A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

Overview

In Bompas’s tale, a woman angrily summons Dharmal Chandi from a pool after her hidden brother-in-law fails to answer her calls. The bonga appears immense, bearded and long-haired, with matted hair. She asks that a tiger kill the young man two days later, and the spirit promises to arrange it before returning to the water.

The young man has overheard the encounter and obtains his brother’s protection. A tiger duly stalks them, but cannot attack while they stay together and armed. The ending has the husband kill his wife after hearing the account. This is a historical witchcraft narrative, not evidence that an actual woman caused illness or animal attacks, and its retaliatory killing is not endorsed. Dharmal Chandi is named as the petitioned bonga; the text does not identify him as the tiger or as every deity sharing Chandi in a name.

Pool spirit petitioned to arrange a tiger attackSpecific historical narrative witness
01

Origins & earliest records

Santal Parganas, eastern India; source-specific Santali storytelling

02

Records & interpretation

Complete tale directly read, including violent accusation aftermath; collection provenance retained.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

  1. 01

    Folklore of the Santal Parganas

    Cecil Henry Bompas, translator; O. Bodding, collector; Sagram Murmu, principal Santali writer credited in preface · 1909

    CLXXXII, The Sister-in-Law Who Was a Witch, pp. 435–438

Family & connections

A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.

Primary records and illustrations

Direct primary record

Cecil Henry Bompas, Folklore of the Santal Parganas (1909)

Part VI, historical witchcraft narratives. CLXXXII, The Sister-in-Law Who Was a Witch, pp. 435–438

Full narrative and ending directly read; exact named bonga appearance and actions retained. Violent accusations and forced confession explicitly distinguished from independently verified facts.

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References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

  1. Historical translation of collected narrativesBompas, Folklore of the Santal Parganas (1909), CLXXXII, The Sister-in-Law Who Was a Witch, pp. 435–438Research access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

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