Haunted places in India
21 documented places
India's best-known haunted sites are ruins with curses attached. Bhangarh Fort in Rajasthan is called the country's most haunted place because of two curse legends, and entry after sunset is not allowed. Kuldhara, a deserted village near Jaisalmer, is said to have been cursed by its departing Paliwal inhabitants. In Pune, Shaniwar Wada is said to echo on full-moon nights with the cries of the murdered young Peshwa Narayanrao.
Delhi is different, because some of its beliefs are still practiced. At Feroz Shah Kotla, crowds leave letters for the djinns every Thursday, which is living faith more than a ghost story. Elsewhere in the city, a good deal of the "haunted" reputation comes from travel lists and blogs, as at Agrasen ki Baoli.
We also include some places that are simply, strikingly abandoned, and we say when no ghost legend exists: Lakhpat, left high and dry by the 1819 earthquake; Dhanushkodi, wrecked by the 1964 cyclone; and the ruins of Hampi.
Every place, most famous first
Jamali Kamali Tomb
Delhi, Nct Of Delhi, India
16th-century mosque and tomb of the Sufi poet Jamali in Mehrauli, Delhi, where popular stories place djinns, whispers and an unseen follower.
Kuldhara
Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India
Deserted Paliwal Brahmin village near Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, said to be cursed by its departing inhabitants so that no one could ever settle there again.
Bhangarh Haunted Fort, Gola Ka Bas
Alwar, Rajasthan, India
Ruined 16th-17th century fort town in Rajasthan's Aravalli hills, called India's most haunted site because of two curse legends. No entry after sunset.
Golconda Fort Ruins
Hyderabad, Telangana, India
Qutb Shahi citadel on the edge of Hyderabad, taken by Aurangzeb in 1687. Travel lists say soldiers and the court dancer Taramati still linger.
Begunkodor Railway Station
Purulia, West Bengal, India
Rural West Bengal halt in Purulia district where trains ceased to stop from 1967 to 2009, a closure locally blamed on a woman's ghost reported by a railway worker.
Khooni Darwaza
Delhi, Nct Of Delhi, India
Mid-16th-century gate in central Delhi where three Mughal princes were shot in 1857. Lore speaks of their spirits.
Lothian Cemetery Delhi
Delhi, Nct Of Delhi, India
Delhi's early 19th-century British cemetery at Kashmiri Gate, with graves from the 1857 uprising and a rumored headless officer who calls a woman's name.
South Park Street Cemetery
Kolkata, West Bengal, India
East India Company cemetery opened in Kolkata in 1767, with some 1,600 colonial graves. A travel blog tells of unease among the tombs and a 'bleeding' tomb.
Writers Building Kolkata
Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Kolkata's 1777 East India Company office block, later the Bengal secretariat. Believers say clerks who died young still walk its corridors.
Bhuli Bhatiyari ka Mahal
Delhi, Nct Of Delhi, India
Ruined 14th-century Tughlaq hunting lodge in the forest of Delhi's Central Ridge, which Delhi Tourism says is known as one of the city's most haunted places.
Dona Paula viewpoint Goa
North Goa, Goa, India
Headland and jetty near Panaji, Goa, named after an 18th-century noblewoman. Lore says her ghost rises from the sea at night; history tells another story.
Feroz Shah Kotla
Delhi, Nct Of Delhi, India
Ruined 14th-century Tughlaq citadel in Delhi where crowds leave letters for the djinns every Thursday, a living belief rather than a ghost story.
Shaniwar Wada Ruins
Pune, Maharashtra, India
Fortified 18th-century Peshwa palace in Pune, gutted by fire in 1828, where the murdered young Peshwa Narayanrao is said to cry for help on full-moon nights.
Tughlaqabad Fort
Delhi, Nct Of Delhi, India
Vast 14th-century fortress city in South Delhi, abandoned within a few years of its founding, said to fall under a Sufi saint's curse. Daytime visits only.
Agrasen ki Baoli
Delhi, Nct Of Delhi, India
Stepwell of 108 steps in central New Delhi, probably rebuilt in the 14th century, whose 'haunted' reputation comes from travel lists and blogs. Daytime only.
Nahargarh Fort Jaipur
Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
Jaipur's 1734 ridge fort, said to take its name from Nahar Singh Bhomia, a spirit who by tradition obstructed the builders until a shrine appeased him.
Three Kings Chapel Cansaulim
North Goa, Goa, India
Hilltop chapel near Cansaulim, South Goa, still in use. Folklore says three feuding 'kings' who died by poison haunt it; the tale has no historical basis.
Hampi Vijayanagara Ruins
Karnataka, India
Ruined capital of the Vijayanagara Empire in Karnataka, sacked after the 1565 defeat at Talikota, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We found no ghost legend.
Dhanushkodi Railway Station Ruins
Tamil Nadu, India
Railway town at the tip of Pamban Island, Tamil Nadu, wrecked by the December 1964 cyclone and declared a ghost town. Ruins of the station and church remain.
Lakhpat Ghost Port
Gujarat, India
Walled former port in Kutch, Gujarat, left high and dry when the 1819 earthquake moved the Indus. A ghost town in the literal sense, with no ghost legend.
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Island (Ross Island)
South Andaman, Andaman And Nicobar, India
Former British headquarters of the Andaman penal settlement off Sri Vijaya Puram (Port Blair until 2024), abandoned after 1945. Its ruins are wrapped in tree roots; no ghost legend.
On the map
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