Bhangarh is a village situated in Rajgarh, Alwar, Rajasthan, India. It is famous for its historical ruins and is considered to be world’s most haunted fort. It is situated in the Rajgarh municipality of the Alwar district in Rajasthan. Bhangarh is at the edge of the Sariska Tiger Reserve. It is 65 Kms (1.5 Hrs) away from Jaipur. This city vanished overnight and all that remains is ruin.
The Bhangarh fort was built by the Kachwaha ruler of Amer, Raja Bhagwant Singh, for his younger son Madho Singh in 1573 AD. Madho Singh was the younger brother of Emperor Akbar’s general, Man Singh. Madho Singh was succeeded by his son Chatar Singh. It was Chatar Singh’s son Ajab Singh who built the fort of Ajabgarh.
Most people are of the belief that Bhangarh Fort is haunted and there is no dearth of tales that help in amplifying the mystery that is Bhangarh. Venturing into the fort after sunset is nothing short of an act of bravery as it is supposed to be a center for paranormal activity and the Archaeological Survey of India therefore has prohibited people from visiting the Bhangarh Fort at night. Out of many theories about the Fort’s current deserted state, but A Tantrik’s (Witchcraft) curse is wildly believed to be true.
There was a beautiful princess Ratnavati, daughter of Chatar Singh. She was the jewel of Rajasthan. Ratnavati was much younger than her stepbrother Ajab Singh, and was loved by all while Ajab Singh was notorious. Tales of her beauty and delightful temperament spread far and wide and she received many marriage proposals. A tantrik priest, who was well versed in black magic, fell in love with her. But knowing that he didn’t stand a chance with the beautiful princess, he tried to cast a spell on her. Seeing the princess’ maid buying perfume for her in the village, he cast a spell on it so that Ratnavati would fall in love with him. Ratnavati came to know of this and threw the bottle. It turned into a boulder and hit the tantrik. He was crushed under its weight, but before he died, he cursed the princess, her family, and the entire village. The next year, a battle was fought between the forces of Bhangarh and Ajabgarh, which led to the death of Ratnavati and most of the army.
Another story goes like that there was a war of Witchcraft between The Tantrik & the Queen of Bhangarh & everything got destroyed. It is believed that it was due to this curse that no one in the village or fort could be reborn, no home can have a roof. After that, many times people tried to build roofs, but by any circumstances, it collapses. it is forever condemned to desolation and is inhabited by ghosts.
There is another story too. Apparently there was a sadhu, Guru Balu Nath, living on top of the hill on which Raja Bhagwant Singh built the fort. His only condition for letting the fort be built there was that it should never cast a shadow on his dwelling. This condition was honored by all except Ajab Singh, who added columns to the fort that cast a shadow on the ascetic’s house. The angry sadhu’s curse led to the ruin of the fort and the surrounding villages. A small stone hut, known as tantrik ki chatri, overlooks the fort.
The truth seems to be that after Chatar Singh’s death, since Ajab Singh had already established a new fort, the population of the area dwindled. A famine in 1783 forced the remaining villagers to seek new avenues. In 1720, Raja Jai Singh, grandson of Man Singh, attached Bhangarh to his estate.
Inside the fort, There is a long road lined on both sides with ruins. These were the jauhri bazaars, houses of dancing girls (Nachni ki Haveli). There are also some magnificent banyan trees. At present, the mostly fort is in ruins, It still has a mysterious 3 storied grand structure. On the left side of access road, there is The Gopinath temple, a fine sample of that times architecture, beautiful step well.
Entry into Bhangarh Fort is prohibited between sunset and sunrise by Archaeological Survey of India . It is ranked the most haunted fort in world.
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