While its lofty forts and palaces look hauntingly beautiful, Rajasthan also has the ghost town of Kuldhara, the famous-for-exorcism Sudhabay and the very marvellous Chand Baori that is believed to house a djinn. Bhangarh might be the most famous of all the haunted places in Rajasthan.
Chand Baori, Abhaneri
Abhaneri is a small village of Dausa district in northern Rajasthan. It is located 95km from Jaipur, via NH21 towards the Jaipur-Agra highway.
Chand Baori, a stepwell in the village of Abhaneri, near Harshat Mata Temple, Rajasthan, is a great piece of architecture. Nonetheless, its reputation as a haunted place in Rajasthan attracts more eyeballs. Believed to be the world's deepest stepwell, Chand Baori, as the locals say, was built by ghosts in one night! A place so grand and huge (it has more than 3500 steps) that it would take some years to build it. The place is believed to be haunted by a djinn, who would not let you climb up the same stairs that you used to get down in the stepwell. Numerous visitors to the stepwell have confessed experiencing the same. While you might not find a djinn lurking in the many shadows here, droves of bats, pigeons and voices that echo loud are enough to make anyone jump out of their skin.
Brijraj Bhavan, Kota
Brijraj Bhavan in Kota once used to be the residence of Major Charles Burton who was killed during the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 by Indian sepoys. It’s said that the major’s ghost still walks around the halls and the silent corridors of Brijraj Bhavan.
Jagatpura
Jagatpura doesn’t attract tourists for its ‘haunted’ vibe as like some other places in Rajasthan. That’s because Jagatpura is a popular residential area in the city of Jaipur. But the story that goes around is that at night times, you get to see witches walking around the roads of Jagatpura. The descriptions match those of the witches one come across in classic Indian horror tales, viz. white dress, old, white hair hanging loose over the face. Maybe it’s just made up story inspired by desi horror. All the same, it can be quite eerie to walk after night in these parts of Jaipur.
Bhangarh Fort
Bhangarh Fort is located about 88 kms from Jaipur via the Jaipur to Alwar road. Alternatively, Bhangarh Fort is about 85 kms from Jaipur via Dausa, NH21, NH148.
It is in Rajgarh municipality of Alwar district in Rajasthan. Bhangarh is at the edge of Sariska Tiger Reserve.
Often said to be ‘the most haunted place in India’ no one is allowed to enter the Bhangarh Fort before daybreak or remain in the premises after sunset as per the orders of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). It was built in the 17th century on a hillside by King Madho Singh but was soon deserted. Legend has it that a wizard once fell in love with Princess Ratnavati of Bhangarh. When the wizard, ensnared by love, offered her a love potion in the guise of Ithar (scent) to make her marry her, she saw through his trickery - something that resulted in his death. Before dying, the wizard cursed the fort, proclaiming that no one would be able to live in Bhangarh Fort. The very next year a battle ruined the entire place. Haunted or not, the ruins of a town, complete with royal palaces, market area, temples and a dancer's palace, are enticing. Nobody lives in the palace now, making it all the more creepy. People have reported feeling an ominous presence and strange apparitions at the place after sunset. There are also some reports of people who after entering the ruins, went missing.
Kuldhara village, near Jaisalmer
Jaipur to Kuldhara village via Makrana, Nagaur, Phalodi, Pokhran, Jaisalmer is 588 kms.
Kuldhara village in Jaisalmer is Rajasthan's claim to fame for another entry to the list of India's most haunted places. It is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and is completely deserted. As per folklore, it was once home to a huge community of Paliwal Brahmins who deserted the village overnight to stop the state minister from forcibly marrying the daughter of the village head. They cursed the village while leaving, letting it go to ruins. The village was never inhabited after that and is now a cluster of deserted streets, houses with no roofs and broken walls, market lanes that look quite gloomy and a handful of temples. Kuldhara, as a ghost town, has a charm of its own and is often visited by tourists. A team of investigators reported paranormal activities such as strange voices, whispers, mysterious shadows, sharp rise and drop in temperature and hand prints of people on their cars. People are advised not to stay in Kuldhara once the night falls.
Sudhabay
Famous as a place for exorcism, Sudhabay near Pushkar, has quite some ghastly sights. While it is not haunted in the typical sense of the word, the place hosts an annual "Ghost Fair" which has people coming from all over the region to get rid of spirits that possess them. Sudhabay has a well, the water of which is considered holy. The annual fair sees a motley crowd and strange rituals (strange enough to give one goosebumps) in the area surrounding the well.
