The term gayal is used by the Punjab and some other regions of India to mean the revenant of a man who dies such circumstances as:
- Dying unmarried.
- Dying without an heir.
He is thus deprived by custom of being given a proper funeral in which his body is cremated. His body is simply buried without ceremony.
The gayal preys upon his relatives and the sons of his neighbors.
The methods to get rid of this pest include exhuming the body and giving it a proper funeral in which it is cremated. Another way is to place cups around the grave containing a mixture of milk and water from the Ganges River as an offering to appease it. Burning lamps might also be placed around the grave. To protect male children from the gayal, a necklace of coins was sometimes placed around their necks.