Don’t we all love to hear horror stories? Though horror films are not meant for the weak hearted, pretty much everyone is intrigued by the idea. Similarly curiosity spikes up when the talk is about haunted places. Come one, then. Let’s take a look into some of the most haunted places in India.
Shaniwar Wada
Shaniwar Wada, a historical fort built in the 1700s in Pune, was the ruling seat of the Peshwas of the Marathas. It was built in 1732.The Peshwas held the fort till 1818 when they lost it to the British East India Company in the Third Anglo Maratha War. In 1773, Peshwa Narayanrao who was only 13,was murdered by the guards on the orders of his uncle Raghunathrao and aunt Anandibai.
It is said that the ghost of Narayanrao still haunts the fort. The locals have often heard voices calling out for help on full moon nights. Passersby and those working in the area have allegedly heard the cries of “Kaka Mala Wachawa”. Spooky, isn’t it? The fort was largely destroyed by an unexplained fire in 1828.
Dumas Beach
Dumas Beach along Arabian Sea lies on the southwest of Surat. Although the beach looks pristine and gorgeous during the day, it is devil’s paradise at night. The crowd of people that enjoys the beach during the day, empties the beach as soon as the sun goes down. Locals and tourists who have stayed beyond sundown have either gone mysteriously missing or did not have a pleasant experience to share. Numerous incidents have been reported for the place being haunted. It is believed that the beach was once a Hindu burial ground.
Also Read - The Most Haunted Graveyards
The beautiful rare black sands of the beach is said to be the result of the ashes of the burning pyres mixed with the original sand. One can imagine the spookiness just by the fact that every bit of the beach consists of this black sand. There have been a number of occurrences when people visiting the beach after dark have claimed to have had witnessed supernatural and paranormal activities on the beach. Several have heard the cries of a woman or sudden bursts of laughter when they were sure of the beach being predominantly empty to the naked human eye.
Others have seen mystified objects and orbs. Even photographic evidence prove the existence of orbs on the beach. Many reports claim to have seen paranormal entities walk down the beach at night. They say that some of the souls of the people cremated on the grounds, not having found eternal peace,still wander along the beach and are the cause of the unexplained paranormal activities. Many people have been found dead mysteriously on the beach.
Even the locality bears an eerie look after dark, with many multi-storeyed buildings lying abandoned. There are also folklore of a local Haveli being suspiciously haunted. The locals say that they have often seen the silhouette of a person standing at the balcony of the Haveli, but the truth is that the Haveli had been abandoned and closed long ago.
Also Read - The Worse Haunted Castles to Go
Bhangarh Fort
No list of top haunted places in India is ever complete without the mention of this infamous fort in Rajasthan. The most famous haunted tourist destination in India, Bhangarh fort was built way back in 1631 by, Bhagwant Das, a Kachhwaha ruler of Amber for his younger son Madho Singh. The legend goes by that a sadhu named Guru Balu Nath who had his home within the fort area had made a curse that no house in the area should be taller than his, and if the shadow of any such house fell on his abode, Bhangarh would be destroyed forever. The grandson of Madho Singh had raised the height of the fort to such an extent that it’s shadow fell on the forbidden house of the sadhu.
Another legend says that a wizard called Singhia who knew black magic fell in love with the Princess Ratnavati of Bhangarh and offered her a love potion. The princess refused and threw it into a large boulder. That boulder rolled onto the wizard and brought his death. In his last words, the wizard, too, cursed that Bhangarh would be destroyed forever and no one will be able to live there. Eventually, the Mughals attacked the fort, ransacked it, killed thousands of inhabitants as well as the princess. The entire town was devastated and deserted ever since.
It is believed that the ghosts of the wizard and the princess still haunts the palace. And in fact, unexplained paranormal activities have been recorded multiple times so much so that the Archaeological Survey of India has forbidden tourists to avoid being in the precincts of the fort at night. It is said that no one who went near the area of the fort at night ever returned. Many strange incidents have occurred with respect to the fort and the internet is filled with such stories.
According to a report, one group had bribed the keeper of the fort to allow them inside the most Haunted Places in India after the scheduled time. Even after several warnings when the group refused to budge and persisted on their being allowed inside,the keeper agreed. When they went inside, they heard a weeping sound of a boy from a room. On going closer they realized that there was no way one could ever enter the room! Folklore goes that whenever someone entered the premises after sundown, something mysterious happened to them,either they have gone missing or were found death or death found them with its lurking hands soon after their adventure at the fort. Some died in accidents shortly after visiting the fort. Some have claimed to have heard the sound of music and dancing from the fort on several occasions, just like the Royal jalsas and the sound of ghungroos can be heard from far.
Also Read - Cursed and Haunted items in existence
The local villagers say that whenever a house is built near the architectural marvel, the roof collapses shortly afterwards. The fort closes for tourists after 6pm everyday and no one is allowed inside after dusk.
Kartik - the founder of the opinionatedindian.com has written an article about the most haunted places in India
