The curse of a Tantrik

Once a prosperous city, it was cursed. Bhangarh, they say, is India’s most haunted. Its story is stranger than fiction, reports Saudamini Jain.

It’s still majestic. This medieval kingdom, that is. Or rather, the remains of it. Hundreds of years ago, its occupants fled. Or died. Nobody’s sure. Not a single human soul lives in the 158 hectares of land. Snakes slither along rocky corners. Climb up to the crumbling palace into the dark hallways, you’ll be greeted by the smell of dead bodies and gunpowder. Bat droppings apparently smell of war. You’ll see a secret passage guarded by orange and silver markings. And rats. Tantriks come here to perform black magic. Most temples inside have no idols. Welcome to the real city of djinns.

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Keeping up with the spirits: It’s a beautiful picnic spot for the day. The ruins (above) can scare the living daylights out of anyone at night! It takes about six hours to drive down from Delhi to Bhangarh. Get to Alwar, then take the broken road to Sariska. The closest train station is Dausa, 8 km away from Bhangarh. Carry some food when you go inside the premises. Not for the weak-hearted. All the best! (Photo by M Zhazo)

Clairvoyant corner: At the end of this hallway in the palace (left) are two cubicles. The one on the left has orange and silver markings, guarding an underground passage (right). This is the shrine of the Djinn Maharaj, say locals. On Saturdays, tantriks visit this spot where they summon djinns to make predictions. (Photos by M Zhazo; Imaging by Ashish Singh)

Legend of the land: A lecherous tantrik, Singhia, was attracted to Ratnavati, the queen of Bhangarh. One day, when the queen’s maid was buying some hair hall from the market (left), he cast a spell on the oil in order to seduce the queen. Unfortunately for the tantrik (and consequently, for all of Bhangarh), the queen was a master tantrik herself. One look at the swirling oil, and she threw it on a stone, which magnified into a boulder advancing to crush Singhia. Before dying, the tantrik cursed the land. The Chhatri on the hill (right) was later built where he lived. (Photos by M Zhazo; Imaging by Ashish Singh)