Bhangarh Fort, Alwar – popularly known as the most haunted place in India and one of the most haunted places in Asia. Although, we heard about this place but never bothered to take risk by making a visit there. Not that I hate adventure trips but when it comes to ghosts, I would rather love to see myself on a safer side! Because this is one such entity about which we are unsure and unaware so kinda unpredictability is always there.
This time we were in Gurgaon and desperately wanted a weekend getaway nearby. I double checked with my wife and brother-in-law, if we are really going there and is that the final plan. They in turn asked me to confirm. After some thoughts, we gathered the courage to take the risk this time. We started from Gurgaon in afternoon hoping to reach Bhangarh fort by evening.
Before reaching Bhangarh, we crossed Ajabgarh, a kingdom that shares the proximity to Bhangarh. We saw the Ajabgarh fort, which is secluded at the hilltop. By 6:00 PM, we reached the fort’s entrance. We were stopped by the security and asked to leave as the visiting hours were over and even the Archaeological Survey of India or the ASI has forbidden the locals and tourists from entering the fort after sunset. However, after requesting them, they allowed us to go inside the fort with an assurance that we will come back in an hour.
The first look of the abandoned city of Bhangarh suggested that of a completely ruined and isolated place, which might be haunted according to various stories. However, the fort of Bhangarh does have a very spooky and negative aura to it. After entering the premises, we had to walk to the main fort, so while walking, I concentrated on every sound, shadow, or even a whisper. Yes, I heard some very unusual sounds! In fact, all of us heard those weird sounds coming in and hitting our ears to make us feel scared.
But hey, within few minutes, I figured out the origin of those sounds. Isn’t that interesting? I had already started feeling like a detective or a paranormal activist by then. Anyways, the weird sounds were coming because of the fast-blowing wind that hits the hill. Bhangarh fort is underneath that hill and the hill obstructs the blow of wind, hence, the sound. There were also some scary sounds from monkeys, peacocks, and other wild animals that reside in the fort area.
When we entered the fort, it was already getting dark and some rooms inside the fort had absolute darkness. There was no one other than us in the fort and knowing that fact thrilled us to the extreme! We were mentally prepared by that time and were awaiting something unusual to happen. For the 45 minutes, nothing unusual or paranormal was observed apart from a few scary noises by peacocks and animals. We spotted some important landmarks and temples in Bhangarh area from the rooftop of Bhangarh fort.
Later, a person from parking staff and one other attendant came to the fort and waited for us to leave. We asked them if they have seen any ghost here and expected a fearful reply. However, to our surprise, they completely rubbished the existence of ghost or anything paranormal there. According to them, ghosts might have existed there centuries ago as told by their forefathers but now after media has popularized Bhangarh fort, it’s is experiencing heavy footfall, there is no truth in all the stories associated with people witnessing ghosts.
Finally, while leaving the fort and walking towards the exit gate, we felt something unusual. Although, we didn’t see anyone, not even a shadow but somehow, we would often turn back and look at those hair-raising lanes and ruins in the premises. We were also looking behind to check if no one is following us. After giving a deep thought, I felt it must be a delusion that occurred because of the state-of-mind at that time.
An interesting incident happened at the exit gate. Few brahmins, who reside in the premises asked us to stay back with them to see ghosts. On asking them if they have seen any such entity, they said that there are thousands of ghosts in the fort, not just a few of them. They also added that they had many encounters with the ghosts and narrated 4-5 horrible stories of their experiences with them. Although, I don’t deny that there cannot be ghosts in the fort but whatever they told us seemed hilarious and untrue. I laughed at the baseless stories knowing that they are doing this to strengthen the hype!
How to Reach?
Bhangarh lies between Jaipur and Alwar.
Route from Delhi : Delhi-Gurgaon-Bhiwadi-Alwar-Sariska-Thanagazhi-Pratapgarh-Ajabgarh-Bhangarh. It’s a nearly 300 km drive. Best to travel in a SUV and always carry a spare tyre as there are stretches where for kilometres there are no petrol pumps or habitations.
Nearby Attractions
Sariska Wildlife Sanctury, Hotel Sariska Palace, and Bharthari Temple
Suggested Reading
In this article, I have not detailed any popular stories and the history of Bhangarh fort. This is rather about our experience to find the truth behind such stories. To know more about the fort, you can read the Wiki page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhangarh_Fort.
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