-09-16 |website=Karwaan: The Heritag |language=en}}</ref> It duly happens when in the night someone sleeps and decorates something on the wall, and they say that if one sees the spirit the next thing in the morning he will become a spirit too, and that to a headless spirit and the soul of the body will remain the dark with the dark lord from the spirits who reside in the body of every human in Central and Northern India. It is also believed that if someone calls one from behind, never turn back and see because the spirit may catch the human to make it a spirit.
Other types of spirits in Hindu mythology include [[Baital]], an evil spirit who haunts cemeteries and takes [[demonic possession]] of corpses, and [[Pishacha]], a type of flesh-eating demon.

===== Bengal and East India =====
{{Main article|Ghosts in Bengali culture}}
There are many kinds of ghosts and similar supernatural entities that frequently come up in [[Bengali culture]], its folklores and form an important part in Bengali peoples' socio-cultural beliefs and superstitions. It is believed that the spirits of those who cannot find peace in the afterlife or die unnatural deaths remain on Earth. The word ''Pret'' (from Sanskrit) is also 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.