India is a large and diverse country that has always been rich in ancient history and diverse mythological stories. Innumerable wars, revolutions, or honor killings brought untimely death, unnatural occurrences, and supernatural instances, which became part of our superstitious beliefs.
However, for many logical minds like me, it may look like nothing more than a myth or some illusions. But, legends have it, that there are several instances of supernatural powers and occurrences in various parts of India which exists still now. And those, very experiences have made the places abandoned for good and been termed as haunted places.
Ghost stories, haunted experiences may definitely sound cool and adventurous in movies and books but when it comes to experiencing the actual haunted places. That is a different ball game altogether.
So, if you are brave enough and want to really dig deep into places that have been mentioned below. I have you covered. Some of the stories are from the experience of the writers itself.
Listed below are the 10 most haunted places in India
1. Morgan House, Kalimpong
Table of Contents
By Madhurima | Orange Wayfarer
Ghost stories are part and parcel of rural Bengal life, especially if the ghost is related to the past. The past is steeped deep in the memory of the British Raj.
The Himalayas were a favorite for the European colonists. It brought them the much-needed respite from the scorching heat of Indian summer on the plane lands. The towns of Darjeeling and Kalimpong remain dotted with remnants of erstwhile British society. It is a no brainer that they come with a little anecdote British lifestyle and remnants of the owners.
Morgan house at Kalimpong is one search property and is considered as one of the haunted places in India. It is a humongous lodge overlooking verdant valleys and also your eyes experience an astounding sight of the Kanchenjunga on a bright sunny morning. However, to spend a night at Morgan house you need to come prepared with the nerve of steel.
A rumor goes, the bungalow belongs to Lady Morgan who died a premature untimely death. Her spirit wanders off the Hills of Himalaya, refusing to leave the world.
Since Mrs. Morgan was subjected to domestic abuse, her husband left the properties soon after and went back to England. Mrs. Morgan has not appeared in front of anyone till date. However, the sound of her heel-walk in a spur of rage at the dark of night is still a talk of the town.
2. RoopKund -The Skeleton Lake or Mystery Lake
By Pradeep Chamaria | Exatraveller
GO AWAY – was the message conveyed by a decayed human hand just up to the shoulder, with the flesh and nails intact – Why are you here?
Yes, folks, this was how we were welcomed at the Lake of Deads, RoopKund Lake (which is known as one of the haunted places up in the Himalayas) after trekking facing torrential rains for six days, an encounter with a tiger, etc.
But determined, we made it to this beautiful lake with emerald waters – nestled between the lovely peaks in deeper Himalayas.
The lake area is haunted and you see scores of human remains of people reported to be over 7 ft in height all around the area – skulls, teeth, and parts with flesh intact as the climate does not allow decaying. An army has been reported to have vanished during an avalanche while it was trying to cross a pass near the lake. These unnatural deaths have intensified the curse.
My friend – as he walked around – found an Ivory Ring (used as tent hooks during old times) and picked it up and carried it back with him. And that’s where the problem started – all along the way back – he complained of unusual sounds whenever he tried to sleep. Even his watch stopped – and the time on the watch was exactly when we were at the lake.
After coming to know this in Delhi, I immediately realized that we have carried back the curse. But for an educated person, this was hard to believe. We took the watch for repairing – and it started working the moment it was opened by the technician. I was relieved, but the moment we came back home, we found the watch stopped again.
This happened 4-5 times, and then we were sure that we have to go back, perform a puja, ask for a pardon, and pray for their nirvana. We did that and came back home – AND YES you have guessed it right – we found the watch properly working in my friend’s home.
3. Dumas Beach, Gujarat
By Mayuri Patel |Fernwehrahee
Located along the Arabian Sea, the Dumas beach near Surat, Gujarat is the most popular weekend destination for People of Surat City. As I am living in Surat, I have visited Dumas Beach nth no’s of times for beach sunset or for its Famous Tomato Bhajiya (tomato Fritters). In monsoon, you can see People devouring crispy bhajiyas in heavy rain!! Nothing can beat the food of Surat!
