Makara
It is a Hindu-Buddhist mythological sea creature, so yes it can swim. This creature is quite
well known in the Hindu-Buddhist community. At least its carvings or sculptures are always
found in the temple walls at doorways or archways and even at the corners of the roofs.
The sculptures on the roof corners usually serves a double function where its both symbolic
and acts as a rainwater drainage system.
So other than India, it can be found in the surrounding countries and even around Southeast
Asia especially in Indonesia, Laos and Thailand.
Now, this creatures is very peculiar. The description of the creature is so haphazard
that it reminds me a bit of the Tarasque from the French mythology.
The description of the creature varies throughout Asia but the most interesting and quite detailed
description of the creature came from a temple architect called, Ganapati Sthapati, who described
it as a mythical animal with the body of a fish, has an elephant's trunk, lion's feet,
monkey's eye, pig's ears and the tail of a peacock.
Even so, the most common description of it is that it has the body of a fish, an elephant's
trunk, rows of sharp teeth and is big enough to ride on.
This is apparent because it is depicted as the Vahana, the mount of Goddess Ganga of
the Genghis River.
Vetala
They are a creature from Hindu mythology that resembles a ghost or wraith. They would lurk
around cemeteries or anywhere that has an abundance of cadaver.
This is because they would possess corpses for them to go and get human blood or even
to eat human flesh. The corpses they possess would stop decaying and is not bound to only
human corpses. Animal corpses could also be possessed. If they have to, they could even
possess living being as well.
Now, the Vetala has no real form and uses the bodies it possess as a means of travel.
Maybe for them, it's easier to control things rather than travel in its spiritual form.
The Vetala came from souls that are not in peace. Especially when their family haven't
perform their funeral properly which is believed to cause them to be stuck in the twilight
zone between the living and the spirit form.
Reciting certain spells or mantras will scare the Vetala away but to appease it and get
it to move on, a proper funeral ceremony of its original body is needed. Because, if you
destroy its possessed body, it would just jump out of that body and into a different
body instead.
Modern beliefs believe that the Vetala can be killed with a silver weapon because most
monsters in a lot of culture and mythology, including Hindu mythology, can be killed or
destroyed with silver. But older myths of the Vetala shows nothing about silver.
Farasi Bahari
The Farasi Bahari are magical water horses found in the sea. Apparently they live at
the bottom of the Indian Oceans.
They are also known in Malay Mythology be the name of Farasul Bahri. It has a similar
name because the Malay culture now has been influenced by the Indians in the past. But
this particular creature is almost forgotten.
So these creatures are said to be green in colour and would come out of the water on
certain days of the year to graze at the coast.
It was believed that the offspring between a Farasi Bahari and a horse would produce
green horses that has no lungs. Thus the offspring would be able to gallop as fast and as long
as they want without running out of breath.
Now, the Farasi Bahari would flee at the scent of humans. So people who wants high performance
horses are known to leave their horses near the area where they believe the Farasi Bahari
would be in hopes that their horses would mate with them.
Pishacha
They are flesh eating demons and can shape-shift or become invisible whenever they please.
Other than flesh eating, they are evil through and through and is believed to be the cause
of many mental ailments.
Stories of them can be found in Old Indian mythology in both Hindu and Buddhist mythology.
In Hindu mythology, they are believed to be created by Brahma. Brahma who was the god
who created knowledge and the universe.
They are said to have a dark complexion, including red eyes and bulging veins all over as if
they are constantly angry all the time.
Now, these creatures don't just eat human flesh, they eat human energies as well. They
would possess you, suck out your energy and would play around with your thoughts, memories
and even your sanity.
Just like Vetala, they like to hang around cemeteries and charnel houses. Then it is
also believed that the Pishacha has their own language they use between themselves.
The sure fire way to kill a Pishacha is unknown but to drive them away, a certain mantra should
be read. Also, during religious functions, festivals and even funerals, sometimes an
offering is left specifically for them to keep them away from disturbing people.
Airavata
This creature is a pure white elephant that in Indian mythology is the mount of God Indra.
He is also the leader or king of another fifteen elephants that are said to hold up earth.
These sixteen elephants are said to come from Brahma who opened a cosmic egg while reciting
mantras. They manifested from the eggshell and they were born as calves where eight of
them are male and the other eight are female.
Airavata, the leader, is said to have 5 trunks and 5 pairs of tusks. In Thailand, Airavatha
is known as Erawan and is depicted as having 3 heads instead. You could see them depicted in flags.
Then another description of Airavatha is that of Vishnu Purana, where Airavatha is said
to have four tusks, seven trunks and is pure white in colour. So with so many differing
descriptions of Airavatha, what we can be sure of is that it has more than 1 trunk,
more than 1 pair of tusks, is always white in colour and of course is an elephant.
Now in mythology, Airavatha is always around water. There's one story where Airavatha reached
down to the underworld with its trunks, then it sucked the water the underworld has and
sprays it into the clouds causing the spread of rain.