I have joined this forum to help me with my journey which I will be starting. I will be going to haunted places across India with my brother and we will write about them as well as taking pictures. Our start point is going to be Rajasthan, and we know about the Bhangarh Fort, but being honest reviews about that place state that there is nothing scary about it. I went there 5-6 years ago and didn't find anything haunted about the place at all. I am sure there must be other and more haunted places and would like to know which is the most haunted place in Rajasthan
Hello, welcome to the forum! (Images from Rachel Titiriga, Max Pixel, Skitter Photo and Max Pixel) Overview The state of Rajasthan was once the home of mighty empires and maharajas. Upon their deaths, they left behind some of the most architecturally brilliant fortresses and palaces. But sometimes, there's more to the structure than just the stones and bricks used upon them. Stories of tragic events like jauhars, satis, sakas, abandonments, curses, murders and more usually make their way into local folklores. These stories might either be true or not, but they pave the way for the distinction of a place as haunted. Much has been said about the most haunted place of India, the Bhangarh Fort, which is located in Alwar in Rajasthan. But there are many more haunted places in the state, spooky and eerie, yet attracts a number of brave individuals wanting to be closer to the paranormal side of life. The Most Haunted Places in Rajasthan (Aside from Bhangarh) 1. Kuldhara Abandoned Village (Jaisalmer) - Located just 19 kilometres away from the city of Jaisalmer is the Kuldhara Abandoned Village. Established in the 13th century, Kuldhara was once a flourishing village, evidenced by the number of ruins in the place. There are many legends surrounding the abandonment of the village during the early 19th century. As the story goes, the village was once the home of the Paliwals, which were a Brahmin clan during that time. Back then, there were over 80 villages surrounding Kuldhara as well, which was a part of the locality. It is believed that the local diwan by the name of Salim Singh imposed such high taxes on the village people back then. One day, the diwan saw a beautiful villager, which is possibly the daughter of the head chief of the village. He wanted the girl and wanted to marry her, giving the villagers only a day to accept his proposal. The entire village then abandoned Kuldhara that night, leaving behind their homes. It is also believed that they cursed Kuldhara, thereby anyone who tries to live in the village since then experience eerie and spooky activities. Even paranormal experts have verified the paranormal status of the village. In the year 2010, Gaurav Tiwari, an acclaimed international paranormal expert, along with his team, investigated the premises. They spent the night in the village and experienced various eerie activities like moving shadows and strange voices. In the year 2013, the Paranormal Society of Delhi also investigated the village. They spent the night in Kuldhara and experienced the same moving shadows. Other activities like hand imprints of children in vehicles, sudden drops in temperatures and more were also experienced by the team. For tourists though, the Kuldhara Abandoned Village is open for tourism only during day time. The village structures are mostly in ruins except for the newer Vishnu temple in it. Scare Level - Medium Tourism at Night - Not Allowed Kuldhara Abandoned Village (Image from Roving Spirit) 2. Rana Kumbha Palace in Chittorgarh Fort (Chittorgarh) - In itself, the Chittorgarh Fort has been witness to various jauhars. Jauhar is the collective self-immolation of women by jumping into a pyre. It usually occurs when their very own army faces upcoming defeat and to avoid being raped or abused by the attackers, women and children would prefer to jump into a fire of death instead. Jauhar is usually accompanied by the saka of the men, wherein they would attack the invaders despite the non assurance of any victory at all. In Chittorgarh Fort, three incidences of jauhars can be traced in history. The most popular of which occurred in the 13th century, the famed jauhar of Rani Padmini along with 700 other women. Rani Padmini was the wife of Ratan Sen, which was the king of Chittoor. Rani Padmini is said to have such beauty that the sultan of Delhi, Ala-Ud-Din Khilji became intrigued by her. When he saw her reflection amidst a mirror, he became determined to make her his wife. By trickery, he was able to capture Ratan Sen but through the help of the royal armies of the king and Padmini, he was released. Ratan Sen died though during a