Fort Bhangar is considered one of the most terrifying places in India. They say that the once blooming city was empty in one day, but now ghosts live in its ruins. Local authorities prohibit visiting the fort after sunset.
And that's why …
In 1613, Maharaja Bhan Singh I built the Bhangar fort for his grandson. In 1720, the fortress was captured by the founder of Jaipur, Jai Singh II. In 1783, there was a famine in Rajasthan: the inhabitants of Bhangar left the city in search of food.
Scientists still do not know exactly why the Bhangarh Fort was empty. It is believed that the city became depopulated in almost one day. According to one version, the residents left the city in fear of a natural disaster. According to another version, all the inhabitants of the fort were massacred during the war. The second version is less likely, since archaeologists have not found any traces of the battle in the Bhangar fortress. According to the third version, hunger was the cause of the devastation.
Locals prefer to believe in beautiful legends associated with the rise, prosperity and fall of Bhangar.
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One legend tells of a sage named Baba Balanat and his curse. Once the maharaja decided to build a fortress on the territory where the sage lived. Maharaja went to the ascetic and asked permission to build a new fortress. The sage allowed, but demanded that no building in the new city cast a shadow over his dwelling. Baba Balanat warned the Maharaja that as soon as the shadow of one of the buildings falls on the sage's hut, the city will be destroyed.
Maharaja remembered the words of the ascetic and did not build tall buildings in the fortress. The city developed and grew. The descendants of the Maharaja became proud and forgot about the sage's warning. They decided to build a tall building to symbolize the wealth and prosperity of the Bhangar Fort. But as soon as the shadow of the building fell on the sage's hut, the city was punished.
Another legend says that a sorcerer who studied black magic fell in love with the princess Bhangara Ratnavati. The princess was so beautiful that the heirs of all the royal families of India asked for her hand.
When the princess was 18 years old, she and her friends went to the market and bought perfume. The sorcerer saw this and changed the perfume for a potion that was supposed to make the princess fall in love with the warlock. However, Ratnavati noticed the change and smashed the bottle against a huge stone. At the same moment, the stone began to move and crushed the sorcerer. Before his death, the magician managed to shout a curse: Bhangar will be destroyed, and no one will live in the ghost town.
Some time after the death of the sorcerer, the Mughals attacked the fortress. At that time, 10,000 people lived in the city: the invaders did not leave anyone alive. Since then, no one has lived in the Bhangar fortress, and the villagers believe that the ghosts of the princess and the sorcerer appear in the fort at night.
Today the Bhangar fort is often called Bhoot Bangla, which translates from Indian as "house of ghosts." Among the ruins of the fortress you can see temples, palaces and houses. Five gates lead to the fortress. Not far from the main gate are Hindu temples dedicated to Hanuman, Ganesha and other gods.
One of the most beautiful buildings is the Gopinath Temple, whose walls are decorated with carvings. The city also features the Nachan Ki Haveli, the Market Square and the Royal Palace. Outside the gates of the fortress, there is a mausoleum of one of the sons of King Hari Singh, who converted to Islam.
You can visit Bhangar only during the day. Local authorities have banned visits to the fort at night. On the wall of the fort hangs an official warning from the Archaeological Society of India: "Visiting Bhangarh from dusk to dawn is strictly prohibited."
You can get to the Bhangar Fort from Delhi, Jaipur, Alwar and Sariska. The distance to Delhi is 235 km, to Jaipur - 53 km, to Alwar - 84 km, to Sarisk - 47 km.
Fun Fact: In 2014, the Indian horror film Trip to Bhangarh was released.
Nowadays, the city lives only during the day, when crowds of tourists visit it. At night, the ruins of the city remain deserted. The Indian government is not afraid that after sunset some vandals will be able to harm historical buildings, since at night only those who wish to stay there forever will not be afraid to stick their nose there.
When it was decided to create a guard for Bhangar for the night, it turned out that there were no people willing to start this work for any money.