Bhangarh Fort
Being amongst the most haunted places in the world, Bhangarh fort isn’t only contemplated as haunted, however, known as a magnificent ancient ruin that was once a huge kingdom.
Sited about 220 km away from Delhi, a place in desperate need of renovation, stones disintegrating on the ground that was once assembled to form walls for the fort have everyone left curious to find out the real story of Bhangarh Fort.
A board placed outside the premise of the Bhangarh fort that prohibits anyone from entering inside the fort after & before sunrise.
Anyone who dares to do so would be liable for strict punishment by the government of India.
The bhangarh fort is now only inhabited by an army of L
During the primeval time, unlike any other forts, Bhangarh wasn’t only a king’s home; it was, in fact, a huge town behind those greater walls that now stands demolished.
There was a market that was in covered with ruins of shops from ancient periods, houses of common & some elite people and at a distance there was the king’s palace constructed at a height, overshadowing the entire town.
The Story Behind Bhangarh Fort
Maharaja Bhagwant das built the Bhangarh fort in 1573. He had 2 sons; the elder one was Man Singh, a renowned general of Mughal Emperor Akbar, and the second one was Madho Singh.
Bhagwant das built the fort as a home for his youngest son Madho Singh who spent his entire life inside the palace.
The fort was named after Bhan Singh who was the grandfather of Madho Singh. Hence the name ‘Bhangarh’.
He took the throne after his son Chhatar Singh died in 1630. Who reigned Bhangarh after Chhatar Singh is still unknown.
After Chhatar Singh’s death, the prosperous Bhangarh fort gradually deteriorated.
However, the Bhangarh fort stayed put as it still has gotten support from the Mughals. Though after the demise of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, Mughal Empire debilitated.
It was around the time when Jai Singh II of Jaipur attacked Bhangarh and attached to his state forcefully in 1720.
The population under Jai Singh II’s reign started diminishing; after that came the great famine, which left the whole town abandoned, and it has remained like that ever since.
At present, no one to date knows what has happened for sure. There isn’t much information about the Bhangarh Fort in any history books, nor has any information contained concerning the kings who reigned there.
The only reason why this place holds a little importance in history is due to Man Singh who was the General of Akbar.
However, according to historians, Bhangarh fort came into the limelight solely because of Jai Singh II’s frequent attacks that forced everyone to leave the place forcefully.
On the other hand, others believe that it was the famine that caused the inhabitants to move out of the place, abandoning it in 1783 and never returned.
Some chroniclers also consider that Bhangarh was populated for several centuries prior it became a regal city in 1573.
It is stated that it was a prosperous town where more than 10,000 people lived in richness.
To date, no one could deny the fact that this small town once possessed grand palaces, beautiful temples, and a well-maintained garden.
It is quite frustrating and fascinating at the same time as to why this place was abandoned a long time ago.
Due to its lack of information, no one could have ever concluded the reason behind the desertion and deterioration of the Bhangarh fort. The available information is based on little conviction & speculations.
However, if we look into the local legends and myths, the story is intriguing and frightening.
Bhangarh Fort Haunted Stories
As per the legends before the commencement of the Bhangarh fort, a monk by the name of Balu Nath lived her alone.
He was a saint who gave up on everything, on every worldly possession, went to the forest to be away from the people, and devoted his whole life to god.
He was not in favor of building a town around his spot since that’d mean many people, a grave amount of disturbances, and outdo every purpose of him residing there.
Albeit, he agreed on one condition after persuading by king Bhagwant das several times- the king’s residence shouldn’t touch his living spot, or the city will be destroyed.
Bhagwant das started working on the construction of the fort and kept his promise. The palace only comprised of 3-4 floors.
Years have passed, and the city is prospering. Gradually Balu Nath’s warning was of no importance, and one of the kings that ruled the town in the future- Ajab Singh, re-constructed the palace and added 3 more floors to the existing levels.
The outcome was destructive as the palace’s shadow touched Bulu Nath’s resident, and consequently, the city perished, just like he predicted.
However, the mystery is still circulating the globe since no one has yet figured out the cause behind the demolishment of such a massive fort.
There’s another version to this story that Balu Nath didn’t mean literally what he said about touching the palace’s shadow to his place.
He only used that as a metaphor to alert the king that he should be left alone and not perturbed by the people.
When the town started prospering, his warning was forgotten by everyone, and as soon as he began to getting disturbed by the people of the town, Balu Nath put a curse to the entire town to decease.
One of the most intriguing facts is that Balu Nath appears to be an immortal; several kings came and went; however, he survived all of the previously reigned rulers. He lived till he saw the doomsday of the town arrived.
Though no one could tell what happened to him after the town has perished.
Some people say that the place where he used to meditate is located in the Bhangarh fort where supposedly haunts the palace every night.
The second legend is related to a princess named Rani Ratnavati. The story is about a one-sided love story that slowly turned into a fascination.
The beauty of princess R
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When she turned 18 years, the marriage proposal from prince of other states started coming for her.
She had several admirers in Bhangarh, and one of them was a ‘tantrik’ by the name Singhia.
He was very much in love with her that his love for her started turning into an obsession even though he was very well aware of the fact she would never say yes to his feelings.
It was one of those days when such people weren’t even allowed even to have a glimpse of the princess, let alone consider marrying such regal people.
One day she went to the market to buy a scented oil with her maids. Singhia saw her at a shop, and he made an evil plan in order to make her his.
He used black magic which would place a spell on the princess and make her surrender herself right after she’d touch the oil.
However, Rani Ratnavat discovered his plan as she saw him putting an enchantment into the oil.
As a result, she threw the bottle away at which the bottle rolled over a stone and broke.
