Bhangarh Fort Alwar

Bhangarh Fort is known as the most haunted place in India, and perhaps the greatest unsolved mystery. There is no doubting the fact that anything associated with the supernatural attracts a huge amount of attention and the deserted city of Bhangarh cashes in on that very idea. The many haunted stories of Bhangarh Fort have transformed it into a bucket list destination of sorts. Curious travellers come in order to experience cheap thrills and while some go back disappointed, others simply cannot have enough of the suspense associated with the story of the Bhangarh Fort. If you happen to be one of those inquisitive travellers, it is imperative for you to visit this place and find out for yourself.

The fort and the town of Bhangarh are believed to be haunted since many centuries. There are several legends associated with the palace. According to one story, the town was cursed by a magician Guru Balu Nath who had sanctioned the construction of the town on one condition that the city will be destroyed the moment the shadow of the palaces touch him. In ignorance, Ajab Singh, son of Madho Singh, raised the height of the palace, causing the devastation of Bhangarh. Balu Nath is said to be buried there to this day in a small Samadhi. As per another story, a tantrik who fell in love with Princess of Bhangarh, Ratnavati, cursed that the whole area be destroyed.

Bhangarh Fort, now in ruins, is surrounded by a ruined wall. It has four gates namely Lahori Gate, Ajmeri Gate, Phulbari Gate and Delhi Gate. Inside the fort, there is a Dancer's Haveli and Jauhari Bazar. Natural springs, waterfalls, gardens, havelis, banyan trees and temples of Lord Someshwar, Gopinath, Mangala Devi and Keshava Rai can also be found in the fort. There is also a secluded chhatri, atop an elevated hill that overlooks the town and fort of Bhangarh.

History of Bhangarh Fort
The history of Bhangarh fort goes back to17th century during the rule of King Akbar. It was assumed to be built by Man Singh 1, one of the court men also called Navarathnas of Akbar’s palace for his brother Madho Singh 1 in 1793 AD.The ruins of the palace sit at the foot of slope terrains with a pond surrounded by trees and a natural stream of water falling into the pond in the fort premises. The Archeological Survey of India, the body that is responsible for the preserving the historical monuments of India has put up an ASI marked board at the starting of the fort stating the entry is restricted before sunrise and after sunset into the Bhangarh fort which is usually put at the haunted places in India.

The tales behind the haunting of Bhangarh fort goes in two different directions with narration of two different stories. One detailing about a holy sadhu’s (priest) curse of anger resulting in collapse of the fort and the dynasty alongwith the villagers who vanished and the second one being a tantric (person performing dark magic) well versedin occult and dark magic who jinxed the fort to destruction. There go many tracks to these stories changing the facts and myths from one person to another. But the most perceived stories can be stated as such.

There lived a sadhu Guru Balu Nath on the hills in the area where Bhangarh fort was to be built. Consulting with the holy sadhu about the construction, Raja Bhagwant Singh, father of Madho Singh and Man Singh gave orders to put the foundation for the fort agreeing to the condition put forth by sadhu Balu Nath. The condition was that the shadows of the palace should not fall or cover the home of sadhu Balu Nath, if done so the fort would be ruined to shreds. The Bhangarh fort was built in accordance with the condition put forth by the sadhu up to a certain limit but eventually the king started neglecting the sadhu’s words and the fort kept expanding until the extent where the shadows reached the sadhu’s home. That was when the sadhu Balu Nath cursed the doom of the kingdom, hence it was destroyed and eventually the village around slowly was abandoned. It was rumored that after the fall of the fort trials were made to reconstruct but the roofs always collapsed and no houses were further built.

The Tantric’s curse holds the responsibility of the shambling of Bhangarh fort according to some legends. Princess Ratnavati was the daughter of Chatr Singh who was spoken of, as the jewel of Rajasthan. Suitors from all over the country wanted to woo her in marriage and just then a tantric versed with black magic fell in love with the princess at the sight of her. But he was certain of the fact that it would be impossible to attain her. The tantric hence planned the use of black magic in persuasion of owning her. As he recognized the princess’s fascination for perfumes from the market, he cast a potion spell on the perfume bought for the princess to attain her love. Ultimately the princess got aware of his intentions and crashed the bottle which turned to a boulder and the tantric was killed under it. In the moments before he took his last breath, the tantric cursed the kingdom, villagers and the princess to death. Later in days, the kingdom was invaded by the Mughal emperors and fell as bait, where, as told by folklores all the people of the fort as well as the princess perished. The fort is assumed to be haunted by the tantric’s ghost till date and is anticipated that princess will be reborn in the palace then will the ghost of tantric be gone.

The Ghost Stories – Legend of the Fort
India is a land of mysticism and paranormal stories. At every turn, you come face to face with something ancient and mysterious. Bhangarh with its royalty, setting in Rajasthan and a prehistoric presence is no exception to this. While you can hear all about the roaming spirits of the restless or impure souls from the locals or from tourists who claim to have felt a presence, all these stories have their roots at two of the legends that surround the fort and its ruins.

The first legend is that within the fort walls lived a sadhu named Guru Balu Nath and his permission to build the fort was sought first by Man Singh I and that while the sadhu did give the king permission, he also laid a condition that under no circumstance should the fort create a shadow over his house and if that happens then the city will perish. The king swore on this but his descendants failed to keep the oath and as a result of the broken oath, the curse befell Bhangarh.

The second and more popular legend is that Princess Ratnavati who was a very beautiful woman caught the attention of Tantrik Singhia, a well-versed magician, who practiced dark arts. He tried to win her over but she kept refusing him. He then resorted to using magic on her by hiding a love potion in her perfume. But, the princess came to know of this and she poured the entire bottle over a huge boulder which crushed the tantric. Before breathing his last, the tantric placed a curse on the town which led to its destruction.

Rajasthan the land of royals and the land of fairs and festivals attracts the visitors from across the world. The state is a perfect tourist destination for people who want to make their trip memorable and unforgettable. The state offers many adventurous and thrilling activities like Camel Safari amidst the sand dunes of the desert areas and Wildlife safari in the national parks of Ranthambore. The state is home to many alluring cities lie the city of Lake Udaipur, golden city Jaisalmer, pink city Jaipur, sun city Jodhpur, holy city Pushkar, only hill station Mount Abu and the desert city Bikaner.

Rajasthan is famous for its grand and majestic palaces that narrate the tales of the glorious past and that can be best covered with Fort and Palaces Tour Packages. Amer fort perched on hilltop, City Palace reflecting grandeur of Jaipur, Hawa Mahal in Jaipur, City Palace, Monsoon Palace in the city of Lakes Udaipur, Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur and Jaisalmer Fort in Jaisalmer are some of the fort and palace attractions of Rajasthan. The state is famous for its heritage hotels which were earlier residence of royal family members but now are converted into the heritage hotels. Some of the heritage hotels of Rajasthan are Umaid Bhawan Palace which is divided into three parts and the three parts serve as heritage hotel, museum, and royal residence respectively, Royal wedding, and Rajasthan Cookery classes which takes the visitors in the bygone era. Rajasthan is land of diverse culture which still has the touch of royalty, history, ethnicity, and vibrancy. The various Jaipur Wax Museum are organized like Palace which takes the visitors on the royal and splendid journey giving the glimpse of the lifestyle of Maharajas of bygone. The Special tour of Rajasthan gives an opportunity to get a glimpse of the exotic places along with the music, art, craft and delicious cuisines of Rajasthan.