The Bhangarh Fort is the most haunted place in India where entry between sunset and sunrise is strictly prohibited by the authorities. It is believed that no one can come back alive after spending a night in the haunted fort.

India is home to many haunted places, and Rajasthan tops the list with the historical ruins of Kuldhara and Bhangarh Fort, which are considered to be the most haunted places in India.

The Archeological Survey of India (ASI) has put up a signboard at Bhangarh strictly prohibiting the entrance to the Bhangarh Fort complex before sunrise and after sunset. The doors are always locked after dusk and entry into the Bhangarh Fort is absolutely forbidden at night. 

Bhangarh Fort Complex

Nestled amid the green hills of Aravallis, the Bhangarh Fort is located between the city of Jaipur and Alwar in Rajasthan. 

The Bhangarh fort was built by Raja Bhagwant Singh, for his younger son Madho Singh in 1573 AD. The fort complex housed the royal palace and over 9,000 houses. The fort along with the whole township was protected by three successive fortifications and five massive gates. 

The fort has four entry gates in addition to the main gate – the Lahori Gate, the Ajmeri Gate, the Phulbari Gate, and the Delhi Gate. Although in ruins, there are a number of Hindu temples and grand Havelis – prominent among them is Nartakiyon Ki Haveli (house of dancing girls). At the extreme end of Fort’s limit, lies the Royal Palace, which had seven stories, but only four of it remain now.  

The fort houses ruins of grand Havelis, temples, and deserted marketplaces within its premises, indicating the fort’s prosperity in its heydays. The fort, although in ruins, still looks majestic, and indicates the fort’s prosperity in its heydays.

THE LEGENDS OF BHANGARH

Bhangarh Fort is said to be living a curse. Several legends are associated with the haunted fort, but the most popular ones are – the legend of Hermit Balau Nath and the Legend of Princess Ratnavati.

The Curse of Hermit Baba Balu Nath

There was a hermit named Balu Nath, who used to live on the top of the hill on which Raja Bhagwant Singh was planning to build Bhangarh Fort. Bhagwant Singh approached the hermit to seek his permission for building the fort. The hermit allowed him to build the fort but laid a strange condition – The fort should never cast a shadow on his abode!

Honoring the condition, Bhagwant Singh built the fort in such a manner that it doesn’t cast a shadow on the hermit’s abode. However, after a few years – possibly out of ignorance, Ajab Singh (Bhagwant Singh’s great-grandson) raised the height of the fort that cast a shadow on the hermit’s abode. The furious hermit cursed – The city shall be no more! 

Hermit’s curse led to the ruin of the fort and surrounding villages. 

His small stone hut, known as ‘Tantrik ki Chatri’, still overlooks the fort from the top of the hill.

The Legend of Princess Ratnavati and the evil Tantrik

Princess Ratnavati was the daughter of Chatr Singh (Bhagwant Singh’s grandson). She was very attractive and universally admired by everyone. As the tales of her beauty and charm spread, she started receiving marriage proposals from princes of nearby kingdoms. 

In the kingdom lived an evil tantric (magician) named Singhia, who was well versed in black magic and the occult. Singhia was smitten by the beauty of the Ratnavati and wanted to marry her. But, the tantric knew very well that he was not a suitable match for the beautiful princess and does not stand any chance of marrying her. So, through his occult powers, he thought to cast a spell on the princess. 

One day, the Tantrik saw Ratnavati’s maid buying perfume for her. He cast a spell on the perfume so it could hypnotize the princess and make her fall in love with him. 

Ratnavati came to know of the spell as she herself possessed magical powers. She threw the perfume bottle on the ground and turned it into a boulder, which rolled towards the Tantrik and crushed him under its weight. Before dying, the Tantrik cursed death upon Ratnavati, her family, and the entire kingdom. 

The curse seemed to show its effect as the next year, a fierce battle was fought between Bhangarh and Ajabgarh (a neighboring kingdom), which led to the death of Ratnavati and most of her family. It is believed that the spirits of Ratnavati, the tantric, and all the people who lived in Bhangarh still haunt the Fort.

The local people strongly believe that Bhangarh Fort is a sanctuary for spirits. Though scientists rubbish their claims, people stick to their beliefs. The locals claim to have heard weird noises, women screaming, children crying, and glass bangles breaking. They also claim to have witnessed instances of mystic perfume emanating from the fort, some strange kind of music coming from the fort at night, and strange lights and shadows moving around forts.     

The investigation by Gaurav Tiwari, India’s ace ghost hunter

On December 2, 2010, the G.R.I.P. (Ghost Research & Investigator of Paranormal) Team led by ace Indian ghost hunter, Late Gaurav Tiwari spent a night at Bhangarh to find any evidence in favor of any paranormal presence at Bhangarh. However, the team could not find any evidence of paranormal activities and claimed the site is not haunted. 

Haunted or not, the Bhangarh Fort has something eerie about it and attracts hordes of tourists who like their destination – a little spooky!