Horror places in India

By: Aashi Priya |
Updated: Decemeber 02, 2023 04:44 pm

Do ghosts really exist? This is the question that has been on our minds growing up and even now, this doubt seems to exist. While there is bare minimum evidence to prove their existence, yet it is the enigma around these entities that creates a sense of fear. Not many would grab the chance to visit a building or place that has the tag of ‘haunted’ attached to it.

Lets talk about this.

1. Kuldhara

Kuldhara is a village in Rajasthan that is considered haunted.  According to legend, the village was abandoned in 1825 after the powerful prime minister of Jaisalmer, Salim Singh, fell in love with the daughter of the village head. Singh threatened the village with dire consequences if they did not let him marry the girl.  To protect their honor, the villagers left the village overnight. Although the villagers left no concrete evidence of their reasons for leaving, there are rumors that the villagers placed a curse on the village. 

The village was once home to wealthy Paliwal Brahmins. By 1890, the village's population had declined to 37 people. The local legend claims that while deserting the village, the Paliwals imposed a curse that no one would be able to re-occupy the village. Those who tried to re-populate the village experienced paranormal activities, and therefore, the village remains uninhabited.

Gradually, the village acquired reputation as a haunted palace, and started attracting tourists.  The local residents around the area do not believe in the ghost stories, but propagate them in order to attract tourists. In the early 2010s, Gaurav Tiwari of Indian Paranormal Society claimed to have observed paranormal activities at the site. The 18-member team of the Society along with 12 other people spent a night at the village. They claimed to have encountered moving shadows, haunting voices, talking spirits, and other paranormal activities.

In 2006, the government set up a "Jurassic Cactus Park" at the site for botanical studies. In 2011, some scenes of the movie Agent Vinod & In 2017 climax scenes of the Tamil Movie Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru were shot at the site. The film's crew raised new structures for their set. They painted the ruined walls with Tabliban insignia and Urdu words for their shooting requirements. They also covered some of the walls with cow dung to get the rustic look. Many tourists accused them of defacing heritage property, and subsequently, the Rajasthan government stalled the shooting. The police booked cases against three of the crew members. The producers defended themselves blaming the episode on a misunderstanding, and stated that they believed they had the necessary permissions. The Archaeological department imposed a fine of ₹ 100,000 on the producers, and also asked them to deposit ₹ 300,000 for restoring the defaced structures. After three days of restoration, the Taliban pictures, the Urdu phrases and the cow dung was removed from the walls.

In 2015, the Rajasthan government decided to actively develop the village as a tourist spot. The project is being undertaken as a public-private partnership with Jindal Steel Works. The plan includes establishment of visitor facilities such as a cafe, a lounge, a folk-dance performance area, night-stay cottages and shops. 

2. Dumas Beach

The mystery surrounding the Dumas Beach

Located along the Arabian Sea, Dumas Beach is considered one of the most haunted places in Gujarat. The beach is renowned for two things, one for its black sand and other for being haunted! It is said that Dumas Beach was once used as a Hindu burial ground and hence is possessed by several haunting spirits that never left the region. Folklore explains that the existence of black sand is because of amount of ash created by burning the dead which got mixed with white sand of the beach and turned dark in shade.

There’s no denying that the beach has an eerie feel to it. The surroundings are beautiful but hauntingly depressing, and you cannot escape the negativity that surrounds the place. A number of paranormal activities have been reported in the area after the moon shows up. If reports are to be believed, several tourists and locals have gone missing from Surat’s haunted beach, Dumas. Also, a man was found dead on the beach with his tongue popping out. And there is absolutely no one who could explain the reason behind all these mishaps.

People also claim that they heard weird sounds coming from the beach, like people laughing and someone crying, even when there’s not a single soul present. Not only this, locals also say that they have witnessed white apparitions and moving orbs along with myriad other mysterious activities that can’t be explain.

Another unnerving phenomenon at Dumas Beach is the mysterious disappearance of people. According to stories, many locals and tourists have gone missing in the dead of night while taking a stroll. These unexplained incidents have left no trace of the missing people. There are also reports of dogs howling trying to stop tourists from going near the shores.

Adding to the mystique of Dumas Beach is the unique colouration of its sand. Unlike the typical golden hues found on most beaches, Dumas Beach is known for its black sand. It is because of the cremation that the ashes got mixed with the sand leading to its black colour. According to folklore, this black sand holds a connection to the spooky activities that plague the area, intensifying the paranormal encounters experienced by those who tread upon it.

