India is full of rich history but there are also places that are haunted that may not be for the weak-hearted.
‘There ain’t no grave gonna hold my body down.’ – Johnny Cash
The movie Conjuring released in May, and while it was fictional, not every place in the world is created by man when it comes to paranormal activity. The United States of America has its share of locations that have documented paranormal activity. Lighthouse, Churches, Cemetry, you name it, and there is a story around it. India also has various spaces that have signs or stories of paranormal activity. It is a fact and not a Vikram Bhatt or Ramsay movie that is cringy as it gets. The horror genre has seen some cringe movies, and Bhatt has a role to play in it.
1921 is Bhatt’s film that spooks you, but apart from it, others look like a movie where paranormal activity is used as a backdrop only to showcase objectional or private moment-focused scenes on the 70-mm screen. Gumnaam is one movie that is not a horror movie, but a verse from a song sung by The Nightingale of India, Shri Lata Mangeshkar Ji, can give you goosebumps.
The song ‘Gumnaam hai koi, badnaam hai koi, kisko khabar kaun hai wo, anjaan hai koi (Someone is unnamed, someone is infamous, who knows who that is, it is unknown) can send chills, but it is a thriller movie. There are few places that we will talk about here that have linked to paranormal activity. So unless you are sure about reading about it, get your lights on and don’t get your imagination into work. Let’s dive into this experience.
Mukesh Mills in Mumbai
A famous spot for filming television and movie shots, Mukesh Mills in Mumbai is not for the weak-hearted. The mill has a storied history, and as its located at the banks of the Arabian sea, it was a perfect place for ships to load and unload things in the 1870s. A decade later, it was closed due to worker’s protest until a fire broke out at the location. Unrestored until recent times, Mukesh Mills terrifies people with the situations that happen here.
Famous movie songs like Jumma Chumma De De from Hum and various movies show this location, but they don’t talk about the strange voice that people experience here. Actors and crew have reported lost items, and people got possessed. A leading actress stated that she couldn’t deliver her dialogues in a specific area as someone stopped her while some females got held and would talk in a manly voice.
Shaniwar Wada, Pune
A historical story that goes around this location dates back to when its rulers were one of the dynasties shown in Bajirao Mastani. The locals talk about what led to this paranormal situation. It focuses on revenge and the quest to become the princess. A warrant to arrest a young leader got manipulated into a death order, and the man who issued it found his nephew die in front of his eyes.
The tale goes that on a Full moon night, a voice inside the location speaks in the native language asking his elderly to save him. The legend goes that the words are of the young leader who ran towards his uncle and pleaded for safety. All of this in the name of getting control, but isn’t it obvious that it’s The Almighty who has absolute control over everything in the world.
Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad
Ramoji Film City is one of India’s biggest film cities. Every gamut of the function of a movie happens here under experienced professionals at all times. It’s not just the work that has garnered appraise but also the paranormal activity that makes it a perfect location for paranormal investigators.
Imagine getting pushed on your own or a heavy light falling with extreme force only to injure people are a few of the experiences here. Female performers have felt some presence in their green room, including tampering with clothes.
The film city hotel has some stories which include doors locked on their own, and half food eaten if kept for a long time. Patrons experienced words on the mirror too, but no one from the Film City has stated anything about it, and it wouldn’t take a genius to understand the reason.
Legend has it that the film city has the location as the battlefields of Nizam, and these people visiting or doing extra-haunting actions are soldiers that lost their lives during the battle. Whether this is real or not is anyone’s guess, but these activities make it an apt place where fact meets fiction.
Kuldhara village, Rajasthan
You would have seen magic in your life, and while life is the real magic, people visit magic shows to get entertained. Every magician does the trick where they disappear in an instant and appear at some other place instantly. We clap and admire the person’s finesse, but what if this was real and people, not one person but people from an entire village, disappeared from the face of God’s green earth in one night.
Sounds unreal? Let’s get down to the story. Salim Singh, a.k.a, Zalim Singh, was cruel to his people and considered himself powerful than his king. He lusted towards the village chief’s daughter, but before he could make his intentions a reality, the people from the village disappeared in one night. Now, you may think that if one set of people disappeared, some others can come and settle down, and you think you might be right? No.
People from nearby areas confirm that the residents cursed the place before they left, and there was no news on where they went and where they settled. Delhi’s Paranormal Society decided to debunk the haunted claims, only to receive some surprises through the night that left them packing. Rumour has it that people from the Society who tried to refute the claims saw shadows, while others were tapped on their shoulders as if the unseen guest wanted to say Hello. Few members were also formally introduced as name reveal happened with the members of the investigating team.
Bhangarh Fort, Rajasthan
Now that we have shifted bases from the South to the northwestern side of India, it would be wrong to finish the article without mentioning the highest talked places in Paranormal history, The Bhangarh Fort in Rajasthan. The government has cautioned people and put out a sign prohibiting people from visiting it after 6 pm, or sunset, whichever is earlier.
Two stories do rounds about this fort built-in 1573. The first claims that a priest lived in the area, and he affirmed that no building should be greater than his, and the shadow of any monument or house should not fall on his abode. Failing to comply with it, the local king built the fort, and what followed is present in front of us as a fort with the most paranormal activities in the country.
The second story is quite a love and revenge or double-crosses story. People state that there was a wizard in the fort who had a crush on the princess. He created a potion with a spell and exchanged it for the princesses perfume. It wasn’t long before she got the input of his evil intentions and decided to turn the tables on him.
The wizard was on his way for some work when the princess saw him and immediately poured the potion on a boulder which followed the spell and crushed the wizard. The wizard cursed before his death, and people believe that spirits of him and the princess, along with martyrs during the Mughal attack, are still there.
A statement goes around that if you try to go there post dark, you don’t return to your human body, while some believe that the princess and the wizard are still in the fort’s interiors. It is no treacly Chicken Soup for the Soul.
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