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House of horrors

Almost everyone in Rajasthan knows that the Bhangarh Fort in the Rajgarh tehsil of Alwar district is haunted.

House of horrors

Unravelling the mystery: The fort, which was abandoned around 1783, is now an ASI protected site Photos by the writer.



Aradhika Sharma

Almost everyone in Rajasthan knows that the Bhangarh Fort in the Rajgarh tehsil of Alwar district is haunted. Indeed “Bhoot Bhangarh is listed at several websites as one of the most haunted places in the world. People shudder to enter the fort premises after sunset. It is believed that the brave, or the foolhardy, who dare to do so, are not found alive the morning. Some say their lifeless faces have a ‘pleasant smile’. Paranormal sightings are said to be common enough. The magnificent doorway is firmly shut to visitors after 6 pm — and an advisory issued by the Archaeological Survey of India — to prohibit people from visiting the fort at night.

The fort, which is now an ASI protected site, known as ‘Bhoot Bangla’ or ‘The House of Ghosts’, was built in the latter half of the 16th century by Raja Bhagwant Das. Later, it was made the capital city of Madho Singh. The fort was abandoned around 1783 after it was cursed.

The site is surrounded by low hills of the Aravali range (and is located close to the Sariska National Park). The beauty and grandeur of the fort is quite breathtaking and houses a small city comprising a marketplace, temples, havelis, palaces, ramparts and fortifications.

If you visit Bhangarh, make sure you do so between sunrise and sunset. You can hire the services of a guide who will conduct you around the ruins, telling you about the history of the place while scaring the bejesus out of you with stories of its spooky past. We visited on a winter evening, when it was still light. A ruined marketplace (Johri Bazaar) leads up to a massive gate. On sides of the path leading to the palaces are forests and undergrowth. Huge ancient banyan trees grow alongside claiming their space. Thousands of monkeys go about their business, not disturbing the visitors. They seem to be the only denizens of the area, but according to the locals, after nightfall, many spirits come out to populate the expanse.

Several tales perpetuate the myth of the fort. One such tells of a tantric, Singhia, who was in love with Ratnavati, the virtuous Princess of Bhangarh, and wanted to possess her. One day in Johri Bazaar, he chanced upon Ratnavati’s maid who’d come to purchase scented oil for the princess. The tantric cast a spell on the oil to entice the princess. Ratnavati, however, judged that the oil was impure and turned it into a massive rock, which crushed the tantric but not before he cursed the city. The location of paranormal activity is said to be around the Dancers’ Haveli and Johri Bazaar. It is said after nightfall, the court dancers appear to make merry and invite the visitors to join them.

According to another story, Guru Balu Nath would meditate in the area before the city was built. Emperor Madho Singh sought permission to build the city at the spot and the ascetic permitted him on the condition that no building in the fort should be taller than his ashram. He also said, “The moment the shadow of the palace touches me, the city will be no more.” However, careless architects of Bhangarh allowed shadow of the bastion to fall upon the ascetic’s house. Bala Nath was enraged and cursed that the city. It is said that these curses were the reason for the fort getting invaded by the Mughals. The troops encircled the city and razed it to the ground. Everyone, including the princess, was killed. Some locals believe that Ratnavati will be reborn one day and the curse will be finally lifted.

Apart from the lure of the paranormal, the fort has great architectural merit. The ruins are impressive, the abandoned buildings are well preserved, and the area is clean, green and open. There are three successive fortifications and the outer fortification contains five gates to the fort — Hanuman, Lahori Gate, Ajmeri Gate, Phulbari Gate, and Delhi Gate. At the entrance is an ancient Hanuman temple. The fort also has several other temples — the Gopinath Temple, Mangla Devi Temple, Keshav Rai Temple, Hanuman Temple, Someshvara Temple, Ganesh Temple, etc. scattered around its premises. At the extreme end of the fort lies the main entrance of the Royal Palace. You enter deep darkness with thousands of bats to welcome you. It is unnerving but once you reach the roof of the fort, you’ll be awestruck by the breathtaking view. A small structure (chhatri) atop a hill, is said to be the home of the mischievous Tantric.

As the evening begins to advance, we think it expedient to leave the fort and vacate the precincts for the monkey families. The breeze rustles through the leaves of the trees and the tall grass, sounding like the royal musicians striking up the chords of their instruments, getting ready for Ratnavati’s concert. Captivating! But we decide not to stay on….

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