Tradition / Region: Nepali Mythology
Alternative names: Murkatta
Category: Ghost
The Myth
The Murkatta is a terrifying headless ghost found in Nepali folklore. It is believed to be the spirit of a dead person whose head has been severed. Despite lacking a head, the creature is not blind or mute, for its eyes and mouth are located upon its chest, while its severed head is carried beneath one arm.
The Murkatta wanders the world of the living as a restless spirit. Its strange appearance and unnatural form make it one of the most frightening ghosts in Nepalese tradition. Encounters with the creature are associated with fear and misfortune, and its presence is regarded as an omen connected with death and tragedy.
Beyond its role as a supernatural being, the Murkatta is also seen as a symbol of defeat or the loss of reason and intellect, representing a person who has been figuratively or literally deprived of their head.
Remembered as a headless spectre carrying its own severed head while gazing through the eyes embedded in its chest, the Murkatta remains one of the most distinctive and unsettling ghosts of Nepalese folklore.
Sources
Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Murkatta. In Wikipedia. Retrieved June 20, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murkatta