Bhangarh, India's 'haunted city'

Day 2 of the "virtual (digital) tour" of places known for unusual customs, practices, mysterious phenomena.

People visit places for various reasons. Some for their beauty, others for their history. And then there are places like Bhangarh Fort in Rajasthan, which draw travellers simply because of a rather unusual reputation.

Bhangarh is widely described as “the most haunted city in India”. Whether one believes the stories or not, the tag has stuck to this place that is now ruined and deserted.

It is close to the Sariska Tiger Reserve forests; and from what I have read, it's like any other abandoned historical site: scattered temples, old market streets and the remains of a once-impressive palace.

Bhangarh Fort.
Image courtesy: Rajasthan Tourism 

FOLKLORE

Behind the tag of "haunted city" is, as you can expect, a legend.

The most popular story is about a sorcerer named Singhia and a beautiful Princess Ratnavati.

Apparently, the wizard fell hopelessly in love with the princess, and he tried to cast a love spell on a bottle of perfume meant for her.

The princess, however, discovered the trick. She threw the bottle onto a nearby rock. The rock rolled down and crushed the sorcerer.

But before dying, the man is said to have cursed the city, declaring that Bhangarh would turn into a ruin where no one could live.

Some local residents believe the ruins are inhabited not by ghosts but by djinns, mysterious supernatural beings said to occupy abandoned places.

'EERIE PHENOMENA'

Many visitors claim to have experienced strange phenomena there like

• Footsteps echoing in empty corridors
  
  
• Screeching sounds or distant voices at night
  
  
• Stones apparently being thrown from nowhere

Some say after dark the silent bazaar streets seem to come alive again, as if the long-vanished town briefly returns to life.

The most quirky thing is that of a signboard. 

At the entrance to the ruins, the ASI (Archaeological Survey of India) placed a notice stating that entry into the fort complex is prohibited between sunset and sunrise. 

For many visitors, this restriction sounded like official confirmation that supernatural phenomenon happens here at night. So the board has since been removed.

But the official Rajasthan tourism website does have this sentence:

"As it is considered a haunted place the Bhangarh fort remains out of bound for visitors before sunrise and after sunset."

LOGICAL EXPLANATIONS

For every claim there are counter-claims too. 

Authorities say the area borders a dense forest and wildlife occasionally wanders through the ruins. The rule regarding visiting hours is meant purely as a safety precaution, and that such rules exist in other isolated places as well.

Historians says Bhangarh’s decline was due to political conflicts during the time of Sawai Jai Singh II, while others mention famine or economic decline.

Some psychologists say that if you go with a preconceived notions, most often what happens will seem to coincide with the preconceived belief. Like for example, the rustle of leaves, might appear to be ghostly, if you have a fear of ghosts. 

THE TAG HAS STUCK

All said and done, once a place earns a haunted reputation, logic rarely wins the argument.

Today, Bhangarh thrives on this quirky fame. Travellers arrive not only to see the ruins but also to experience the thrill of standing in India’s “most haunted” city.

Whether the spirits are real or not, Bhangarh has turned a mystery into a tourist attraction!

(Information sources: Rajasthan Tourism, The Hindu, NDTV, Wikipedia)

(This post is part of the A to Z Challenge and Blogchatter A2Z 2026)

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