3. Agrasen ki Baoli

Agrasen ki Baoli or Ugrasen ki Baoli is a famous tourist destination in the capital of the country, New Delhi. A Baoli or a step well was used in the medieval times to store water and provide for the community. This tourist spot has become famous in the last few decades, due to many stories claiming this step well to be haunted. As a horror enthusiast, it was only natural for me to go and explore this “haunted” destination.
This Baoli was constructed by Maharaja Ugrasen in the 14th Century CE. Legend has it that the hypnotising black water of the Baoli can mess up with one’s mental and emotional thought process and lead anyone to suicide. The last suicide attempt was made in 2007. This seems hard to believe since the water here is very shallow, hardly 5 feet, making it impossible to drown. Although, this place will give you an eerie feeling the first time you glance at it. The spine chilling feeling only increases the more you stare at it.
This famous destination was bustling with tourists when I got here. I was surprised by the number of foreigners who’d come to explore and the amount of college students who were bunking. The Agrasen ki Baoli is a monument protected by the Archaeological Survey of India and is shrouded in mystery because no one really knows who built this step well. There are no historical records to prove this and this stepwell has a unique architecture as it is 60 m long and 15 m wide making it very narrow. Earlier, it was filled with black water which has dried up today but according to legend, many people who came here were often led to the water and felt like drowning in it. It was as if the water was calling them out to submerge themselves in it. There have been reports of suicides in the past.

Today, however, Agrasen ki Baoli is dry but it is infested with bats and pigeons. Many people who have come here have complained of being followed when there is really no one around. The feeling of being followed also comes from the fact that it has 103 steps and you can hear your own footsteps. Yet, people get an eerie feeling here and that makes the place spooky even today. Despite being free of cost for people to come and see this monument, very few people really visit this place.

4. Bhangarh Fort

Popularly known for being the Most Haunted Place in India, Bhangarh was, in fact, a flourishing town of ancient times. Built for his son, Man Singh I, in the 17^th century by Madho Singh, one of the nine ratnas of Emperor Akbar’s court, Bhangarh Fort was once a thing of beauty and power. It is believed that over 10,000 people used to reside in Bhangarh before it was allegedly deserted overnight! Spooky. Standing in ruins, this 400 years old grand edifice and the spread town around it owe their present state to the pitiful Bhangarh Story that sealed its ill-fate.

Whether you believe in curses and prophecies or not, here’s the scary tale behind the doom of Bhangarh. As the legend goes, the land which where Bhangarh Fort lays standing was once the home to a puissant ascetic, named Guru Balu Nath. Madho Singh hence made a point to take his due permission before constructing the fort and was even granted one, however on one condition. The ascetic placed a condition that the shadow of the fort must never fall on his home or else great tragedy will unfold. But alas, an ambitious successor of Madho Singh ignored the warnings fortified Bhangarh Fort with higher walls. As a result, the shadow engulfed the home of the ascetic and in return, his curse engulfed the whole of Bhangarh! 

Proving his dreading last words right, the next year itself the ruler of Bhangarh suffered a calamitous defeat at the hands of an enemy. His entire army was annihilated and all of the inhabitants of Bhangarh were brutally massacred. While the fate of the princess is still a mystery, it is said that she was condemned to roam in the precincts of Bhangarh stuck in a limbo. It is said, all of the people of Bhangarh can still be heard in Bhangarh Fort at Night; doomed to linger in this realm, never to leave the cold environs the place, hopeless and restless.

The mysteries of Bhangarh don’t seem to ever cease. Once you visit this eerie place in Rajasthan you will get to know what we mean. Every house located in the entire area is roofless. Yes, no house whatsoever has a complete roof on its head. It is prevalent that the sage who cursed the town to its ultimate devastation is responsible for it. As per the locals, it is impossible to construct a roof on these houses, since as soon as one is built, it collapses, which has killed many people in the past. This is yet another nerve wrecking fact about the Bhangarh Fort’s history.

5. Ramoji Film

Certified as the largest film studio in the world by the Guinness World Records, the RFC was established in 1996 in Hyderabad by renowned film producer Ramoji Rao, who is also the head of Ramoji Group. Spread over eight sq km, Rao started this film city for tourists and cinephiles. As per various reports, the film city was constructed on the ground where Nizams of Hyderabad had fought against the enemy armies. Many soldiers lost their lives in these wars. It is said that the spirits of these soldiers who died still wander restlessly there.
Numerous accounts suggest that not just chandeliers have fallen from the ceilings, but light men have also unexplainably tripped from heights and injured themselves. Crew members have also experienced a push when no one is around, lights have gone off randomly, and people have detailed many other similar scary experiences. Many claimed to have seen Urdu scribblings on mirrors. The cast and crew members have reported damage to gadgets and half-eaten food when left for a while. Some people have revealed their clothes being ripped off by something which is not visible.

Actors, too, have narrated similar unsettling episodes, like the presence of someone in green rooms and hotel rooms. Pink actor, Tapsee Pannu, talked about one such incident in an interview last year. She recalled a paranormal incident during her stay in one of the hotels at the RFC complex. “I was alone in the room when I heard some footsteps echoing. Since I am a scaredy-cat when it comes to ghosts, all I did was convince myself that I was imagining things and literally forced myself to sleep,” she said as per media reports.
Tourists have also mentioned hearing unusual voices and whispers in Urdu, and few people have seen gates getting locked on their own.
Although many people have reported such occurrences, it remains a popular tourist place, with some tourists visiting it especially to experience something paranormal.