This weird nocturnal creature lives in the Kinnaur region of Himachal Pradesh. It has the body of a horse and a human-like head that has a single luminous, glaring eye in the centre of its forehead.

Chons are the riding-horses of the ferocious Kaalis — black-clad, ageless fairies with waist-length golden hair who are said to live on the mountain peaks. The Kaalis let the Chons out at night so they can wander down into the valleys and lick up the ashes from the cremation ground (This is the Chons’ favourite snack).

If a Chon fixes you with its stare, you are certain to fall severely ill — perhaps even perish. Luckily its gaze is easily avoided, for the Chon can only ever look straight ahead. It is unable to turn its neck from side to side or up or down. Furthermore, it wears a strap of jingle-bells around its neck, and this sound announces its presence. If you hear a Chon coming, the smart course of action is just to sit down off to the side of the road, and wait for it to pass.

At the boundaries of villages, piles of Mani stones, inscribed with the Tibetan mantra Om mani padme hum, serve to keep the Chon away.

Ref: 82. Das, Sur. (2017). An Unpublished Account of Kinnauri Folklore (Moran, Arik, Intro.). European Bulletin of Himalayan Research; 249. Neetika. (2015). Old Spirits in the New Context: The Supernatural Narratives From The Folklore of Kinnaura Tribes of India. Humanities, Vol (III).