At Náringre in the Devgad taluka, it is believed that spirits are cruel by nature and have no shadow, that they are capable of taking any form they like, and can perform miracles.[25] At Pendur it is believed that Bhuts eat chillies, and that they do not speak with human beings. Spirits are said to remove and conceal their victims for a certain period of time.[26] At Vijayadurg, a Bhut is considered to be of mean character. People perform certain rites to bring it under subjection. Their actions are always contrary to nature. When a person begins to cry, dance, to eat forbidden things etc. he is said to be attacked by a Bhut. When there is enmity between two persons, the one who dies first becomes a sambandh and troubles his living enemy.[27] At Basani, there is a belief that there are two kinds of spirits. Some aim at the welfare of the people, and others are always troublesome. As they have no regular form they cannot easily be recognised. They can change their forms at any time.[28]
The character of a Bhut is to trouble people and to take revenge on an old enemy. A person attacked by a spirit speaks incoherently and acts like a mad man. In such cases the leaves of the herb satáp are used. The leaves are pounded and put under the patient’s nose. In a few minutes, the person who is possessed by the spirit begins to speak.[29]
The people of Chauk in the Kolába District believe that the main function of a Bhut is to frighten people, to beat them, and to make them perform unpleasant tasks and thereby to obtain food from them.[30] At Poládpur it is believed that if a person is able to bring a Bhut under his control he can make it do every kind of work for himself.[31] The people of Akshi believe that kindling fire without any reason and throwing stones at certain houses are the main functions of Bhuts.[32] At Vávashi in the Pen taluka, it is believed that Bhuts, while walking, never touch the earth but always move through the air, and that they have no shadow.[33] The old men of Shirgaum in the Máhim taluka advise young children not to respond to the call of anybody at night unless the person calling is an acquaintance. For such calls are sometimes those of an evil spirit.[34]
In the Kolhápur District, it is believed that the character of a Bhut is like that of a human being. When a person is attacked by a spirit, a great change is observed in his language and actions. He begins to speak in the language of the Bhut by which he is attacked. If the ghost is of the female sex, the person speaks the language of females. It is believed that the souls of those who have been murdered or tortured assume the form of a spirit known as Sambandh, and trouble the murderer or the torturer, by entering his body. It is said that in some cases the spirit does not leave the body of such a person till he dies, thus exacting revenge for his past misdeeds.[35] In Khopoli in Ratnágiri it is said that the cow which is given to a Bráhman while performing the funeral rites of a dead person helps him to reach heaven. He gets there by catching hold of her tail. There are three paths to the other world. They are Bhaktimárga, Karmamárga, and Yogamárga. The Karmamárga is believed to be superior to all.[36] At Málád, a belief prevails that the path to the other world is through the Himálayas. While going through the mountains of the Himálayas, souls find happiness or sorrow according to their actions in life-time. The people also believe that the soul returns every month on the date of the man’s death to accept Kágvás, i.e., cooked food given to the manes, and reaches heaven at the end of one year.[37] At Dahigaon in the Murbád taluka, it is customary among the Hindus to smear with cow dung the place from which a dead body has been removed to the burning ground. The place is then covered with rice flour, and is hidden under a basket, an oil-lamp being kept, burning near by. The persons who accompany the corpse return home to look at the lamp, and it is believed that the soul of the deceased will pass to any creature or species of which footprints are seen on the rice flour.[38]
At Kolhápur it is believed that the soul of a person after death attains that state to which he aspires at the last moment before his death. Virtuous persons who die without any desire reach heaven and remain there in the form of the stars, where they are believed to enjoy the happiness of heaven. Some of them are sent to this world when they wish to return. Sinners are said to reach hell in consequence of their misdeeds, but some remain in this world in the form of Bhuts.[39]
The people of Achare in the Málwan taluka believe that the souls of persons who die by accident return to the same caste, and have to remain there till the expiry of an appointed period.[40]
The people of Chauk believe that persons dying a sudden or violent death leave wishes unfulfilled, and are therefore compelled to remain in this world in the form of Bhuts.[41]
At Rái in the Sálsette taluka it is believed that the souls of those dying a sudden or violent death attain salvation according to their deeds in lifetime, but it is a current belief that those committing suicide take the form of a ghost, and those who die on battlefields attain eternal salvation.[42]
At Kolhápur, it is believed that the souls of those who die violent deaths do not attain salvation, but are turned into ghosts.[43]
The people of Ubhádánda in the Vengurla taluka believe that Bhuts do not possess visible human forms. They can assume any shapes they like, but there is a common belief that the hands and feet of Bhuts are always turned backwards.[44]