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Long black hair, pale skin, sharp nails and white sari is the typical description of a Kichkandi which isn’t much different from other female ghosts. Then, how to tell a kichkanya apart?

Simple. Look at their feet and you will see a pair of soles. Because they are backwards. Their body and feet face opposite directions. And yet, they can run, I hear. Forwards and backwards.

It is believed that a kichkandi (or a kichkanya) is formed when a body fails to burn completely. I don’t know what happens when a male is not properly cremated since kichkandis are only female and there is no male counterpart but, females will become a kichkandi.

There are a few urban legends and many true stories about encountering a kichkandi. They usually start with a man being approached by a beautiful damsel in distress who then leads them to different bone chilling fate. But my favorite is the one I heard recently. It is a little different from the norm and really scary.

So kichkandis are supernatural beings that lure men with their beauty and proceed to feed on their life force unbeknownst to their happy victims. Else, they will just scare the life out of you. For example, here is a little story I heard from my friend.

There was a rikshaw wala who was working till late at night when a woman asked him if he would go to *****. This place was a ghat where a kichkandi was often seen roaming or playing with her long long hair. He wondered what business she had there at this hour but that wasn’t any business of his so he agreed to take her.

The passenger was quiet. She did not make any conversation and only gave one worded answers to his efforts.

On the way, he was stopped by another woman. Because it was really late, he stopped even though he already had a passenger. She might be headed towards the same direction.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“To *****” she answered but the rikshaw wala sped up before she could get on. He cycled furiously.

“What happened?” the silent passenger asked behind him.

“Didn’t you see her feet?” he cried. “They were backwards!”

“You mean like this?” and her feet were backwards too!!!

This is where he ended the story. It was funny and scary at the same time.

Anyway, to end a kichkandi’s existence, you need to find its remaining parts and burn them to ashes. It is said that such ashes of a particular kichkandi is buried under the Rani Pokhari (Queen Pond) of Kathmandu. You can read this urban legend here.