There exists an age-old myth in almost every corner of Rajasthan linking the Peepal Tree (The Sacred Fig Tree) to spirits, or in layman's terms, ghosts.
The possible reason behind the belief:-
In India, the peepal tree has long been associated with mysticism and is both revered and feared. In the Bhagavad Gita, it is revered as a representation of Lord Krishna; in Tamil culture, it is recognized as the King of Trees; in the Atharva Veda, it is regarded as an elixir or amrita; and it is institutionally venerated since its picture appears on the medallion of the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian honor in India. On the one hand, it is highly esteemed; on the other, it is avoided. Many people in India think that peepal trees are the cozy home of ghosts and that it is dangerous to approach them or sleep under them at night for fear of being possessed or killed.
Religious power has two sides: an alluring side and a terrifying side. This tree has a close connection to Shani, the Saturnian deity who is revered in India and worshiped at pipal trees to counteract his unfavorable effects. Avoid the pipal tree at night since it is thought to be the home of frightful ghosts. Great misfortune can occur from damaging or destroying a pipal tree, and improperly approaching a pipal tree can bring about a lot of bad luck, which in India can occasionally take the shape of the goddess Alakshmi or Jyeshtha, the older sister of Lakshmi, the brilliant goddess of abundance.
Prevalence in other cultures:-
The myth even extends to parts of West Bengal wherein it is linked to the spirit of dead Brahmins called Brahmadaitya. These ghosts reside in the peepal tree because its roots stand in for Brahma, the trunk for Vishnu, and the leaves for Shiva, which is revered in Hindu mythology, associating it with these three gods. They are easily offended, according to Lal Behari Day, a 19th-century Bengali preacher and folklorist. When their sanctum is invaded or desecrated or their dignity is insulted, their anger knows no bounds, and they savagely wring and breaking the offender's neck in a kind of revenge to which they are somewhat devoted.
The myth is also known and believed in a lot of other north Indian states such as Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, etc.
Additional superstitions attached to the myth:-
Many other superstitions are attached to the main myth surrounding the peepal tree. Since it is said to be the abode of ghosts and spirits, people in Rajasthan will advise you not to sleep under a peepal tree at night. There are other things that they advise against such as wearing strong perfume and then going near the peepal tree, applying henna and other traditional makeup, and then walking under it, etc.
It is said that these things will make the spirits notice you and there will be a possibility of an individual being possessed if they engage in such behaviors.
As a result, a lot of unwarranted superstitions got related to the peculiar peepal tree.
Real-Life Sightings And Experiences
Over the years, there have been a lot of instances where people have reported experiencing paranormal activity under or near a peepal tree. Even members of my family have supposedly had a few scares. Let’s look at some of these cases now:-
Case 1-
The first instance that I would narrate here happened in my own family. My uncle was travelling from Jodhpur to our village on a scooter when he stopped under the shade of the peepal tree on the way to drink some water and refresh himself. He attended a call under the tree and said words like “Come”, and “Come with me”, to his friend on the call.
As he left the place, he felt the presence of someone sitting behind him on the scooter. He felt hands grabbing his shoulders and freaked out. The fear paralysed him a bit but he kept on driving. After driving for a while, that presence went away, but he was sure it was a woman sitting behind him.
The fear led him to have a heavy fever for almost a week. It was later found out that some time back a couple had gotten into an accident somewhere near the tree and the wife had died in that incident. The locals there said that it was the ghost of the dead wife.
Case 2 -
This story was discovered on an internet platform where people share spooky, inexplainable incidents that have taken place in their lives.
This occurred to the narrator's mother in a village in Bihar when she was between 10 and 11 years old.
The mother used to utilize a cot outside in that area of the house at night together with her other siblings. There was a large peepal tree nearby, with a center section that was completely open and between the house.
The mother slept on a crib a few metres away from the peepal tree one full moon night.
She was shocked to see a man in his 40s standing beneath the peepal tree dressed in all white—kurta, a dhoti, and a white turban wrapped around his head. His hands, legs, and face were all completely white and glittering.
He appeared to be a statue since he was standing still. He was fixated on the mother.
His mother froze and trembled in terror.
In the morning, upon describing the event, she was told that it could be their grandfather who died long back but the family members believed that he was still present in the house, attached to the tree and looking after the house and the family.
Case 3 -
There exists a very infamous peepal tree in Delhi that has been making an appearance in a lot of articles and a lot of paranormal researchers have been studying the same.
The locals report sightings of a woman ghost near the tree. This location is notorious for the white lady spirit that frequently appears sitting on the limbs of this tree and is said to follow and frighten passing motorists.
The contractor working on this road's construction did his utmost to get rid of this tree, but he was unable. According to legend, the elderly woman in white used to appear to laborers in nightmares to warn them not to approach that tree. Numerous people even asserted that she had smacked them and that they had seen her there after dark. Later, the contractor stood his ground and decided to replace the tree with a shrine.
Few people think that the woman in this picture was involved in an accident while crossing the street. The vehicle didn't stop and fled, leaving the woman seriously hurt and dying later. Since that time, she has been spotted circling this tree and pursuing cars to catch the person who killed her.
