Is Bhangarh really haunted?
Exploring Bhangarh and Chand Bawri with Saffron Stays
Bhangarh, the name itself sends a shiver down the spine! One of the most haunted places in India and perhaps the world, the Bhangarh fort in the land of Rajasthan has always been dared to be visited. A few weeks back when we went for a weekend getaway from Delhi to Jaipura Garh, we happened to visit Bhangarh and Chand Bawri as they were close by. I personally was quite excited about visiting both these places during my trip because both were my first visits. Having never been to Bhangarh the feeling of experiencing something unusual was exciting and frightening both at the same time. As we were a group of 8 visiting Bhangarh together, everyone had their share of excitement before visiting the fort.
The journey to explore Bhangarh and Chand Bawri from Saffron Stays Jaipura Garh started around 9 in the morning. All thanks to the staff at Saffron Stays, we were quite full with the delicious breakfast and set for the day. The distance from Jaipura Garh to Bhangarh Fort was around 100kms to be covered in a span of two and a half hours. On the way to Bhangarh Fort everyone was busy browsing the internet looking for articles on Bhangarh and preparing themselves.
The story behind Bhangarh:
There have been various stories about the Bhangarh Fort. The one we got to know from the locals was that of a queen and a tantrik who lived on a hill top and used to admire the queen for her beauty. The tantrik wanted the queen to surrender to him and thus tried to play black magic on her through the hair oil used by the queen. The queen got to know about the foul play and ordered for the tantrik to leave Bhangarh immediately. The tantrik cursed that no one would survive in the entire village of Bhangarh. Thus, everyone left the village and never returned. Whoever tried to come back to the village or stayed overnight could not survive. Thus, the village is believed to be cursed ever since.
As we started approaching Bhangarh, the roads became deserted and there was a patch of barren land on both the sides spiking the spooky feeling in us.
On reaching the Bhangarh Fort, the one thing that we noticed was it was least commercialized. No tickets, no paid services like guide, etc., no shops selling different articles around the fort, it was quieter as compared to the other forts. Definitely a multiplier for the haunted feelings.
As we were walking towards the fort, we could find a lot of langurs on the way. They were many in number but the best part was they were not harmful. However, a piece of advice is to keep your hands free as it may attract any undue attention from them. As we reached the entrance gate of the fort, the grandeur of the gate suggested that it would have been enormous in its full glory.
As we entered the main gate we found a temple on our right. Just the blessings we needed before entering the haunted premises. The first look at the fort in its ruins suggested that it must have been grand when it existed. The entire fort seemed interesting and had a story to tell. We also found many families there who had come to spend some good time with their loved ones there while exploring the fort.
We spent a good two hours there at the fort. Went to the various sections, even the innermost ones, clicked pictures, created videos and above all waited for something uncommon to happen. To our disappointment, everything at Bhangarh was just normal. The time spent there, the families which came there, our group members, no one experienced anything uncommon. We were happy and disappointed at the same time as we had gone there with some expectations of experiencing something unusual.
Next in line for the day was the Chand Bawri at Abhaneri. A step well located at a distance of approximately 60km from Bhangarh the Chand Bawri has been famous for being featured in some famous Hollywood and Bollywood movies especially the Dark Knight Rises and Bhool Bulaiya. This step well was located right opposite to the Harshat Mata temple which had a sense of calmness around it. After spending some time at both the Chand Bawri and the Harshat Mata temple we all decided to have a hot ginger tea at the local tea stall. A much-needed refreshment to beat the day’s fatigue.
After some Chai and gup-shup, we all started back for the Saffron Stays Jaipura Garh where our special Rajasthani Cuisine was waiting for us. The day long affair with Bhangarh and Chand Bawri in Abhaneri helped us know about the history and culture of Rajasthan in a deeper way and we can’t thank Saffron Stays enough for arranging the trip for us.
A 3-day itinerary suggested by Saffron Stays:
Day 1: Reach Saffron Stays Jaipura Garh by lunch. Enjoy the day at leisure after a scrumptious lunch meal. Go out and explore the village on a camel cart and enjoy other activities in the house live portray, folk dance etc.
Day 2: Start early and move to places like Jaipur, Bhangarh and Abhaneri for the day. Return home in the evening to enjoy the amazing Rajasthani cuisine in a proper Rajasthani set up.
Day 3: Meet the owner of Jaipura Garh and talk to know more about the beautiful property and leave for home with beautiful memories. This is the best time to plan your stay for the upcoming extended weekend holidays. You can book your Saffron Stays Jaipura Garh here.