Bhangarh fort, Rajasthan- Not Ghostly but intensely tranquil!

I use to have debates about random subjects with colleagues in my office, One day this place came to the discussion and my friend was enthusiastically explaining the horror stories regarding this place which I was resisting to believe it . Since then I was curious enough to visit this place and reveal the genuienity of all the horrifying happenings which happened at this place. I am was in Delhi, one day my friend Amit called me and asked to plan a trip when he comes down. So me with my two friends Amit and Zeno planned to visit this place. Bhangarh Fort is located at Bangarh Village in the Alwar District of Rajasthan which is hyped for the presence of supernatural energies(Ghosts). There is about 7 stories related to this fort which is horrifying and it's said that around 4 stories are almost proven. I was curious enough to explore the reality of all those paranormal stories. Is this place really haunted? How people end up their life here at nights? Why the Archaeological department closing this fort after 6 pm? All these questions were haunting me before visiting this place.

After visiting Agra and Jaipur, we drove to Bhangarh. We started from Jaipur at around 11 o clock morning, and it took around 5 hours to reach the Bhangarh Village, till Dausa the roads are really broad and nice but as we went off the highway it was getting bumpy. From Dausa both the side was covered with dwarf mountain ranges and widespread deserted land. Bhangarh fort was made in the 14th century, and it became ruins in the 18th century. We reached Bhangarh at around 4:30 pm which was the perfect time to visit this place. I would suggest visiting this place in winters because it will be too hot and humid in Summers. We started walking towards the entrance of the Fort. The entrance for visitors is only allowed till 6 pm. There is a big map board kept at the entrance detailing all the Havelis, temples, watch towers and ruins of the compound wall of the fort. The boundary wall of this fort surrounds three huge mountains. The whole fort is very poorly maintained, and most parts of the ruins are almost destroyed. In the entrance, there is small temple which was open and one Pandit was doing offerings to the idol when we were entering. I tried to have a friendly conversation with him and the one accompanying him. First, I tried to ask the real stories of the fort, so he pointed his fingers to the board ordering us to read that map board before proceeding. With a smile on the face, I bluntly asked about the ghost stories related to this place. Both of them looked at each other and denied laughing. That laugh made all the stories which I heard about the place skeptical for me. I didn't give up; we continued to walk though the long stretch with ruins of Bazar and houses on both the sides. We started exploring the whole fort in foot in curiosity for witnessing some paranormal activity. There was a watch tower on the top of a hillock; people were hiking to the top towards watchtower. Due to time constraints we were forced to ditch that plan of going up because it takes at least 3 hours to reach up and come back. We continued towards the summits of the fort at the foot of dwarf mountains.

Is this place haunted?

We explored the palaces, Havelies and the dark rooms with the help of flash in our DSLR. I could smell blood in some closed corners but it was obvious since it's dark and undisturbed, many animals might use this place to store their food. Hence, it was not that spooky for me. But unexpected deep pits inside rooms scared my gut out; you will only come to know about these pits after making few steps towards the room which was dangerous. I even tried going alone inside the small holes inside these rooms. Since I was not having any previous experience of paranormal activities, I was craving to have one. People were amidst the excitement of the horror stories they have heard; students were also shouting out having fun pranking each other inside the huge haveli. I had a conversation with one of the localite I met. He explained that they had never experienced anything supernatural even at nights inside this fort. They have seen wild animals in the vicinity but never had any paranormal experience. That was a pretty convincing answer for me since I felt the same after visiting the place. I can never imagine this place could be a place for the ghost.

All ASI monuments have time restrictions. May be that's why Bhangarh board states that "Entering the borders of Bhangarh after the sunset is strictly prohibited." Localities also won't allow visitors inside at night because of the presence of the wild animal in the vicinity.

When we were roaming around at 6:30 pm a group of people was sitting at the top of the fort, playing poker laughing their lungs out, That shows this place is not a big deal for the local people living there. All those spooky stories regarding this fort were cooked up to attract the tourists. Since it's an offbeat place, we spotted very less tourist coming to this place were most of the groups were families and student from Delhi and Jaipur. For a person like me, abandoned forts like this give me chills. It takes me years back and make me feel like am experiencing the people who once sweat out to build this huge architectural excellence with limited technology and their proficient skills. I felt the same when I visited Dhanushkodi, which is another ghost town in India located in Tamil Nadu, the feel of visiting all these places are just beautiful and tranquilising.

Cheat sheet for those who are planning to visit this place

• When visiting this place try to go in Bikes if your are a Bike freak. The roads and deserted land on the both sides of highways are ecstatic.
• This fort has a parking lot which you have pay for it.
• Try visiting this place on monsoons or winters. Since this place is Rajasthan, there is no question about visiting this place on Summers because it will hot and humid.
• The best route to drive back from Bangarh is via Sariska National Park. You get to see a wide variety of wild animals on that way. I suggest this route in the evenings.
• Carry a torch light with you while visiting this place so you can explore more around.