A vetala is a class of beings in Hindu mythology. They are usually defined as a knowledgeable paranormal entity said to be dwelling at charnel grounds. Reanimated corpses are used as vehicles by these spirits for movement. A vetala may possess and leave a dead body at will.

A charnel ground is an above-ground site for the putrefaction of bodies, generally human, where formerly living tissue is left to decompose uncovered. Although it may have demarcated locations within it functionally identified as burial grounds, cemeteries and crematoria, it is distinct from these as well as from crypts or burial vaults.