Churel

The Churel,, alternatively spelled Chudail, Churail, Chudel, Churreyl, or Churrail, also known as Petni and Shakchunni, is a <a href="/facts/Myth/kG8UTfem">mythical</a> or <a href="/facts/Legendary_creature/qtFEzKCN">legendary creature</a> resembling a <a href="/facts/Woman/AfQPA3m4">woman</a>, which may be a <a href="/facts/Demon/eAz75uzo">demonical</a> <a href="/facts/Revenant/xyNTtC04">revenant</a> said to occur in <a href="/facts/South_Asia/7gTqe3hY">South Asia</a>, <a href="/facts/Southeast_Asia/VafwT517">Southeast Asia</a>, and the <a href="/facts/Caribbean/zRI9aMCh">Caribbean</a>, particularly popular in <a href="/facts/India/QW4TV4sy">India</a>, <a href="/facts/Bangladesh/NXk4f78Y">Bangladesh</a>, <a href="/facts/Nepal/yWCzTBR2">Nepal</a>, <a href="/facts/Pakistan/cbIsvJy1">Pakistan</a>, <a href="/facts/Trinidad_and_Tobago/jTXQP4Fe">Trinidad and Tobago</a>, <a href="/facts/Guyana/xxadP7zF">Guyana</a>, and <a href="/facts/Suriname/zjwRFBPL">Suriname</a>. The churel is typically described as "the <a href="/facts/Restless_ghost/sJ4lIjSc">ghost</a> of an unpurified living thing", but because she is often said to latch on to trees, she is also called a tree-spirit. According to some legends, a woman who dies very cruely 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 <a href="/facts/Shape-shift/SzHHgtzD">shape-shift</a> and disguise herself as a beautiful woman to lure men into the woods or mountains where she either kills them or sucks up their <a href="/facts/Vitality/MPQJDwPD">life-force</a> or <a href="/facts/Virility/8h2f03y5">virility</a>, 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.
There are many <a href="/facts/Folk_remedies/WLUmXCHz">folk remedies</a> and <a href="/facts/Folkloric/hcBN8qcd">folkloric</a> <a href="/facts/Sayings/LJBUMwca">sayings</a> that elaborate on how to get rid of <a href="/facts/Revenant/xyNTtC04">revenant</a> and <a href="/facts/Ghostly/U2zPJ81t">ghostly</a> churels, and a number of 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.
The churel is known as the <a href="/facts/Pichal_Peri/KS38kgGf">Pichal Peri</a> in the <a href="/facts/Punjab/gyyuKVSp">Punjab</a> region of India and Pakistan, Petni/Shakchunni in the <a href="/facts/Bengal/xp3t2Dyd">Bengal</a> region, and <a href="/facts/Pontianak_(folklore)/AjUe4z72">Pontianak</a> in <a href="/facts/Malaysia/8zbUMzCP">Malaysia</a> and <a href="/facts/Indonesia/vQnWU3IW">Indonesia</a>. The word "churel" is also often used colloquially or mistakenly for a <a href="/facts/Witch/cH6qLPNC">witch</a> in India and Pakistan. Churel have remained prevalent in modern-day literature, cinema, television, and radio, with many references to their activities. There may still be reports of sightings in rural regions in South-East Asia.

Churel open-in-new

Churel