combat with Devpal, king of Kumbhalner, and so Ala-Ud-Din Khilji took this opportunity to capture the fort and also Rani Padmini. Facing defeat, the women of Chittorgarh, along with Rani Padmini committed jauhar in the Rana Kumbha Palace while the menfolk committed saka. Other jauhar incidents occurred during the besiege of Bahadur Shah in 1528 and Akbar in 1567. To this day, there have been accounts of people hearing screams from the palace itself, perhaps the spirits of the women who jumped into the fire. If you're brave enough to venture into the palace at night, you might even encounter a woman dressed in royal attire, with her face burnt, asking for your help. Scare Level - Medium Tourism at Night - Allowed 3. Gagron Fort (Jhalawar) - You might have heard about or even visited the majestic Amer Fort in Jaipur or the golden Jaisalmer Fort but chances are, you might have little knowledge about the Gagron Fort in Jhalawar. Designated as an UNESCO World Heritage Site, the fort boasts of architectural marvel, being surrounded by water on its three sides and a deep moat on the other. It is also one of the few jal (water) and van (forest) fortresses in the state. Despite its strategic position, the fort was not impregnable and has been witness to tragic jauhars in the past as well. The fort was built by Raja Bijaldev during the early 12th century. Succeeding rulers also added some renovations into the fort which made it stronger. However, during the 14th century, Sultan Hoshanshah, the king of Mandu, attacked the fort. The then king of Gagron Fort, Raja Achaldas Khinch, along with his men, fought and defended the fort until their last breath but alas, they all died in the battle. The royal Rajput women, to protect their chastity, jumped into a fire of death, known as jauhar. The place where they committed this act is now known as the Jauhar Kund, which can still be found in the fort. Sultan Hoshanshah and the succeeding rulers were touched by the bravery of Raja Achaldas Khinch that they didn't touch or destroy the king's bedroom in the fort. Previous guards of the fort related stories of hearing the king's smoking of hookah from the room. There was even an anecdote of a housekeeper who found five rupees each time he cleaned the room but the weird event stopped after he related the story to another person. Scare Level - Low Tourism at Night - Not Allowed 4. Brij Raj Bhavan (Kota) - Brij Raj Bhavan is known for the harmless ghost of Major Charles Burton. In actuality, the Brij Raj Bhavan is a heritage hotel, located in Kota in Rajasthan. Years before being a heritage hotel though, it served as the residence of British officials, around the 18th century. One of which is Major Charles Burton, who along with his family, resided in the palace for over 13 years before a gruesome incident occurred here. As we all know, the Indian Rebellion started out in the year 1857, also known as the Sepoy Mutiny. Fed up by the British rule, the Indian soldiers began to resort to mutinies which preceded the fight for Indian Independence thereafter. Major Charles Burton was a British officer stationed in the small but peaceful town of Kota. He was sent to Neemuch, a town in Madhya Pradesh, since mutinies are happening there. Along with this family, wife, a daughter and four sons, they went to Neemuch. In the same year though, the Maharaja of Kota sent a letter to Major Charles Burton asking him to come home to Kota as mutinies are beginning in the town as well. Off they went, the major along with his two sons and for two days, everything seemed normal in the town. That is, until an army of people began approaching the palace and fired against it. The major, along with his two sons, went to the second floor and hid there before being captured and fired to death a little later. While the ghost of Major Charles Burton seems to still haunt the place, he is quite harmless, except when he sees guards dozing off. It seems to trigger the army man in him as the guards would wake up by a slapping force upon them. But for other guests or customers, the major doesn't seem to hold any grudge unto them. Scare Level - Medium Tourism at Night - Allowed 5. Chand Baori (Dausa) - The Chand Baori is the deepest stepwell in India and Asia. The stepwell is 13 storeys deep underground and has about 3,500 steps inside it. The stepwell was built by King Chanda of the Chauhan dynasty around the 800 to 900 AD. The three sides are covered with steps while the fourth side has the royal rooms, pavilions, corridors and even stages. The main purpose of the stepwell was to provide for the water needs of the locals back then. But it also served as a retreat centre, as it provides some