Publisher's Synopsis
Vetala Panchavimshati or Betal Panchabinsati is a collection of tales and legends within a frame story, from India. It was originally written in Sanskrit. One of its oldest recensions is found in the 12th Book of the Kathasaritsagara ("Ocean of the Streams of Story"), a work in Sanskrit compiled in the 11th century by Somadeva, but based on yet older materials, now lost. This recension comprises in fact twenty-four tales, the frame narrative itself being the twenty-fifth. The Vetala stories are popular in India and have been translated into many Indian vernaculars.
