If you’re looking for chills and thrills for your travel adventure, The India Explorer is here with the list of the most haunted places in India. Everybody loves a bit of adrenaline rush that comes with spookiness and ghosts in their lives, and what better than actually visiting one of those places where you might experience the paranormal first-hand? Let’s go on this wild and fearful journey along places, not for the faint-hearted!
Top 10 Most Haunted Places in India
1. Bhangarh Fort
The Bhangarh Fort in Rajasthan is considered one of the most haunted places in India and is a certified scariest place in the world. It is open to visitors from 6.00 A.M. to 6.00 P.M. and is operated by the Archaeological Survey of India. Often packed with tourists, you will find many stories attached to this Fort only two hours away from Jaipur.
The story behind this one is a royal lore of love. A black magician or tantrik, Sindhia, fell for the city’s princess, Ratnawati. When she refused his advances, he performed black magic on an oil vial she bought in the market. When she realised it had been enchanted, she threw the vial away and hit a stone. The stone rolled down onto Sindhia and killed him. While dying, he cursed the entire city of Bhangarh into destruction.
It is said that since then, the Fort has been haunted by the spirit of Sindhia in anticipation of Ratnawati. Many have reported strange occurrences around the Fort since time immemorial. The place also gives off a spooky vibe to visitors. According to the statutory warning outside the Fort, no one is allowed to go inside after 6.00 P.M. Guards so far haven’t reported anything unusual – according to them, the Fort is out of bounds from sunset to sunrise due to wild animals that roam around inside from the Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary that is adjacent to the Fort.
2. Mukesh Mills, Mumbai
The burnt-down and eerie Mukesh Mills in Mumbai is a popular shoot location for Bollywood movies. Many scenes from famous movies have been shot here, like the song ‘Jumma Chumma’ from Amitabh Bachchan’s movie Hum. According to legends, the mills were built as textile mills when the textile business in India grew. They were shut down and abandoned as the owners faced huge losses. Some years later, a mysterious fire broke out at the Mukesh Mills, the cause of which is still unknown.
Mukesh Mills became a popular shooting location for Bollywood films. The actors and crew filmed here have experienced strange and eerie happenings during their time. An actress was said to have been possessed by a ghost and started screaming in a manly voice, commanding everyone to stay away. Another occurrence happened with actress Bipasha Basu, who couldn’t remember her dialogues in certain rooms. Other occurrences include faint whispers, unexplained footsteps, and shadows. A child also got possessed for a few seconds and later died at a hospital. Guards have reported sounds of music and sightings of a man smoking inside the mill late at night.
3. Dow Hill, Kurseong
Dow Hill is a small hill station situated only an hour away from the beautiful hills of Darjeeling. It is considered one of the most haunted places in India and has seen abundant paranormal activity. There is also a ‘death road’ here that locals advise not to visit after sunset! This infamous town has had many paranormal occurrences that will spook you enough to stay at night.
According to popular beliefs, woodcutters who have travelled the death road have been followed by a headless child. The men stopped traversing this road after being harassed by the headless child’s ghost many times. A woman in a grey dress has also been sighted by many.
Near the death road lies the 100-year-old Victoria Boys School, which is just as notorious for haunted experiences as the death road. From December to March, when the school remains closed, guards and locals have heard footsteps and whispers from the school. Guards have also heard sounds of boys loitering around in the corridors during these vacations. Many locals have spotted a shadow of a boy staring back at them from one of the school windows.
With so many haunted stories and witnesses of the paranormal, Dow Hill is surely the scariest place in India and is not for the faint-hearted.
4. Mukti Kothari, Lohaghat
Mukti Kothari is nestled in the hills of Uttarakhand’s Lohaghat. It is considered one of the most haunted places in India, the story of which is utmost spine-chilling and hair-raising. The story behind this one is nothing short of a horror movie or web series.
Imagine a hospital that is dilapidated and abandoned. Clear white sheets, beds, and mould-ridden walls with their paint chipping off. The thought itself is eerie. Now add ghosts to it, whispering and screaming every night.
Mukti Kothari was a residential bungalow belonging to a British family that moved out of it and decided to donate the space for building a hospital. When the hospital was made, it ran smoothly until a new doctor joined and changed everything one day. The doctor started playing God by predicting the date and time of his patients’ deaths; surprisingly, the patients would die at the exact time on the exact date! It was later agreed upon by locals that the doctor had taken the patients to ‘Mukti Kothari’, a private room inside the hospital, to kill them off on the date and time he had predicted. The screams of the patients are still heard throughout the hospital. Since the killings, many strange activities have occurred near this hospital since its abandonment.
5. Kuldhara
Kuldhara is India’s most famous ghost town, just 2 kilometres from Jaisalmer. Visitors can explore this village from 8.00 A.M. to 6.00 P.M. Many tourists have sensed negative and eerie energies here, and it is advised not to visit this place after hours.
The town once acted as a residence for Paliwal Brahmins. A Chief of Jaisalmer had fallen for the daughter of the village’s mukhiya (head) and wanted to marry her. The mukhiya refused because the Chief was not the right person due to his flaws. The Chief warned them of the repercussions, but the village opposed the marriage. They, in turn, deserted the village to move somewhere else in one night. It is also believed that the village is cursed – no one can stay here for the night or even settle and come back alive. There is another theory behind the village – according to some, the villagers deserted the place after the minister started levying heavy taxes on the residents.
