High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Vetala Tales is a popular collection of stories from India of unknown antiquity, but predating the 11th century CE. It exists in 4 main Sanskrit recensions, and many modern translations into Indian and other vernaculars. The collection consists of a series of unrelated tales, all told within the context of a frame story. The exact content of the frame stories varies between versions, but always involves the core element of King Vikramaditya carrying a dead body to a yogi in a cemetery; the body is possessed by a Vetala, who tells Vikramaditya the tales to pass the time, and aids him in thwarting the yogi`s nefarious scheme in the conclusion. Unlike the Panchatantra whose recensions and translations sometimes vary greatly (see List of Panchatantra Stories for a tabulated comparison), the overall content and structure of the Vetala Tales has remained relatively stable (though exhibiting many minor differences).