The mysteries of the unknown have intrigued us so much that our life now revolves around ghost stories!
Movies like Khooni (1946) began the popular ghost culture in entertainment. Eventually, the horror movie genre picked on and famous Indian horror movies like Mahal, Bees Saal Baad, Gumnaam, Yeh Raat Phir Na Aayegi, Do Gaz Zameen Ke Neeche, Krishna Cottage, Bhoot, Khooni Panja, Bhayaanak Mahal, Raaz, Bhool Bhulaiya, 1920, Shaapit, Ragini MMS, Ek Thi Daayan, Darna Mana Hai, Pari, etc. amongst others intrigued audiences with stories of haunted homes, palaces with lost treasures and most importantly a ghost that lurks around those places to hunt and kill you!
TV shows of India weren’t far behind! Indian horror shows like Zee Horror Show, Aahat, Saturday Suspense, Ssshhhh…Koi Hai, Kya Hadsaa Kya Haqeeqat, Mano Ya Na Mano, Fear Files, Darr Sabko Lagta Hai, Kuldeepak, etc. too left no effort to attach history or twisted mysteries to real-life events and brand the script as haunted.
But, here is the catch! Do you know where these supernatural stories are really inspired by? There are many places in India that are reported to be haunted and that seemingly have an eerie and bloody past.
Here is a list of real haunted places in India that are bound to make you scream like hell! Please proceed at your own risk and enjoy!
Kuldhara – Rajasthan
The village of Kuldhara was established in 1291 by the Paliwal Brahmins. Their main occupation was agriculture. However, this village is now considered as deserted ghost village that hasn’t been inhabited since the 1800s since it is said to be cursed by the villagers who abandoned this place overnight despite having lived there for over 7 centuries!
The folklore around the place reveals that around 1825 AD, all inhabitants in the Kuldhara village and 83 nearby villages vanished overnight when Salim Singh, a wealthy yet pompous minister of the state offered to marry the daughter of the village Sarpanch (chieftain). If the Sarpanch refused to comply, Singh threatened to levy huge taxes on their lands. To protect the girl’s honor and to escape the wrath of Salim Singh, the entire village was emptied along with inhabitants of the adjoining villages. However, no one saw them migrate to other lands, they simply vanished overnight! It is also said that the villagers cursed this land so that no one would ever try to inhabit this land.
The Lambi Dehar Mines, Mussoorie
The mines are considered haunted since a million workers died here coughing blood due to improper mining conditions. Many accidents and unusual deaths have been reported here after the incident.
Sanjay Van (near Qutb Institutional Area) – New Delhi
Sanjay Van is a huge forest area in Delhi which is spread over 784 acres along the picturesque Aravalli hills. This place is considered highly haunted as people have claimed to spot many ghosts here. This probably due to the presence of a cremation ground near that area and many mausoleums within the forest. There are two very famous ghost sightings here. One is of a female ghost who is draped in a white sari who constantly gestures people to give her a lift at night. If you refuse to comply and speed away, she will chase you at the speed of light and is normally seen floating in the air. Other times, she is in the middle of the road and people claim to have ridden through her spirit. Another ghost famous here is that a saint walks along an illuminated path where someone (possibly a ghost) lights candles in the night under the foliage. People believe that it is the spirit of 14th-century Sufi saint Hazrat Sheikh Shahabuddin Ashiqallah whose mausoleum is situated in the backyard of the forest. Many other ghosts are also reportedly seen here to the number of unclaimed bodies found in the forests; mostly murder victims whose bodies are dumped here.
Savoy Hotel, Mussoorie
Apparently, a lady called Lady Garnet Orme was found dead under mysterious circumstances in one of the rooms of the Savoy hotel in the hill-station of Mussoorie. People believe that she was poisoned to death and since then, guests staying there, hotel attendants and passersby complain of a lady who walks across the hallways of the hotel and strange noises emanate from the room where she was allegedly murdered. The room is now considered one of the most haunted destinations in India!
Towers of Silence, Mumbai
The Towers are a Parsi cemetery in the Malabar Hills locality of Mumbai. Parsis generally leave the bodies of their dearly departed on the rooftop of these towers that are later fed on by vultures and other birds of prey. It is believed that spectral forces emanate from the cemetery that causes weird paranormal incidents in the Grand Pararri Towers building close to the cemetery.
Jamali-Kamali Masjid, Delhi
The Masjid is adjacent to the Qutub Minar and the Qutb complex which houses the tombs of various Muslim rulers like Iltutmish, Alauddin Khiliji, Balban, Adham Khan, etc. Stories of Jinns reside within the walls of the Masjid Jamali- Kamali is rife here. In Islamic culture, Jinns are supposed to live within a parallel universe to humans and they tend to harm humans if they come in contact with any living being. Nope, the Aladdin genie was a friendly Jinn. People say that they see weird apparitions here ranging from lights, growling beasts and other paranormal beings.
