As we drove up to the fort of Bhangarh in Alwar district of Rajasthan, from the Sariska Tiger Reserve, we passed by the Ajabgarh fort. Since entry into Bhangarh is restricted after sunset, we were in a hurry. I didn’t climb up the Ajabgarh fort, but I explored its base. A local lad grazing sheep told me that there was nothing that I would be able to see from below except the four walls. If I had known its significance in the destiny of the fort I was going to, I would have made more of an effort.
The drive to Bhangarh fort was eerie. We passed through a village that was ostensibly inhabited. The main road was lined with the ruins of once-beautiful havelis. Children were seated in front of intricately carved wooden doors that had large rusted locks
The Bhangarh fort was built by the Kachwaha ruler of Amber, Raja Bhagwant Singh, for his younger son Madho Singh in 1573 AD. Madho Singh’s brother was the celebrated Man Singh, who was Akbar’s general. Madho Singh was succeeded by his son Chatr Singh. It was Chatr Singh’s son Ajab Singh who built the fort of Ajabgarh.
Though it was midday, it seemed quite lonely, and a long walk, so we hired a local guide. Guides after all tell the most colourful tales and sensational gossip!
tantrik’s curse
The guide told us of the beautiful princess Ratnavati, who was the daughter of Chatr Singh. She was the jewel of Rajasthan. Ratnavati was much younger than her stepbrother Ajab Singh, and was as universally liked as he was disliked. Tales of her beauty and delightful temperament spread far and wide and she received many marriage proposals. A tantrik priest, who was well versed in black magic, fell in love with her. But knowing that he didn’t stand a chance with the beautiful princess, he tried to cast a spell on her. Seeing the princess’ maid buying perfume for her in the village, he cast a spell on it so that Ratnavati would fall in love with him. Ratnavati came to know of this and threw the bottle. It turned into a boulder and hit the tantrik. He was crushed under its weight, but before he died, he cursed the princess, her family, and the entire village. The next year, a battle was fought between the forces of Bhangarh and Ajabgarh, which led to the death of Ratnavati and most of the army.
The guide solemnly told us that it was due to this curse that no one in the village or fort could be reborn; it is forever condemned to desolation and is inhabited by ghosts. If any villager tries to build a roof, it apparently mysteriously collapses.
We were told another story too. Apparently there was a sadhu, Guru Balu Nath, living on top of the hill on which Raja Bhagwant Singh built the fort. His only condition for letting the fort be built there was that it should never cast a shadow on his dwelling. This condition was honoured by all except Ajab Singh, who added columns to the fort that cast a shadow on the ascetic’s house. The angry sadhu’s curse led to the ruin of the fort and the surrounding villages. A small stone hut, known as tantrik ki chatri, overlooks the fort.
The truth seems to be that after Chatr Singh’s death, since Ajab Singh had already established a new fort, the population of the area dwindled. A famine in 1783 forced the remaining villagers to seek new avenues. In 1720, Raja Jai Singh, grandson of Man Singh, attached Bhangarh to his estate.
Inside the fort
By the time we were regaled with these stories, we had walked through a long road lined on both sides with ruins. These were the jauhri bazaars, houses of dancing girls ( Nachni ki Haveli ), the guide said. There were also some magnificent banyan trees. We entered the impressive gateway to see the fort. Even though the fort was in ruins, it had three grand storeys to be explored. The Someshwara temple at the side, with its beautiful stepwell, was serene. We paid our respects there before climbing up to the fort. The steps and the top of the fort are littered with broken columns, stones, and a forlorn-looking carved niche, which perhaps held Ratnavati’s toilette. The walls inside the temple are intact.
Entry into Bhangarh is prohibited between sunset and sunrise. It is ranked the most haunted fort in India. However, the local guards denied having ever seen any paranormal activity there.
I don’t know if the fort is haunted, but it truly deserves the title of hauntingly beautiful
HERE IS SOME REAL LOCAL PEOPLE TOLD STORIES .
What are some of the real stories of Bhangarh?
Haunted stories of Bhangarh Fort
I also wonder if these stories are true or not or just hyped.
What are some interesting stories or real life experiences of those who have visited The Bhangarh Fort, India?
I visited Bhangarh fort last year in November from Jaipur. The place is beautiful. There are a lot of monkeys, both Grey Langurs and Rhesus Macaques around. They are not at all scared of people and if you happen to have something to eat, they are going to snatch it away.
A friend of mine had some Kurkure with her, and a huge macaque jumped on her, snatched away the packet, sat beside her, opened the packet like a veteran and ate it all occasionally looking at us. She was so shocked she started crying as it all happened so quickly.