Case 4 -
On B.T.Tiraha Road, there is a tree that is thought to be haunted by several ghosts. Elderly neighbors nearby advise against approaching this tree at night. It is one of the town's creepiest locations that is there.
Parapsychological Perspectives
Upon analyzing all the cases described above, it becomes clear that they have similar themes in their narratives. The ghost experience has always been linked to the spirit of a person who died, specifically near the tree, and used the peepal tree as their medium.
This can be explained by the parapsychological perspective of the survival hypothesis. According to this hypothesis, consciousness may continue to exist after death, which could explain events like near-death encounters (NDEs) and claims of mediumship (communication with the dead).
The survival hypothesis has been put to the test through the examination of numerous, evidentially supported cases that have been reinforced by experimental results. The permanent projection of the psychological body from the biological body is discovered to be the definition of survival. Out-of-body experiences of temporarily projected persons can be used to a considerable extent to understand the nature of the early stages of life after death. multiple independent, but reciprocally confirming reports of encounters between temporarily and permanently projected soul-bodies reinforce the fact of survival.
The survival hypothesis can consequently be linked to the presence of the spirit outside of the deceased human body. It is however an extension of the theory. This theory, henceforth, provides a reasonable explanation for the existence of mediums that communicate with the dead.
The explanation provided by parapsychologists:-
The late Hans Holzer, a professor of parapsychology, claimed that ghosts are connected to the scene of their death, which was typically tragic or quick, and that they frequently lose consciousness after passing away. The majority of the time, they have "unfinished business" since the deceased person did not agree with how they passed away.
Simple unfinished business can take the shape of someone who is too attached to their house to leave it behind after they pass away. They are referred to as "caretakers" and desire to remain to ensure that the building is adequately cared for by the subsequent owners, as well as to their satisfaction. When a person dies violently and unexpectedly, on the other end of the spectrum, unfinished business might manifest as dark energy.
Both of these are observed in case 2 and case 3 mentioned above.
Anomalistic Perspectives
Now let us look at the entire scenario through a more psychological lens. The following are some fundamental elements and hypotheses of the anomalistic psychological viewpoint:
Cognitive explanations - In all three cases, the individuals experiencing the paranormal events were aware of the myths surrounding the peepal tree, and hence that might have led to a confirmation bias in the sighting or experiencing of ghosts near the tree. Having it in their mind that peepal trees are haunted, people would have assumed any occurrence near it to be a paranormal thing.
Expectancy theory - This theory suggests that people's expectations and beliefs significantly influence their interpretation of events. Citing the first case, the individual supposedly invited the ghost by saying ‘Come with me’, in a sense, their unconscious would have already entertained the idea that because of it, a ghost is bound to follow them.
Psychological mechanisms - Psychological mechanisms, such as dissociation, and sleep paralysis, can explain some paranormal encounters, including alien abduction claims, out-of-body experiences, and ghost sightings. Citing the second case, the girl had just woken up from sleep, could be dreaming, or be in a state of dissociation which might have brought about the paranormal experience.
Personality Factors - Certain personality traits, such as openness to experience or the need for control, have been linked to belief in the paranormal. As such, Indians have been proven to have greater amounts of belief in the supernatural, making them more open and perceptive to otherworldly or inexplicable events.
Cultural and Social Influences - Anomalistic psychology recognizes the role of social and cultural norms in the formation and upkeep of paranormal beliefs. The entire myth related to the ghosts in peepal trees is a cultural phenomenon and similarly influences individuals belonging to the culture.
Scientific Perspectives
Like us, trees require breathing to survive. Trees collect carbon dioxide during the day, transform it into energy, and release oxygen into the air that we breathe. Photosynthesis is the name of the process that contributes to keeping nature in balance. However, because there is no light throughout the night, trees continue to breathe out carbon dioxide and produce less oxygen. As a result, the carbon dioxide levels near the trees are greater at night. Due to the reduced oxygen levels and greater carbon dioxide levels in the air, persons who slept under the tree at night felt suffocated and had trouble breathing. Sometimes, the person's protracted periods of breathlessness while sleeping resulted in death.
The Peepal tree stands out from other trees due to its extreme density, which results in higher daytime and nocturnal carbon dioxide production. As a result of the Peepal trees' substantially greater nighttime carbon dioxide content, more casualties and people were feeling out of breath than around other trees. Because there was no scientific explanation for this event, it was believed that spirits living on peepal trees would sit on people's chests and kill them if they were found sleeping beneath the tree.
Conclusion
Although science, non-science, and other disciplines have already given their verdicts on this particular myth, there is still no clear consensus as to why the sightings of ghosts are much more frequent near the peepal tree. A lot more research from a parapsychological perspective is needed to properly explain the strange occurrences that take place.
Our predecessors probably understood photosynthesis and the effects of breathing in carbon dioxide at night much earlier, and they probably used the ghosts as an alibi to scare the people away from sheltering under it at night. It's also likely that they misunderstood the phenomena of people getting out of breath under the peepal tree and, in the absence of a sane explanation, assumed that spirits were responsible. In either event, the superstition has stood the test of time and people continue to avoid the peepal tree at night more out of a sense of dread than for any rational reason.
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