But the famous Dumas beach is considered as 3rd most haunted places in India. Dumas Beach in a day looks beautiful packed with people while at night, it looks devil’s town as sun goes down, nobody dares to visit it at night! The beach is said to be burial ground for Hindus for several years and so lots of spirits reside here.
I have heard many stories if anyone has tried to stay overnight either they never came back or had their worst experiences of Life! During the day the surrounding of the beach and trees near shore will give you eerie feeling and as the moon shows up, Paranormal activities are being reported by locals of Dumas village. They have seen white apparitions and moving orbs along with myriad other mysterious activities that can’t explain! But till date, nobody could figure out about this.
Last year, one of my friend’s relatives had one such experience! When the person was sitting on a bench near the beach, he had seen one Person, talked with him and then the Person went into the coma! Don’t know what had happened and who was He!
There are so many stories like this and I always freak out when I hear something like this!
Dumas beach is 20 kms from Surat, Gujarat and you can easily reach via Public transport.
4. Jamali Kamali Mosque and Tomb (New Delhi)
By Suman Doogar | Nomadic Shoes
Jamali Kamali Mosque and tomb belong to a Sufi pir in Sikandar Lodhi’s reign known as Jalal Khan. Located inside the Mehrauli Archaeological Park adjacent to Qutub Minar complex in New Delhi. This mosque is ill-famed for sightings of paranormal activities at night. Some believe that the mosque is possessed by Jinns. Nightguards and visitors have heard strange noises coming out from here. Many have alleged to have seen a shadow of a person prowling behind one of the columns but upon searching could not find traces of anyone.
Due to these claims, people do not visit Jamali Kamali but it is one of my favorite historical structures in Delhi. The red sandstone structure is adorned with marble and the ceiling is opulently decorated to remind people of the marvel of Mughal architecture. If you visit during the day, then there are two guards on duty and they are quite vigilant.
5. Bhangarh Fort, Rajasthan
By Anjali | TravelMelodies
Dubbed as one of the most haunted places in India, Bhangarh Fort intrigued me to no end. After reading and listening to the haunted stories about the fort, I decided to go check out myself.
Not that I believe in ghosts (yeah, I’m as scared of them as a normal human being), but the idea of visiting a place that’s infamous for being ghosts’ abode was hard to resist.
On our trip to Jaipur, I added Bhangarh to our must-visit list. Just about 90 km from Jaipur, it can easily be explored as a day trip from Jaipur. A picturesque drive through the countryside with almost no soul in sight was beautiful, adventurous, and mind-numbing – all at the same time.
The signboard by ASI warning the tourists not to venture inside the fort after sunset scared us out of our wits. Upon entering the fort, the sight of a huge number of locals was reassuring. They regularly come to perform religious rituals in the temples inside the fort complex. Yes, there are quite a few architecturally beautiful temples inside the fort complex. The royal palace affords a breathtaking view of the village.
The fort is mostly in ruins now and ASI doesn’t seem to make an effort to maintain the site.
The stinking dark rooms and corridors have been inhabited by bats that again makes it look ghostly. You get that uncomfortable feeling where you just want to run away from the place. The place has negative energy and does feel spooky.
Locals believe that the fort is cursed and they’ve two different legends to prove their point. They narrate nasty stories that whoever went inside the fort at night never came out of it. Truth or publicity stunt, no one knows. Do you dare to know? Well, we decide to leave the fort before sunset with unanswered questions.
6. Itachuna Rajbari – West Bengal
By Ishani Nath | Buoyant Lifestyle
With time the residences of the feudal lords of West Bengal, some of which are now renovated into heritage properties are claimed to be one of the haunted places in the state. Some of these palaces are around 300 years old.
It’s quite obvious that many mysteries and stories circle these heritage buildings. No one knows how valid these stories are. Some are created for entertainment and others to keep away outsiders from trespassing or put off thieves.
It was in February 2020 when I along with my two friends were on a weekend tour to Itachuna Rajbari in West Bengal’s Hoogly district. Itachuna Rajbari was constructed by Shri Shaffalya Narayan Kundu in 1766. A mansion so old speaks volumes about its glorious past. I wasn’t surprised when I heard that the palace is one of the haunted places in Bengal. Who knows what lies beneath the closed doors, the mosaic floors, those pillars, the chandeliers, that are all witness to what happened while the Kundus reigned.
