India’s most haunted towns, palaces, courts… libraries to visit if you love horror stories

Some of us claim: Nothing scares me. There are no such things as ghosts. But we are the first to look at someone’s phone when someone they know met someone who claims to have seen a ghost on the highway. Paranormal activity is more common than you thought. Whether it is that sudden chill you feel in your bones when you walk into a room when it’s 36 degrees outside. Or the weird shadow you think that you saw when you went on a holiday… Here are the weirdest places with the strangest stories in India: Island on Dal Lake, Kashmir You have been to Kashmir and even stayed at the pretty houseboats on the Dal Lake in Srinagar, right? But there’s a part of the lake that has an island, a part that is wrapped in mists. And the island is haunted. Apparently, it is a haven for souls of people who died horribly violent deaths. Boatmen do not wish to take you anywhere near the island called Char Chinar. Dhanushkodi, Tamil Nadu 18 kms from Rameshwaram, there is this very pretty beach town connected with the Ramayana. Legend goes that this is where the bridge was made by Ram’s Vanar Sena. The beach town was devastated by a cyclone in 1964 and some reports say over 1,800 people lost their lives, Not only did the cyclone take lives but left the town in ruins. Today you can visit the beach, buy from the local fishermen who set up shops during the day, but you will feel an odd sense of despair in that place. This ghost town with its creepy green waters is something else… Udhampur Army Base, Kashmir We have lost so many soldiers in so many battles, it is reported that their spirits are still walking in groups like soldiers do. These shadows vanish in the mist in sparks and screams… Shaniwar Wada Palace, Pune Imagine assassins sent to murder a young prince who is running through the palace screaming, ‘Kaka mala vachwa!’ (Uncle, save me!) not knowing that it was the Uncle who had paid the men. They say that the ghost of prince Narayan Rao Peshwa still haunts the palace and screams can be heard on full-moon nights. During the day, the palace is wonderful to visit, but they shut the gates after six o’ clock. Also, there was an inexplicable fire at the palace, in which six people died. It’s said that they still roam through the palace at night… The National Library, Kolkata Imagine a ghost so picky it will make you feel uncomfortable if you don’t put a book back in its right place. Or breathe down to check what you are reading if you are sitting alone in the library. Perhaps it is the ghost of the British Governor General Charles Metcalf. He also ruffles pages of books and sometimes throws books down in anger… This National Library is located in Alipore. Kundanbagh, Hyderabad A thief breaks into a house and runs straight to the police. He has discovered the decomposing bodies of a mother and two daughters who lived in the bungalow in the upscale area of Hyderabad. When the police made inquiries, neighbours insisted that they had seen the kids play and the mother move through the rooms of the house. People still hear screams… Shudder! Delhi Cantonment, New Delhi The ghost trope that is commonest of them all is the ghost of a woman in a white saree hitchhiking on a lonely road. Well, this ghost is special, because she even runs along the vehicle, faster than the car sometimes… Bombay High Court, Mumbai Of the scariest things to happen to people who appear in this court, is an encounter with the ghost of a lawyer. This ghost seems to be doing a stellar job: criminals haunted by the ghost have said to come out and confess to their crimes. Saligao, Goa Forget your utterly filmy road trips to Goa a la Dil Chahta Hai. It’s the tale of the spirit of a girl called Christalina who haunts the banyan tree in the small village of Saligao in Goa that we recount here. Saligao is located on the Panjim-Calangute road. Over 50 years ago, a Bishop stopped to rest under the tree and fainted upon possession. Apparently, the girl scratched him and scared everyone else for good! Bhangarh Fort, Rajasthan Everyone has heard about the most haunted fort in India. Bhangarh is located in Rajasthan and you are forbidden to be inside the fort after sunset. There are many tales of the empty village and fort, and logic dictates that we look at the water scarcity of the region which could have led to the emptying of the village. But the more exciting ones associate the fort with a curse: A sage had warned the king that the fort he was about to build in Bhangarh should not be so tall as to cast a shadow on his house. The king had assured the sage, but his sons could not keep his word. The curse is said to have killed everyone in the fort and devastated the village. Every city has a few tales of restless spirits and strange happenings. These are but a few. Some malevolent, others angry and some helpful… Like the ghost who guides lost travellers in Kashmir. We shall save that for another day!