Tag: MS Indic

Front facade of Houghton Library

The Vetālapañcaviṃśati, A Manuscript Divided

The Vetālapañcaviṃśati, or the twenty-five tales of the corpse-possessing spirit, is an Indian story collection dating back to at least the 11th century CE. The framing narrative tells the story of a king who is tricked into helping an ascetic perform a necromantic ritual in a cremation ground. The king is tasked with the fetching…