Editing Vetala (section)

{{Short description|Animated corpse from Hindu mythology}}
{{for|the deified form of a Hindu god|Betal}}
[[File:Vetal.jpg|alt=|thumb|King Vikramaditya and a vetala in ''the Vetala Panchavimshati.'']]
A '''vetala''' ({{langx|sa|वेताल|translit=vetāla}}) is a class of beings in [[Hindu mythology]]. They are usually defined as a knowledgeable ([[fortune telling]]) [[paranormal|paranormal entity]] said to be dwelling at [[charnel ground]]s. Reanimated corpses are used as vehicles by these spirits for movement. A vetala may possess and leave a dead body at will.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dowson |first=John |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=leH7AQAAQBAJ&pg=PA355 |title=A Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology and Religion, Geography, History and Literature |date=2013-11-05 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-39029-6 |pages=355 |language=en}}</ref>