Urban Legends In Nepal: A Super Spooky Guide

Original blog post: https://ling-app.com/ne/urban-legends-in-nepal/

Urban legends in Nepal are terrifying! Do you love fearing ghosts and urban legends and visiting haunted places all around the world and learning about myths, supernatural beings, death, and more? This article is going to be perfect for you!

Here are some spooky supernatural things that can and will go bump in the night on your trip to Nepal. Many urban legends are popular all over and are told and heard by people of all ages in every country, especially small children. Continue reading to learn more about Nepal’s most terrifying tales about creatures that should only be in horror movies.

Each country can either have the same legends or different ones or have the same creatures with a twist. We will also introduce some Nepali words for you to learn! Some of these stories are definitely terrifying enough to make you feel like you belong in an insane asylum!

What Are Urban Legends?

What are urban legends शहरी किंवदन्तीहरू (pronounced Śaharī kinvadantīharū)? Urban legends are known to be scary stories or pieces of information circulating around a small town from generation to generation. Especially one claiming to involve someone related to the storyteller or someone they know.

Since it is a legend, a lot of these are untrue and come from locals and our ancestors who would tell urban legend tales to scare children into listening. But, not all urban legends are fake. There are plenty of haunted places on this Earth.

Why? Because evil spirits can be conjured anywhere. When messing with the dark places on the other side, you can conjure up the darkest of spirits. Evil entities try their best to target children.

Believe it or not, this place we live in is not home to just us human beings. But also ghosts. Most religions believe that the second someone passes, their soul is reborn as an animal or person.

But in some rare cases, the soul can become trapped and is stuck roaming the earth with other trapped spirits आत्माहरू (pronounced Ātmāharū). There are plenty of haunted locations all over. Whether places are haunted for decades because of urban legends, ghost stories, murders involving actual dead bodies, witch and witchcraft rituals, or more!

What Is Paranormal Activity?

Paranormal activities or events are something that can’t simply be explained by scientific laws and definitely involves unknown otherworldly forces. Many urban legends also involve paranormal activity, mythical creatures, and other myths.

One Of The Most Famous Urban Legends In Nepal: The Yeti

The Yeti is the scariest urban legend in Nepal and is also most likely just a mythical creature. That had been made up by ancestors and locals to scare naughty children into listening about not straying too far from home. Nepal lies within the Himalayan range and there are 8 highest mountain peaks in the entire world, including Mount Everest, which is the highest. Even though the mountains look beautiful सुन्दर (pronounced sundara) at first glance.

Many mysteries and myths surround them. Those who have climbed the insane Nepali mountains have claimed to see the legend with their own eyes. We know the Yeti for being a snow version of America’s Big Foot ठूलो खुट्टा (pronounced Ṭhūlō khuṭṭā).

They describe the Yeti to be huge, angry, aggressive, and extremely hairy. Even though there are plenty of photos and videos on the internet that claim to be real and to have many photos by many locals and tourists, so far there has been no authentic proof. But most people believed that this tale is true, even without proof.

The existence of yeti seems to be just a story of a mythological creature, but who can really tell? Another scary description of the Yeti is that around his mouth, you can see it covered in blood as if he has just eaten something or someone. Some even say that the yeti could be a ghost of compiled lost souls of those who died on the mountain.

Whether true or false, the tale of the Yeti and Big Foot is pretty terrifying!

1. The Raniban:

The next of our urban legends is the haunted Raniban रानीबन (pronounced Rānīvana) forest and the name directly translates to Queen’s jungle. Raniban is located in the Achham District of Nepal. This terrifying yet beautiful place is home to many animal habitats.

But as of late, many climbers and locals that have heard screams and strange noises coming from the petrified forest. It is said that a young woman (age unknown) was assaulted under a tree and was murdered after the attack. From that day on, many say that they could hear unexplainable sounds from the exact tree he assaulted her under.

In the beginning, people thought it might be animals making noise. Many think the screams are from the poor young woman who was made a victim that fateful night. There is no doubt this forest जङ्गल (pronounced Jaṅgala) is haunted by a ghost of a girl whose story never got told.

But just 2 days after the incident, the attacker आक्रमणकारी (pronounced Ākramaṇakārī) had been found hanging from the same tree he committed his crime under. Even the police claim to believe it and that it is in fact a true story. What do you think?

2. The Water Tank Of Dhapashi:

Next in line on the list of urban legends is Dhapashi. Which is a small town in the Kathmandu district of Nepal. The legend पौराणिक कथा (pronounced Paurāṇika kathā) of this location surrounds the neighborhood and is regarding a water tank. Stories have it that people can often hear crying and shouting/yelling from the water tank many times throughout the day.

The tank had been made to store drinking water for those in the area, but after this incident, it had become abandoned त्यागिएको (pronounced Tyāgi’ēkō), and even until now no development has taken place in the location. Legend has it that some robbers mugged and killed a man, then threw his body inside the tank. After dumping the body, they locked him in from the outside and left him to suffer and become a lonely ghost भूत (pronounced Bhūta) roaming the town.

The stranger they attacked had then suffocated and died inside the water tank. Since then, it is said that the spirit of the man haunts that area. People from the local area are so terrified that they refuse to go anywhere near the area, even during the daytime. It’s almost as if this tiny little section in the area is a little ghost town because almost all locals refuse to go near it!

3. Devghat:

Devghat is a small place that is in the Tanahun district of Nepal. It also works as a border सीमाना (pronounced Sīmānā) between three districts in Nepal: Tanahun, Chitwan, and Nawalaparsi. Although considered a holy pilgrimage site in Nepal, the story has it people have reported some really strange bizarre things in this area.

