It is believed that a woman who dies an unnatural death becomes a Chudel and troubles her husband, her successor or co-wife, or her children.[139]
There are three classes of Chudels, (1) Poshi, (2) Soshi and (3) Toshi. Those women that have not enjoyed before death the pleasures of this world to their satisfaction enter the order of Poshi Chudels. They fondle children and render good service to their widower husbands.
Those women that are persecuted beyond endurance by the members of their families become Soshi Chudels after death. They dry up the blood of men and prove very troublesome to the members of the family.
Those women who bear a strong attachment to their husbands enter the order of Toshi Chudels and bring great pleasure and happiness to their husbands in this life.[140]
Most high caste people, on the death of their first wives, take an impression of their feet on gold leaves or leaf-like tablets of gold and cause their second wives to wear them round their necks.[141] These impresses of feet are called shok-pagalāns or mourning footprints. Among the lower castes, the hands or the feet of the second wives are tattooed in the belief that this prevents the deceased wife from causing injury to the second wife.[142]
All female spirits called Pishāchas or Dākans and male spirits called Virs or Bhuts oppress their descendants.[143]
It is also believed that any male member of a family dying with certain of his desires unfulfilled becomes a Surdhan and oppresses the surviving relatives, while a female member troubles others as Sikoturu or Māvadi.[144]
The spirits of men that fall victims to tigers or other wild animals are believed to enter the ghostly order and wander about until they are relieved from this state by the performance of the prescribed shrāddha by some pious surviving relative.[145] These evil spirits live in forests and eat nothing but flesh.[146] If they do not get flesh to eat they eat the flesh of their own bodies.[147] At times they put their relatives to great annoyance by entering their persons. To pacify them, pālios are erected in their name, and their images are set up in the square cavities of walls. These images are besmeared with red lead and oil by their descendants on the fourteenth day of the dark half of Ashvin. The relief of such spirits is sought by the performance of a shrāddha either at Siddhapur or at Gaya.[148]
It is believed that a woman dying in child-bed or menses enters the order of ghosts variously known as Chudels, Vantris or Taxamis. In order that she may not return from the cremation ground, mustard seeds are strewn along the road behind her bier, for a belief prevails that she can only succeed in returning if she can collect all the mustard seeds thus strewn on the way.[149]
In some places, loose cotton wool is thrown over the bier so as to be scattered all along the road to the cemetery. It is believed that the Chudel can only return to the house if she can collect all the cotton scattered behind her in one night. This is considered an impossible task, and no fear is therefore entertained of her return after the cotton has been scattered.[150]