Some people claim that figures of saree clad women are seen sometimes walking on the terrace. The local people from nearby villages claim to hear footsteps and people walking around in the pressing darkness inside the Rajbari. Of all haunted places in Bengal this is one of the most talked about.
While I was there I was quite curious but I didn’t encounter any ghosts. But I cannot deny the fact that there was an eerie feeling.
7. Warwick House, Jeolikote (Uttarakhand)
By Avantika Chaturvedi | Wayward Wayfarer
Jeolikote is a small village some 15 kilometres before Nainital. From a hidden natural pool to a sunset point, there’s plenty to do here. Moreover, it’s a relatively lesser-known state to most travellers makes Jeolikote a great offbeat destination in Uttarakhand. However, the story of Lt Col Warwick as told by the villagers looms over this beautiful hamlet like a dark grey cloud.
Lt Col Warwick was a British officer who had come to this small village near Nainital for some official work. During his meanderings, he met a local girl and they soon fell in love and eventually married. Warwick and his wife lived in a newly built bungalow in the village until his wife passed away a few years after their marriage.
Warwick was known to have “gone mad” at his wife’s death and decided to live in this huge mansion all by himself. The villagers reported that he would also be often seen dressed up as his wife in a red dupatta and singing love songs while galloping on a white horse at night.
Even after his death, Warwick’s spirit has been reportedly seen around the village in the same dupatta on a white horse. Villagers say Warwick became the ghost protector of Jeolikote and wards off evil from this quaint place.
Going around the Warwick Estate, one can not help but feel an eerie sense of abandonment of love lost. The bungalow now belongs to a businessman from Delhi but is mostly left empty with moss covering the cracks in its walls. A local man is the appointed caretaker of this unoccupied bungalow, that may never be truly “empty”!
8. Kuldhara Village (Rajasthan)
By Pamela Mukherjee | Every Corner of World
While visiting Jaisalmer, I didn’t miss the opportunity to visit one of the most haunted villages in Rajasthan called Kuldhara. The village is about 20km from Jaisalmer and very popular as a cursed village among the locals. It is said that In the late eighteenth, Kuldhara was possessed by the rich and well off the network of Paliwal brahmins. Kuldhara is the biggest of a group of 85 towns that this network is spread out in.
As per the legend, the evil eyes of Salim Singh, the debased Minister of the state, fell on the little girl of the town head and he wanted to wed her forcibly. He undermined the town with grave results in the event that they didn’t hold fast to his desire. The young lady’s dad rejected as he was from a lower standing. The Minister was enraged and allowed a 24-hour final offer to the young lady’s dad to adjust his perspective or there will be consequences…
Thus it so happened that the occupants of Kuldhara and the other 83 towns took what they could with them, covered the rest, and left their town in the dead of the night, never to return. The individuals of Kuldhara additionally abandon a revile that no one could ever have the option to live in the town until the end of time, and whoever attempted to uncover the riches would live to think twice about it.
Time passed. Days turned into weeks, months, and afterward decades. The spirits of the individuals who had been compelled to forsake Kuldhara additionally come back to the town after their death. Following two centuries neighborhood government began to take a shot at this bounteous town. Not many houses are “remodeled and reestablished”, visitors allowed but strictly during daylight hours only.
9. Three Kings Church (Goa)
By Smita Singh
During my last visit to Goa, I decided to explore villages of South Goa. So, I took a tour with Blive to visit Cansulim village situated in the Mormugao taluka . As a part of the tour, one of the stops is The Three Kings Church. The panoramic view from the place is breathtaking of the Arabian sea. This is a location of many secrets and is considered to be a haunted place by the localities as the three kings are buried beneath the chapel.