respite from the heat due to its location. It also served as a gathering place for the royals, where dance performances and other events were held. There is even a temple just outside the stepwell, which is dedicated to Harshat Mata. According to local folklore, the stepwell was built in just a day by ghosts though as mentioned above, the real builder of the stepwell was King Chanda. The presence of local bats, crows and pigeons make the surroundings even more eerie, even during day time. You need to exercise caution when climbing down as the steps can be steep and dangerous. It is also believed that a djinn, supernatural being, resides in the stepwell, making the climb back to the top of it quite harder. Scare Level - Medium Tourism at Night - Not Allowed Chand Baori (Image from Brandon Price) 6. National Highway 79 (Dudu) - Famed as the Road that Asks for Blood, the National Highway 79, a stretch between Ajmer and Udaipur is also believed to be haunted. If ever you're driving here during night time, you might encounter the ghost of a woman and her baby, covered in blood. According to local stories, back when child marriage was a norm in the country, this woman's daughter, who was just five days old, was about to be married off to a three-year old boy. The mother was opposed to the marriage and ran away with her baby, towards the highway. This was where the two met their deaths, as they were killed by a vehicle approaching. To this day, the ghost of the woman can still be seen in the highway. A spookier story was when a group of friends encountered the ghost, who was not only asking for a lift but actually sat at the back seat of the car and lead them out of the village. Scary isn't it? Better avoid this highway when driving at night time, except if you want some thrilling story to take back home. Scare Level - High Tourism at Night - Allowed 7. Adarsh Vidya Mandir Hostel (Mount Abu) - The Adarsh Vidya Mandir is an all-boys school located in Mount Abu in Rajasthan. The school is set upon a former palace of the maharaja of Udaipur, known as the Alwar Palace. According to local legends, the palace was mainly a retreat residence for the royals, where they go to during the summer season. One fine day, the wife of the maharaja was strolling around the grounds of the palace, which is now the football ground of the school, when she was killed by an unknown person. The king, angered and betrayed, called upon all the individuals residing in the palace, from the guards, to the servants, to the cooks and to the watchmen. He asked who could do such a thing to his beloved wife but no one answered him. Alas, the angered king went on a killing spree, killing everyone that he has summoned there, which would be around a hundred people. The ghosts roaming around the school and the hostel are believed to be the spirits of these killed individuals. Spooky stories of shadows following students, of ghosts wearing long black gowns and other paranormal activities were reported by students of the school. Scare Level - High Tourism at Night - Not Allowed 8. Delhi Jaipur Highway (Jaipur) - The stretch between Delhi and Jaipur Highway is largely safe except for the last 40 kilometres prior to reaching the latter. On this side of the highway, an accident occurred in the year 2011, where a woman was killed by a car as she was crossing the street. There's a roadside dhaba here, where even the vendor is too afraid to be left alone at night in. Encounters of the ghost of the woman were reported, as a sari-clad female with bangles and jewels suddenly appears out of nowhere. If you stop your vehicle, the ghostly apparition then disappears. Those who were brave enough to dine at the dhaba during night time or even stay on it during the night, encountered the sounds of the woman's bangles. Sometimes, the sound of the bangles is accompanied by a small giggle as well. Scare Level - High Tourism at Night - Allowed Delhi Jaipur Highway (Image from Mansi Oza) Conclusion Some places gain tourists because of their natural beauty or maybe their historical significance. Others gain fame simply because they touch on the unusual side of tourism. Like the ones mentioned above, which are truly haunted places but still spark the interest of many visitors. As humans, anything thrilling or unique fascinates us, but make sure you venture into these places with caution on your hand. Thrilling as they might be, any place in the dark can be quite dangerous, haunted or not. I hope this helped you or at least spooked you!
Rajasthan has many haunted places which include Bhangarh, Kuldhara Abandoned Village (Jaisalmer), Gagron Fort (Jhalawar), Brij Raj Bhavan (Kota) and many more.