As soon as the bottle of oil touched the rock, the stone started rolling towards the tantric and squashed him.
At the same time, he cursed the whole town with the death of everyone who lived in the town with no resurrection, ever.
Another adaptation of the story goes like- Singhia gave the enchanted oil to one of the princess’s maid as the maid handed over the oil to the princess. She immediately found out about the magic presented inside the oil.
She summoned Singhia in the palace and ceased him as a prisoner and threw the oil at him.
As soon as the oil contacted his body, it allegedly killed him, and he died off a painful death. And it was in his last few moments when he cursed Bhangarh.
The following year, Bhangarh fort was attacked by the neighbouring territory of Ajabgarh.
The battle was intense in which Bhangarh lost, and Rani Ratnawati Bhangarh herself got killed in the fight.
Another story suggests that when the princess threw the oil and hit the ground, it took the shape of a boulder, which slaughtered Singhia.
On his last breath, he cursed the entire town stating the fort would never be inhabited with people and would be perished forever.
Paranormal Activities in Bhangarh Fort
Some still believe that the princess took birth in some other place, and Bhangarh fort is waiting for her return to the palace in order to put an end to the curse.
These stories don’t just end here; recent reports claim several people are dying and hurting themselves because of the ghosts present in the bhangarh fort.
Tarun Aakash, a student, shared his experience wherein he wrote about his accident after he and his friends spent a night in bhangarh.
What’s offbeat was that the only people that got hurt was him and his friends out of 50 people.
An old lady named Rama Devi, who has a water stall right outside the bhangarh fort, says that she has seen bhangarh fort ghosts, witches, and djinns.
And she has been seeing for the past 3 decades. She further asserted that she isn’t scared of them at all since they have their temples built nearby.
Bhangarh Fort Incidents
There was an incident that took place a few years ago inside the establishment of Bhangarh Fort. A man tripped over into the well situated inside the fort.
On his way to the hospital, the car he was in met with an accident and killed the other two passengers, as well.
The entire incident though of to be the work of the evil entities of the bhangarh fort.
As the occurrences are frequent, some believe the legends related to the place are true, whilst some think it is all a made up story.
If we look into these facts sensibly, these stories could simply be put aside.
On the other hand, some are still trying to substantiate the paranormal stories. Others are in an attempt to expose the fort by visiting the place at night.
There are two approaches to the bhangarh fort stories- one is of the people who live near the fort, and the second perspective is of the tourists who visit the place as a consequence of the enticing stories drifting around the internet.
The only way you could discover whether bhangarh fort is haunted or not is by visiting the place yourself.
Some people like to visit a haunted place. People are curious to know about the stories behind them. If you want to visit some more haunted places like bhangarh fort in India, you can read Top 10 Haunted Place in India & Story Behind Them.
Still, the truth couldn’t be denied that in its significant days, it was a magnificent fort, an august example of primitive architecture.
However, everything is gone now. The reinstatement work is in full swing, the lack of care in the past year destroyed the beauty of the palace it once possessed.
Whatever stood there has now disintegrated and currently what’s left is work of ASI reinstatement section.
How to Reach Bhangarh Fort
By road: Bhangarh fort is about 300Km away from Delhi. However, you need to leave early in the morning if you want to reach by sunset. The roads aren’t in a greater condition, don’t let the roads stop you.
Furthermore, you could rent a car, as well, that would take you to Jaipur. The entire trip shall cost you around 10,000- 15,000/-, depending on the vehicle you hire.
By rail: You could opt for Shatabdi Express from New Delhi to Alwar and hire a taxi to the Bhangarh Fort. However, you need to book train tickets in advance.
Keep in mind that Bhangarh has no accommodation such as hotels or restaurants, so you’d need to travel a bit for housing options. It is suggested to bring some food with you for the trip.
Many presume that finding accommodation would be an easy task; many don’t know that as hard as it to get to the bhangarh fort, finding lodging is even harder.
The nearest hotels you could find are situated 60 KM away, and the prices are hefty; enough to burn a middle-class person’s wallet.
Few resorts are available; however, they are 20-25 km away from Bhangarh Fort. Again, the charges aren’t that satisfactory.
Bhangarh Fort Deaths
Even if we looked into this matter in a superstitious perspective, it is considered that animals could sense any ghost before a human could do.
If that’s the case then why the army of Monkeys and Langoors still residing there? Aren’t they too scared of the ghosts haunting there?
Whatever the case may be; true or false, these stories lure tourists, ghost hunters, and scientists for research objectives. Though there aren’t any data regarding how many people died in the fort due to paranormal activities.
Movies Based on Bhangarh Fort
‘Bhaangarh,’ and ‘Trip to Bhangarh- Asia’s most haunted place’ were the two movies that were made inspired by the Bhangarh Fort.
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Bhangarh Fort Complete Guide
Best Time to Visit Bhangarh
There is no special time or season to visit bhangarh. you can visit it any time. But keep in mind bhangarh fort timings.
Timings of Bhangarh Fort
Monday – Sunday
6:00 am – 6:00 pm
Why is Bhangarh Fort Closed at Night
If you are thinking about how to enter bhangarh fort at night? well, it is not allowed to stay at night. It is protected monument by ASI and due to ASI guidelines, Bhangarh fort entry at night is strictly prohibited.
Bhangarh Fort Contact Number
+91-144-2347348|+91-141-2784533
Bhangarh Fort to Jaipur Distance
Bhangarh Fort is approx 85 kilometres far from Jaipur. If you are going via Alwar then it will take 2 hours. From national highway 148 and 248 you can reach Jaipur from bhangarh fort in 2 hours 30 minutes.