An encyclopedia of evil entities and folkloric fiends from across the country, from Ladakh to Lakshadweep, Maharashtra to Manipur, Yamalok to Tuchenkwaka.

"I was not prepared for how deeply this book captivated me... Ghosts, Monsters, and Demons of India is exemplary of what a book can be, how it can operate. It’s a bridge across space, time, and language" —Robin Sloan, NYT bestselling author of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

"...A welcome effort in compiling the astonishing diversity of otherworldly beings who make the Indian subcontinent their home... As you browse through the entries, it feels like traversing a colossal hypertext, the denizens of the netherworlds all interlinked, all shapeshifting. A vast and teeming multitude is revealed, abounding with grotesque imagery" —Jaideep Unudurti, OPEN

"A thrilling romp through the annals of what goes bump in the Indian night" —Helen Nde, curator of Mythological Africans

Inside this book you will find...

Killer robots built with stolen Roman engineering technology that once guarded the relics of the Buddha

The ghost of a twenty-one-year-old motorcyclist whose Enfield Bullet is venerated at a highway temple in Rajasthan

A Himalayan drum-playing spirit-teacher whose wife is a fearsome Yeti

Diabolical entities conjured into existence by the simultaneous deaths of seven tigers

Triple-rooted night-flying Vedic necromancers

Call-centre employees from beyond the grave

The dreaded Ngalei Ahmaw of Maraland, whose victims’ heads detach themselves from their bodies at night and go wandering in search of blood... AND MORE

Featuring illustrations by:

Appupen

Shyam

Samita Chatterjee

Rashmi Ruth Devadasan

Misha Michael

Pankaj Thapa

Vidyun Sabhaney

Osheen Siva

Priya Kuriyan

Poetry by:

Joseph Furtado

Jyoti Prasad Agarwala

With a new translation by:

Anannya Baruah