Haunted India: Myths / Legends of Bhangarh Fort

According to a legend, the city of Bhangarh was cursed by the Guru Balu Nath. He had sanctioned the construction of the town on one condition, "The moment the shadows of your palaces touch me, the city shall be no more!" When a descendant prince (Ajab Singh, grandson of Madho Singh) raised the palace to a height that cast a shadow on Balu Nath's forbidden retreat, he cursed the town. Balu Nath is said to be buried there to this day in a small Samadhi.

Ruins of Bhangarh Fort at the foothills of Aravalli

There exists another myth. This is the legend of the Princess of Bhangarh, Ratnavati. She is believed to be the jewel of Rajasthan. On her eighteenth birthday she began to get offers of marriage from other regions (i.e. nobility). In the area lived a tantrik, a magician well versed in the occult, called Singhia, who was in love with the princess but knew that the match was impossible. One day Singhia saw the princess's maid in the market; he used his black magic on the oil she was purchasing so that upon touching it the princess would surrender herself to him. The princess, however, seeing the tantric enchanting the oil, foiled his plan by pouring it on the ground. As the oil struck the ground it turned into a boulder, which crushed Singhia. Dying, the tantrik cursed the palace with the death of all who dwelt in it.

View of Bhangarh Area from the mysterious Bhangarh Fort

The next year there was a battle between Bhangarh and Ajabgarh in which Princess Ratnavati perished. Legends say that there are ghosts in Bhangarh and that is why entry is prohibited for tourists in the fort after sunset and before sunrise. The locals believe that the princess Ratnavati has taken birth somewhere else and that the fort and the empire of Bhangarh is waiting for her return to put an end to the curse.

A Corridor around Baoli in Bhangarh Fort with natural face like structure

Entry to Bhangarh is strictly and legally prohibited between sunset and sunrise. It's the only Legally Haunted location recognized by the Indian Government. A signboard posted by ASI (Archaeological Survey of India), which is a Government of India organization, specifies the instructions. While the board is written in Hindi, the instructions on it roughly translate into: "Entering the borders of Bhangarh before sunrise and after sunset is strictly prohibited. Legal action would be taken against anybody who does not follow these instructions".

Local villagers say that whenever a house is built there its roof collapses. People say that nobody returned who stayed there after dark. With rumours of missing people, eerie vibes that leave you feeling restless and nervous, ghostly encounters, restrictions to enter after dark, the city of Bhangarh tops our list and many other’s (who claim to have experienced unnatural phenomena here), for the most haunted place in our country.