Many have experienced occult and paranormal sightings here, like footsteps, shadows, apparitions, strange sounds, smells, and negative energies at Kuldhara. Paranormal investigators have stayed here for nights to investigate the occurrences and found concrete evidence of paranormal entities and anomalies.
6. Lambi Dehar Mines, Mussoorie
The Lambi Dehar Mines of Mussoorie have been a popular tourist place among hikers and paranormal enthusiasts looking for ‘ghost walks’. Surprisingly, the place has also inspired many of Ruskin Bond’s stories. In history, Lambi Dehar Mines were limestone mines where at least 50,000 labourers died in 1990. As there was no safety, many workers died while others started coughing up blood due to the high altitude clubbed with bad working conditions. The mines were abandoned after this incident.
According to locals, many sighted ghosts and heard screams from the mines. After abandonment, many accidents have happened at the Lambi Dehar Mines, and a helicopter recently crashed here. Paranormal investigators have also caught a little boy’s apparition on tape! Lambi Dehar Mines is regarded as one of the most haunted places in India, and the ruined and old atmosphere gives it extra creepy vibes. It is accessible to visitors on a guided ghost tour and those who wish to trek the trails along the mines.
7. Haunted House at Kundanbagh, Hyderabad
The Kundanbagh house is adjacent to the enchanting St. Francis Degree College and is the scariest house in all of Hyderabad, with a mysterious and creepy history.
One night, a burglar broke into the house, discovered three dead bodies, and informed of them to the police. It was reported that 4 people lived in the house – A man, his wife, and their two daughters. The woman and the two girls were found dead, supposed to have taken poison based on a peculiar bottle of black liquid at the crime scene. According to the neighbours, the father left one day and was never seen after that. Upon post-mortem, it was found that the bodies were then 6 months old!
As the police enquired into the matter, neighbours reported having seen the woman and the girls daily for the past 6 months going about their daily routine! The family was not social at all and kept to themselves. Reportedly, they emanated strange behaviours such as walking around with lit candles at night, hanging bottles of blood by the balcony and more. The house, now empty and blocked off for trespassers by the police, is one of the most haunted places in India. Even though the house no longer has electricity, the top floor lights turn on every night! Spooky, right?
8. Shaniwarwada Fort, Pune
The Shaniwarwada Fort is an important part of the cultural heritage of Maharashtra and a famous film shooting location. It is open to visitors from 9.30 A.M. to 5.30 P.M.
The Fort belonged to the Peshwas of Maharashtra, and the story behind the hauntings is familial disputes. Raghunathrao, Bajirao’s younger son and brother to Nanasaheb, was expecting the throne but was given to Vishwasrao, Nanasaheb’s eldest son. Later, after the death of Vishwasrao and his eldest son, Madhavrao, Narayanrao took over as the youngest-ever Peshwa ruler. Raghunathrao was the uncle of Narayanrao and plotted a plan to overthrow him to get the throne. He hired assassins of the Gardi hunting tribe and wrote them a letter commanding them to arrest and lock up Narayanrao. Anandibai, Raghunathrao’s wife, who was jealous of Narayanrao and wanted Raghunathrao to have the throne instead, changed the letter, asking the assassins to kill Narayanrao.
The assassins mercilessly ripped Narayanrao to shreds on the day before Ganesh Chaturthi. He kept screaming for Raghunathrao’s help, but no one came to save him. One can hear the screams echoing on every new moon night at the Shaniwarwada Fort.
9. Karkardooma Court, Delhi
Karkardooma Court in Delhi is one of the most haunted places in India when it comes to modernity and still occupied space. Many paranormal activities, such as opening and closing drawers and computer screens turning on and off by themselves, have happened here daily without any physical reason or way. Not only that, these incidents have also been caught on camera and are easily available on YouTube!
These activities occur after the lawyers have emptied the space in the evening. Many have also seen apparitions moving through the walls during their time here. The employees here believe the spirits to be harmless.
10. GP Block, Meerut
The GP Block in Meerut became a popular haunted hideout among news channels covering every aspect. It is not open to tourists as it is a residential area. The house said to be haunted here was once owned by a British officer, d’Souza, who died in an accident. Locals have often seen the spirit of the officer here. The spirit has allegedly asked for bread, butter, and eggs from some people as well. In the past, people used to leave some bread, butter, and a few eggs under the nearest tree and wouldn’t look back – when they came up to the tree again, the food items would be missing. Over time, people stopped putting the items out under the tree for the ghost of d’Souza.
Another ghost many have seen is a woman dressed in a red saree sitting on the rooftop. Some people have also claimed to have seen four men drinking together inside the house regularly. To add more fright to the story, the walls of the building are worn out with time. As the house is unoccupied, it has yet to be renovated. It was once given to an army officer’s family for occupancy, but they soon left after the mother saw a lady dressed in a red saree.
Incidents like this have kept people and news channels on edge about this popular haunted house.
Conclusion
Did the places and their stories give you chills? Some of the most haunted places in India won’t let you sleep for nights after you visit them! It is scary and exciting at the same time. If you have been to any of these places, share your spooky experiences in the comments!