The Blive tour guide was a localite from the Cansaulim village so his stories were daunting and first hand. On Cuelim hill is situated this desolate church. So the story is from the Portuguese Era, and about power thirst of ruling this place by three kings. Due to the agenda of conquering this place, they caused a lot of distress amidst the locals of the village. In the rage, one king to destroy the other two and captivate the place invited the other two competitors for a royal dinner to incapacitate them.
As a plot, the plan was to poison the food and of course, the plan worked and two were dead due to poisoning. The locals got informed about the brutal act of the king and started to chase, in the act of rescue, the king also ate the poisoned food. Later the villagers buried all three kings in the grounds of this church. To nullify the negativity of the place, locals celebrate the Three Kings feast every year during winters.
As per the leader from the live, locals report of hearing strange sound after dark and it’s believed that the spirits still hover around the place. Though believe it or not, there is something to set the uneasiness inside you. The quaint beautiful white color church sets the spirits looking for an adrenaline rush in the body. Nevertheless, if you dare to visit this, its should one of the wish list for your next goa travel.
10. Dow Hill Death Road (Kurseong near Darjeeling)
By Debjani Lahiri | The Vagabong
Darjeeling, always a favorite hill station among Bengali’s and is known as Queen of Hills. It is also associated with many ghost stories, which are haunting and as well as bone-chilling. And, Kurseong is another picturesque small hill station about 30 km from the main town Darjeeling. Unlike Darjeeling, Kurseong is not overly crowded and people often head there for a peaceful tranquil atmosphere, which is away from a maddening roar of tourism.
Dow Hill Road near Kurseong is one such stretch of road between Dow Hill and Forest Office which is also known as Death Road. It has been termed as one of the most haunted places in India, and believe me when I say so, there are real-life experiences of people and a lot have stated about the paranormal activities, which takes place in the dead of night.
But, Dow Hill in Kurseong is infamously known for ghost sightings quite often. More so, passerby through this stretch often visualizes a red-eye staring from behind and it gives a constant eerie feeling of being watched. Locals have reported several blood-chilling accounts of a young headless boy walking on the road and disappearing into the woods.
In fact, through the dense forest people have also experienced a dead grey woman walking past several times. Legend has it that there were innumerable murders that took place in this forest area.
All these instances definitely create an evil aura about this place and many people who have witnessed this are said to have lost their mental balance to a point of even committing suicide.
I am sure there are plenty of more places that have such haunted experiences or stories. I would like to hear all about them. If you have liked this post, do comment below of such places if you know of any?
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Next up on your read is the continuation of this post, where I have listed down some of the Haunted Places around the world.
Some of the suggested read are :
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Murshidabad Travel Guide- Lost Saga of Erstwhile Capital of Bengal
10 Day Travel Itinerary of Myanmar – Backpacker’s Guide
Comments
What a spooky collection! I haven’t encountered anything paranormal on my travels and I hope I don’t! In Calcutta, there’s Putulbari and the South Park Street Cemetery that always have a load of creepy stories about them. Also, Hastings House where people have reported the sightings of a ghostly horse-drawn carriage.
Author
Actually that being said … Kolkata needs a seperate post all together to list down all spooky tales .. thanks for the read though
This is really cool, great stories
Loved this interesting collection of spooky tales. Have added all of them to my list, hopefully will travel to each one day ?
Author
I know right .. that’s why I didn’t dare to write it myself because I am scared a bit ..but ya deffo intrigues me ..
Even though I am scared and a big fattu, this definitely makes an interesting read. All these spooky stories are really awesome. Now I know the places where I should not be visiting ?. Just kidding. Every story was better than the previous one, absolutely amazing.
Author
Ask me how much i was scared to compile this ..haha joining the club of phattu too …but ya stories intrugued me too .Glad that u liked my post
I have been to Dumas Beach, Surat. I did feel uneasy at night. Though I visited it during my MTV show and there were the crew and other people. I also visited Kuldhara village in Rajasthan. But, during daylight, it feels quite normal. Loved reading about other places though.
I am big fattu kind of Girl and even don’t dare to be alone at Night! Being in Surat, visited Dumas beach but Itchanaburi and Morgan House looks so spooky! Loved reading about all the interesting Places.