Back in 2009 story has it that a human skull मानव खोपडी (pronounced Mānava khōpaḍī) of someone who had been killed was discovered in Devghat, but was not considered a huge issue as it serves as a cremation ground for the dead. But over the years, a lot of skulls have been discovered, and people claim to hear strange crying and singing voices in the area. Things had gotten even scarier when four women showed up there every night, set themselves on fire, and performed different rituals.

The locals in the area claim that they have seen it happening, but no one has ever attempted to investigate अनुसन्धान गर्नुहोस् (pronounced Anusandhāna garnuhōs) who those women are and what exactly is going on in Devghat. Based on what was said in the urban legends about this location, there are definitely rituals and possibly human sacrifices that go down here. This means, there has got to be more than just one little ghost there.

4. Khya:

The Khya legend appears in other stories from many other countries, just in different forms. Khya translates to ‘ghostly figure’ in the Newari language. It is said that every house घर (pronounced Ghara) has a Khya and a story, and they can either be good or bad.

The good राम्रो (pronounced Rāmrō) will always protect your family and your home, while the bad नराम्रो (pronounced Narāmrō) will try every way to destroy the family and your home. They will try with all their power to attack people, too. The Khya is no average ghost and if you have one in your home, you should be afraid; whether you find yourself having good ones or bad ones.

Khya is portrayed as a skeleton with extremely pale skin and is depicted in hand drawings with Gods and Goddesses. It is also said that the Khya ghost will come out at night to scare you and play mischievous jokes out of thin air and pranks like throwing your blanket off you or throwing some other objects around your home. It is basically a poltergeist, but you can see them instead of being invisible, like most ‘ghosts’.

There is also a firm belief that Khyas cause sleep paralysis and is a good reason you shouldn’t sleep on your back. Many people have claimed that they have seen Khyas in their homes or in other homes. Especially in the old Newari-style homes. Legend has it you’d have no idea if they are in your home.

5. The Bokshi:

Nepal legend says that witchcraft is widely practiced in remote areas of Nepal. The problem with Bokshi has become so extreme that women are murdered in the name of this specific ritual and are forced to become a ghost, lost and roaming around the streets looking for answers. This all mostly takes place in the rural ग्रामीण (pronounced Grāmīṇa) areas of Nepal where the literacy rate is extremely low, a woman is considered a witch बोक्सी (pronounced Bōksī) if she speaks against something bad or raises her voice against the patriarchy पितृसत्ता (pronounced Pitr̥sattā).

A legend says that the women are tied down so that they can’t move or escape and then burned alive. Jhankris or ‘witch doctors’ summon कल गर्न (pronounced Kala garna) the women and then they are hypnotized, tortured, and then beaten to death. Everyone watches them being beaten, and no one is allowed to stop them, or they themselves will be beaten too.

This has been a serious issue in Nepal and there are some rights and regulations, but the situation has not become any better. Even today there are still women being accused of being witches.

6. The Kumari:

The Kumari is the only living Goddess देवी (pronounced Dēvī) left in Nepal. Girls are selected from the Shakya/Bajracharya group of the Newar community between the ages of 4–5. They then are treated like a Goddess, but they aren’t allowed to go out of ‘Kumari House’ or step foot on the ground.

Legend once said that they are also forbidden to talk to anyone outside of their family, and they are also forbidden to smile at anyone. The Kumari culture संस्कृति (pronounced Sanskr̥ti) has raised much debate around the world regarding the kid’s human rights. But sadly, no one is willing to end this culture which is considered to have been going on for ages in Nepal.

It is believed that if the Kumari looks at you and smiles, you are going to die very soon. When the young woman gets her very first period is when the reign of the Kumari ends and they are immediately replaced by a younger Kumari. There is also a strong belief that once the old Kumari marries a young man, they will die within 6 months of the marriage विवाह (pronounced Vivāha).

Now, this is where the tale of the Kumari gets terrifying. Those that live in Nepal have claimed that they’ve seen the Kumari at night on empty streets. The story has it that when that person and the Kumari make eye contact with each other, the person dies with blood रगत (pronounced Ragata) coming from their mouth. These incidents have been mentioned many times, so most natives refrain from looking outside the window at night. In fear that this will happen to them if they see her. All Nepal natives see it as bad luck if you attempt to look for her at night.

7. The Barashi:

There is a ritual specifically for girls in Nepal, which is called the ‘Bara’ or ‘Gufa’. In the ritual, a female, who is aged 5–12, is locked inside a room for 12 whole days. During this time she is not allowed to see the sun सूर्य (pronounced Sūrya) or any men. The young women that have been subjected to this life can be heard crying in these rooms.

And is only allowed to eat certain foods; this ritual is basically considered as a girl getting married to the sun, and on the 12th and final day when she is taken out of the room, the first thing she sees is the sun. Hence why they say this ritual is basically a girl getting married to the sun.

Many girls have come forward and shared their experiences during these days. They report seeing apparitions and feeling like someone is in the room with them when they are completely alone. Some girls have also claimed that their hair gets combed and oiled without them noticing, and also report hearing strange noises around them.

Due to all these testimonies from these girls, the ritual is only 2–3 days, instead of the initial 12 days, out of fear that something might happen to them in that house. If a girl dies during this period, her body has to be buried inside of the house, and her spirit will haunt the location for the rest of the time and become a ghost, looking for a way to move on.

‘Bara’ is the name of a ritual and ‘Shi’ means dead in the Newari language, so this translation means ‘someone who died during Bara’. It is an extremely scary डरलाग्दो (pronounced Ḍaralāgdō) story and many people are petrified when they are told the stories of barashis.

These are perfect tales to tell all your friends, did you enjoy reading these scary legend-told tales revolving around the urban legends of Nepal? These stories were sure to get your heart pumping, would you visit Nepal to learn more about the world filled with urban legends?

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