The ruins are creepy, but there’s nothing haunting as such. I had a chat with the guard that sits at the gate of fort, while we were leaving. It was 6:30 and was dark already. He said that there’s nothing haunting in here. The only problem is the wildlife. There are a lot of monkeys and sometimes we have spotted leopards and hyenas around the place as Bhangarh fort is almost on the edge of Sariska Tiger Reserve. That’s the main reason we drive away people before it is dark. I had that conversation recorded, and I will attach it here as soon as I can. He said that the Legend of Ratnavati might be true but I’m here every night, I haven’t, even once, experienced any bhoot-pret.
Below is the small chat that my friends had with the guard. The other clip somehow got deleted from her phone. This is all I have 😦
But it does gives an idea. (It was pitch black, sorry for it being all dark but the audio is pretty clear.)
The fort is quite at a distance from the near by village so if you are visiting it, take enough water and food with you. Village is small, so don’t expect you’d get much to eat.
You won’t see many people visiting Bhangarh. The place is beautiful and calm. There are peacocks and other beautiful birds around. And from my personal experience and after spending about 5 hours in Bhangarh fort, I can say that the place is not at all haunted. Inside the fort, theWhat are some of the real stories of Bhangarh?
Haunted stories of Bhangarh Fort
I also wonder if these stories are true or not or just hyped up but here some are-
Locals refer to this place as the ‘bhoot bangla’ (meaning the haunted palace). The locals say the place is rife with paranormal activity. Ghosts and spirits are rumored to roam Bhangarh fort; strange noises and whole lot of weird activities have been reported by locals of the area. Locals have seen entities, ghostly apparitions, and strange lights at night and sounds of dancing emanate from the fort (there’s a dancers hall or haveli in the fort). There’s an ancient market called “Johri Bazaar” which no longer exists but it is rumored that it’s now a ghost market. The shops of the market used to be run by beautiful women. At night, it is said that the market is abuzz with activity.
It is also rumored that those who have stayed overnight have not returned hence the signboard by the Government of India. Legend has it that the place was deserted suddenly in a day but so far no evidence has been documented. But the real story is that Ajabgarh (20 km away) and Bhangarh went to war with each other and both the armies of the cities of Ajabgarh and Bhangarh completely destroyed each other and destroyed the cities. Ajabgarh rehabilitated later while Bhangarh remained uninhabited. One of the other reasons for its downfall could be acclaimed to the famine of 1783. At this time, India was hit by a severe drought due to the El Nino effect that started in 1780. North India was hit by a drought around this time (1840 according to the King Vikramaditya’s lunar calendar). It is thought that about 60% of the people in these parts were killed. Given that Rajasthan is already in scarcity of water, it faced severe decimation of its towns and cities. Those who survived left the place in search of better places to live.
Stories of Bhangarh :-
1.After 10+2 my friends and me decided to go to bhangarh and stay inside the fort during night. Around 5pm we have reached there( before sunset) and around 8.30pm , we were in the fort and seriously the location, atmosphere, air was very scary,around 12.30pm, we all decide to leave fort. At that time we all are 20-21 peoples(friends and some other villagers), just after main gate . we all a heard female shouting voice from fort, and we have started running, after getting some distance we have stopped and discussing on it then suddenly a wall like thing had fallen in front of us ,we have started running again and finally , crossed the gate. We have felt something wrong with that form.
2.Visited just last week (22nd Dec). No experience of ghosts or sounds but definitely a bit of uneasiness as you approach the main fort or climb up the 4th floor of the fort.
Rather a better experience for my group & me was seeing a leopard in the Kewra forest right next to the fort (about 3 feet away)..
Didn’t get a chance to see a lady running or crying aloud but the only thing to observe is one particular ruin which if you will observe close resembles a proper human face (i can share that pic) and we stayed there till 5.30pm IST as were clearly told to move out before sunset as villagers who stayed nearby cleary said: Ghost stories are bullshit around the ruins, the main security issue is from wild animals (we experienced once in broad day light) so do agree 100%.
Story told By Masoom I am from Alwar and Bhangarh is in the municipality of Alwar district. Since childhood I have heard various stories about Bhangarh but I would like to quote one. This story was told by my father. We went there when I was 9 years old so I don’t remember much but according to my father when our family was walking near the fort of Bhangarh we saw a man who was talking to himself. Being a child I wanted to ask him who he was talking to but my father resisted. While coming back we saw that man again. He was walking by my side. He was telling us the real story behind Bhangarh.
My father tried to get rid of him but he was desperate to tell us the story. He was old therefore he was walking slowly. My father carried me and tried to walk fast to get rid of him. (You must be thinking how cruel we were because we didn’t try to help that old person but I would like to mention that we gave him food on the first meeting but later on some local people warned us.) My father’s plan worked and we were far ahead of him but the strangest thing that happened was when we looked back to see whether he was following us or not he disappeared… You must be thinking I am joking but the people behind us told us there was nobody following us.
NO OLD MAN BEHIND US!!
MY FATHER WAS CONFUSED
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