Haunted India

I guess it’s no surprise to any of us that India would have a lot of haunted areas given the long and complicated history of that nation.  To Westerners, it’s such an exotic place. One thinks of all the fragrant spices and herbs that permeate their culture from the food, to incense, to medicine, and very likely to toiletries and such. Their magnificent artwork, their fascinating myths and legends, as well as the peoples’ ability to produce highly technical and innovative work and/or products in the business world.

It seems to be a place at odds with itself. For example in their culture, the extreme poverty suffered by those who still seem stuck in an archaic cast system compares poorly to the up and coming educated class that is able to make a living and live a good life.

Perhaps oddest of all, is the Taj Mahal, a monument to love and romantic relationships, a beacon for tourists worldwide that is actually, at its heart, a tomb. In a country filled to the brim with citizens, there are places reported to be occupied only by spirits who have crossed the veil and entered the world beyond.

Researching reported ghost sightings and haunted places in that exotic locale is also fraught with contradictions and problems. Let’s explore some of those.

Dumas Beach, Gujarat

The story goes that Hindus burn their dead on the beach and have done so for a long time. The problem is this beautiful beach is also a tourist destination, and the tourists are the ones claiming to experience some strange phenomena.

People claim they can hear the spirits of the dead as they walk along the beach. Others say that tourists who walk the beach at night have sometimes disappeared for good.

So far I’ve been unable to find any good research that was done in this area. My first thought was the “voices” people hear could be some noise from the grasses being blown by the prevailing wind, or perhaps voices of real people being blown into shore from a party out on a yacht, or a party down around the bend – voices travel in wide open spaces. There’s also a possibility that it could be some earth science creating the noise. I’m thinking here of the singing stones in the American west, and also how areas around volcanoes and gas vents make a lot of noise.

There’s no way to tell what people are hearing. It’s going to take some research by people who are committed to exploring scientifically, using what tools we have available (like a tape recorder to catch the “voices” on tape) and not clowning around.

Dow Hill, Kurseong, West Bengal

This area is reported to be one of the most haunted in India because several murders took place in the nearby forest. Locals believe these poor souls are lingering in the forest.

Caretakers at a local school reported hearing footsteps in the hallways of the Victoria Boys School when the students were off on their 3 month break.

Men working in the forest claim to have seen a headless boy walking in the area, then disappearing into the woods.

Strange and fascinating to be sure, but we need to know the history of that area. Who was killed and why? How long ago did these reports start happening? Has anyone taken any photographic evidence in the hope of catching something on film?

Per my research, it doesn’t seem so.

Shaniwarwada Fort, Pune

Very long ago, a young prince (13 years) was brutally murdered by a relative. People claim that on nights with a full moon, they can hear the shrieks of the young prince during the night.  Who is hearing these shrieks – are they tourists visiting the fort at night for that purpose, or security guards on duty? Or people a mile down the road in a pub? Important details are missing in this story.

Has anyone recorded the shrieking? Has anyone scientifically investigated the area? Not to my knowledge, but the fort is an imposing structure and probably has a long and bloody history associated with it. Definitely worth a proper investigation.

Bhangarh Fort, Rajastahn

This was the most documented haunted site that I found in my research. In fact, I did a blog post about it previously. See this link:

https://visitcryptoville.com/?s=Bhangarh+Fort&x=0&y=0

I’ve seen videos of young people (tweens and teens) “investigating” the area, but they do so very haphazardly, very unscientifically, and with a lot of unnecessary noise and graphics pummeling your senses as you try to get through their videos.

At some points, some of their friends “jump out” in front of the camera like they’re some kind of apparition. If they DID catch any legitimate evidence on their videos, you’d never know it because it would be lost in all the hype and nonsense that pervades these kinds of videos.

Need for Serious Research

That gets us to the problem. Sure, they have LOTS of ancient historical places over there that more than likely have some paranormal activity. But the approach used to “investigate” it (from what I’ve seen on the internet) is immature, dishonest, and downright ridiculous. Young people seem to be posting these videos and they’re very poorly done. If I could speak to them, I’d share these thoughts with them:

Most people have a camera and a tape/audio recorder. That’s all one needs to start a serious investigation. Keep the number of investigators to a minimum. Be sure everyone knows they are there to do serious work.

Most importantly, DON’T add all that silly noise and those melodramatic graphics to your video because that’s an instant red flag to NOT take your work seriously.

If you don’t feel safe going on a real investigation, then don’t go. Every time you try to provoke the spirit world, you put yourself in danger because demons reside there in abundance. See my article on “Are Ghosts Real” in this blog for more information.

Remember, not everything you see and hear is paranormal. There are logical, rational explanations for a lot of things. Try to explain away anything you see and hear, and if you can’t, then maybe you’ll have some real evidence of the paranormal.

Til the next time!

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