Author
I stayed in itachuna so I know what Ishani wrote ..where I didn’t dare to write
. Such haunting times still exist .. india is vast ..glad u contributed with ur stories
Woow such collective stories are really giving me goosebumps. I have to visit many places mentioned here and only to wait a good time to start my journey again, as a few places are near to Delhi.
What a spooky collection! I have been to a couple of them including Kuldhara at midnight! What I feel, it’s those stories that make you more uncomfortable and not the place itself. ? Probably I’ll change my views if I see some more such places. ?
Author
Yeah I am coming up with another spooky collection from diff parts of the world ..thanks for appreciating
What a wonderful article. Have been to so many places in this list but never had any spooky experience but aap aao kabhi Rajasthan main, aapko leke chalte hai aisi jagah jo internet par nahi milengi waha hogah spooky feel ?
Author
Rajasthan toh hai hi spooky jagah ka aakra .. god how badly I wanna come there I only know
I never thought of travelling to find haunted places. Good to know there seem to be a lot of options if we return to India one day. I love that there are often one or more tales (or folklore) about the places in India. If I was superstitious, I too might be worried about carrying curses back home with me. But sad that some of the stories keep people from visiting some of these places with interesting stories. Even if there are sometimes ghost sightings!
Author
Yea to each to his own .. people who have experienced it can only tell the story .. For us it will always remain a mystery
Who doesn’t love a good ghost story? I know that I do! The Morgan house looks lovely! That poor soul of Mrs. Morgan- may she find peace. 7 foot tall human remains! What? That alone just gives me goosebumps. It sounds likes there is a lot going on around here. I enjoyed these stories and history that you had shared. My favorite story was the story about, Kuldhara Village.
Spooky yes right. I am not a great fan of visiting haunted places myself but I did read about these amazing places which I must say. I did hear about the Morgan House on my visits to Kalingpong when I lived in Calcutta and even though it has the haunted element it looks amazing as a property. I would like to visit the Three Kings church in Goa though ( but during the day ) Thanks for sharing a very unique post and carry on with the great stories.
I’ve been to India three times, but there are still so many places to see. I would need a one year vacation to see all the places in India from my list. Darjeeling is on the top of my list. So, I would love to see this Dow Hill Death Road. I was in Jamali Kamali Mosque and Tomb, and I admit that it is a magical place. I like ghost stories, so your list is perfect. I hope to visit also Morgan House in Kalimpong.
I love a good ghost story, off-beat history and traveling India so I just had to let you know how much I enjoyed this post. I’ve spent some time in Delhi and did the Golden Triangle, but I would have added some of these to my itinerary if I found this earlier. I already want to go back to India, so this gives me some inspiration!
I’m not really fond of spooky stories but I totally enjoyed this article! Wow! The Skeleton Lake or Mystery Lake looks stunning despite its story! Spooky stories might sound terrifying, but your stories are really good and interesting. I didn’t even know that these kinds of places exist! Thank you so much for sharing!
So many creepy stories and places! I don’t think I’m brave enough to spend a night at the Morgan House or probably visit any of these places after dark. ? But I would love to see Skeleton Lake and all of these during the day.
Author
Yes that skeleton lake is indeed very interesting to witness ..
I have heard so much about Bhangarh but have never managed to get there. A friend swears that she lost all her pics from there when she was in Bhangarh but the camera worked properly and all the images reappeared after she came back! Kuldhara was a tad bit melancholic for me. I would love to see Roopkund lake – ready to battle the little sleeplessness for it. Lovely list of haunted places.
I don’t know about the other’s. But I’ve stayed at Morgan House. And night’s there don’t seem to end. It’s definitely a thrilling experience to stay there.
Oh damn! This list is so crazy. I love haunted places so much, I want to go and explore each one of them now. Bookmarking this list now! Thanks for compiling this.
Wow.. It’s great to find so many haunted places in India for thrill-seekers.. great spooky stories behind the places.. Its nice to find mention of West Bengal..!!
Author
Thank you so much ..have u been to such places ??
i like it.
I was in India only once. My family and I go to the Goa (https://goavilla.in/) and spent here two weeks. It was amazing!