Bhangarh
Bhangarh is a village in India that is famous for its historical ruins. It is in the Rajgarh municipality of the Alwar district in the state of Rajasthan. Bhangarh is at the edge of the Sariska Tiger Reserve.
In another version, N.K. SINHA, the wizard who was adept in black magic fell in love with Ratnavati, the princess of Bhangarh who was very beautiful and had suitors to marry her from many royal families of the country. One day the princess, 18 years of age, went shopping with her friends and was buying Ittar (scent). The wizard saw this and replaced the scent with a love potion in order to ensnare the princess. He offered the potion to her so that she would take a liking to him and marry him. However, the princess saw through the wizard's trickery, and when he offered her the bowl of potion, she threw it onto a big boulder nearby. As a result, the boulder started rolling down towards the wizard and crushed him. Before he died, he cursed that Bhangarh would be destroyed soon and no one would be able to live within its precincts. Subsequently, Bhangarh Fort was invaded by the Mughals from the north and the city was surrounded and sacked; 10,000 people lived in the fort city at that time. All the people in the fort, including the princess, were killed. The present state of the fort is attributed to the curse of the wizard and people believe the ghosts in the fort are that of the princess and the wizard. Since that day, it is believed that paranormal activities take place here during the night. Some deaths have been reported due to these paranormal activities, too. There are sayings that some of the people's spirit surrounds the boundary of the fort as no one can enter the premises. The princess's spirit has been forcefully abducted by the wizard. Since then, it is believed to be one of the real spooky attractions in Rajasthan.
Bhangarh is a place between Jaipur and Delhi known for its ruins. Bhangarh is also a pre-historic site. The most remarkable of its buildings are the Hindu Mandir of Gopinath, Shiv (Someshwar), Hanuman, Ganesh, Vishal Devta, Lavina Devi and Keshav Rai. Other buildings include shops along the main road, several havelis, a mosque, and a palace. The palace was protected by two inner fortifications across the valley. The town is separated from the plain by ramparts with five gates.
The town was established in 1573 (VS 1631) during the rule of kaccwaha Rajput ruler of jaipur Bhagwant Das as the residence of his second son Madho Singh ( not Sawai Madho Singh, who ruled at Jaipur.), the younger brother of Emperor Akbar’s general,Man Singh I. Madho Singh participated in many campaigns with his father and brother. The next ruler of Bhangarh was his son Chhatra Singh after whose death in 1630, Bhangarh slowly declined. When the Mughal Empire became weaker after the death of Aurangzeb, Jai Singh II attached Bhangarh to his state by force in 1720. After this Bhangarh diminished in population, and since the famine of 1783 (VS 1840) the town has remained uninhabited.
Entry to Bhangarh is legally prohibited between sunset and sunrise. A signboard posted by ASI (Archaeological Survey of India), which is a Government of India organization, specifies the instructions. While the board is written in Hindi, the instructions on it roughly translate into: "Entering the borders of Bhangarh before sunrise and after sunset is strictly prohibited. Legal action would be taken against anybody who does not follow these instructions". Some other rules are there according to which no one is allowed to graze their animals after sunset.
Although it is a 300-km drive away from Delhi, yet a handful of people know about it. We started driving towards Bhangarh from Delhi early morning, expecting the journey to last not more than four hours. As not many people frequent the place, we did not have any first hand information and took guidance from a map and distance measurements available on the internet.
After crossing Gurgaon we proceeded towards Bhiwadi and turned to Alwar district in Rajasthan. Till this point we did not encounter any problem; it was a nice long drive and a little anxiety about what we would encounter at the fort.
After crossing Gurgaon we proceeded towards Bhiwadi and turned to Alwar district in Rajasthan. Till this point we did not encounter any problem; it was a nice long drive and a little anxiety about what we would encounter at the fort.
The Bhangarh Fort is a 17th-century fort built in the Rajasthan state of India. It was built by Man Singh I (one of the navratans of Akbar's court) for his grandson Madho Singh I. It was named by Madho Singh after his grandfather Man Singh or Bhan Singh.A new village of Bhangarh with a population of 1,306 in 200 households has developed outside the limits of the fort as there is fear of ghosts haunting the old city. The fort and its precincts are well preserved.
Entering through the MAIN gate of the completely ruined fort city - now called the "Bhoot Bangla" or the "House of Ghosts" - gives an eerie feeling that is not proved. Within the fort, at the main entry, one can find temples, palaces and havelis. In addition, there are four more gates of entry to the fort – the Lahori Gate, the Ajmeri Gate, the Phulbari Gate and the Delhi Gate. At the entrance of the main gate, are many Hindu temples such as Hanuman Temple, Gopinath Temple, Someshwar Temple, Keshav Rai Temple, Mangla Devi Temple, Ganesh Temple and Navin Temple. The Gopinath Temple is built above a 14 ft raised plinth and yellow stones are used for the exquisite carvings of the temple. The residence of the priest called the Purohitji Ki Haveli is located in the precincts of the temple complex. Next in order is the Nachan Ki Haveli (dancer's palace) and Jauhari Bazar (market place) followed by the Gopinath Temple. The Royal Palace is located at the extreme end of the fort’s limits.
The temples dedicated to Hanumanand Shiv Mahadev are very elegant but need to be preserved. However, they are built in the style of cenotaphs rather than temples. Jhirri marble has been used in their construction but presently covered by white wash. The Muslim tomb found outside the gate of the fort is reported to be that of one of the sons of King Hari Singh who converted to Islam
A young tourist, Babulal, who was in a group of 10, said: "We all have come to see bhoot bangla (the fort of the ghosts)! We have heard about this place a lot and hence thought of coming once."
As we entered, we saw a Dancers' Haveli and Jauhari Bazar. All dilapidated now, but locals say paranormal activities are observed in these places at night. Further down the sprawling expanse of the fort was the Gopinath Temple, crossing which we reached the Royal Palace. It is located at the farthest end of the fort area.
The architecture of the buildings and the fort speaks volumes of the talent and acumen of the people during the rule of Bhagwant Das who established the town in 1573.
As we entered, we saw a Dancers' Haveli and Jauhari Bazar. All dilapidated now, but locals say paranormal activities are observed in these places at night. Further down the sprawling expanse of the fort was the Gopinath Temple, crossing which we reached the Royal Palace. It is located at the farthest end of the fort area.
The architecture of the buildings and the fort speaks volumes of the talent and acumen of the people during the rule of Bhagwant Das who established the town in 1573.
There are many myths about the place. It is believed that the entire township was obliterated in a day. But no written evidence has been found till date.
Against the backdrop of the Royal Palace stands the Aravalli Range. Bisram Nath, who works in the Someswar Temple said at times wild animals come down from the mountain ranges at night. "A few families like ours stay within the premise. We stay near the Ganesh Temple. The biggest problem is that the area does not have electricity."
Against the backdrop of the Royal Palace stands the Aravalli Range. Bisram Nath, who works in the Someswar Temple said at times wild animals come down from the mountain ranges at night. "A few families like ours stay within the premise. We stay near the Ganesh Temple. The biggest problem is that the area does not have electricity."