Journeys and Jottings

People Make Places - Issue 40

Oct 27, 2022

Hello and welcome to Journeys and Jottings. The last week has beem filled with several beautiful and enchanting moments as the festive spirit is still lingering in the air though the celebrations around Deepavali are over, Even as I write this, the house is lit with scented candles and I find myself lost in the different fragrances as the warm tones fill the mind with a sense of gratitude. Here is wishing that all of you have had a bright and beautiful Deepavali and am wondering, if you are like me, feeling reluctant to get back to work.

But then this is India and we are forever celebrating and so what Dussehra and Deepavali are over - we have Halloween now and even if its not really a traditional festival, I am already getting messages , inviting me for a few spooky parties (apparently its a thing now ). No, I am not going for any of them, but I just thought that I will bring in a bit of mysticism and mystery in this issue. Bhangarh tops the list when it comes to the most haunted fort in India. And I am also sharing a story from Oman on djinns and forts. But first, lets unearth some history and see some tombs in the ancient Necropolis of Ibiza, that dates over 3000 years ago.

Puig des Molins - Ancient Necropolis in Ibiza

Descending deep into the recesses of the earth and peering through the dark caverns, I can see tombs with skeletal remains and burial items scattered amidst some of them. I am in Puig des Molins, or the City of Dead in Ibiza. Surrounded by olive trees. this rocky shrubland was chosen by the Phonecians, the original founders of Ibiza as their ancient burial ground and it houses over 3000 tombs, with the oldest dating back to the 7th century.

The Necropolis, with its burial caverns is also one of the UNESCO Heritage Sites of Ibiza and here you can actually see the remnants of the gravesite and city’s cemetery. It was not just the Phonecians, but also Punics and Romans who used this as burial ground. Excavated remains have shown how every civlisation buried, cremated and even celebrated their dead. Some tombs contained material possessions as the Phonecians believed that their kin would need them in their afterlife. You can go underground to see the warren of caves with stone coffins with burial items and skeletal remains.

There is also an Archaeological Museum here, which showcases the items like amulets to vases, figurines to weapons, coins to jewellery that have been excavated. Each room gives you a glimpse of their burial rites and their beliefs, be it about life, death and the after life. Sometimes the dead tell you more about life than the living. Do you agree ?

Bhangarh Fort - India’s Most Haunted

“It was almost evening and we wanted to leave immediately. It was suddenly dark. We were walking down a narrow staircase and we felt something, like a movement and then one of my friends started screaming and acting weird and saying all kinds of things. We tried shaking him but he just ran out of the palace towards the Shiv Mandir and collapsed. He had no idea what had happened to him,” said Pushpendra, my travel companion as we drove from Jaipur to Alwar in Rajasthan. We were heading to one of the sinister ghost towns in India. Pushpendra was narrating his experience at Bhangarh Fort Rajasthan, believed to be the most haunted place in India.

Pushpendra continued his story of Bhangarh Fort. “There is something out there but I cannot explain it to you. On another trip, my ex-colleague had a similar experience. She started crying and again fell by the temple. We tried to help her but she was dazed. Locals told us that the Shiva temple is the only place where we can feel safe from the spirits. ” he added as we entered the portals of the Bhangarh Fort Rajasthan.

Located in Rajasthan, Bhangarh is a small hamlet in Alwar and was once a kingdom, ruled by the Kachwaha Rajputs. Today it is one of the ghost towns of India and believed to be one of the top ten haunted places in India. The Bhangarh fort Rajasthan was built by the ruler of Amber, Raja Bhagwant Singh, for his younger son Madho Singh in 1573 AD. However it has been abandoned for years, some say since the famine in the 18th century. Ruins of the 16h-century palace and fort along with temples, step-wells, and monuments are strewn around here.

The village is mired in legends of sorcerers and black magic, Locals believe that the village which was apparently destroyed overnight comes alive after sunset, but with spirits. Ghosts apparently haunt the ruins and their favourite is the old palace. Apparently once a year they even have a ghost fest of sorts where they all congregate here for a “conference” of sorts. No wonder locals call it one of the haunted ghost towns of India.

Legends say that a sorcerer lived here and was smitten by Rani Ratnavati, who was one of the most beautiful princess . She was the daughter of Maharaja Chatr Singh and the sister of Ajab Singh. The black magician apparently cast a spell on her. He watched her maid buy perfume at the market and added a love potion to it. But the princess got wind of his plans and threw the bottle from her palace. It morphed into a boulder that flew all the way and killed the magician.

However he cursed the princess and declared that the town will be abandoned forever. A battle soon followed between Bhangarh and the neighbouring Ajabgarh, resulting in the death of the princess. According to the locals, the spirits ensure that no humans will be born here and no one survives, if they live here. Even houses collapse if anyone tries to build one in the vicinity. That probably explains why the closest village is over five kilometres away.

Crumbling ruins of the erstwhile village greeted us as we entered the palace complex. There was a sense of desolation around. Palaces, temples, mansions, fortresses lay in crumbles. We were the only tourists around. A few locals from the neighbouring village walked around near the temples. A group of boys wandered around the rubble of old havelis or mansions.

Tales of Djinns from Bahla Fort in Oman

My trip to Oman starts with a ghost story and a haunted fort. It is a hot afternoon and I am standing at the foot of a formidable fort, which was built over 700 years ago. The blue sky is cloudless and the sun is rather merciless today. But am in a mood to listen to some haunted tales and folklore related to black magic in Oman. And this when my guide Saleh tells me , “This fort was built by a ghost in just one night.“

I look at him rather incredulously as the amazing story teller that he is stands upon a small mound and begins to narrate. I am at the imposing citadel which is the 13th century Bahla Fort, one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites which is around 200 kms from Muscat. According to the story, Bahla Fort Oman was threatened by an attack from a neighbouring kingdom and the ruler reached out to a djinn or a spirit to help them. A formidable fort was built apparently overnight and the opponents beat a hasty retreat after just looking at it.

But the story does not end there. Bahla is surrounded by an aura of occult and magic. Every stone here tells a story. As I huff and puff my way up the fortress which is surrounded by a wall that is 12 kms long, I hear from Saleh that Bahla Fort has several legends of genies and ghosts haunting it. One of the legends relating to black magic in Oman is rather ominous. Apparently there was a man who was stoned to death here thousands of years ago by the locals for practising witchcraft. However people even today believe that his spirit haunts the town as well. Saleh tells us that locals believe that his spirit may be wandering around the narrow alleys of the town, the desolated walls and the old crumbling ruins. He says that even the walls may have an eerie feel to them. But I am told that trees are bewitched and people here believe that if you touch a mere branch , you may just vanish into thin air.

The silence is eerie indeed as we walk around the fort. The occult and the supernatural always fascinate me. There is another story here and this time, Saleh narrates to us the story of a flying mosque that came up around the town. Three Sufi saints lived in a hillock near the fort. It is believed that they could communicate with djinns who flew in a mosque from a neighbouring town and parked it here. However everything lies in crumbles today and the town, which was once Oman’s capital is now getting a makeover apparently under UNESCO guidance.

Have you been on a road trip in Oman ? And do you like ghost stories and towns and haunted tales from an abandoned village ? Do share your experiences.

Feedback and an announcement

I do hope that you enjoyed reading this issue. Looking forward to your feedback as always.

But before that here is an announcement. If you are looking for the People Make Places section , then you will have to come back next week. Journeys and Jottings will now be a weekly and People Make Places will be a separate section by itself, where you can meet fascinating and inspiring people as always.

We are going to keep the flow of conversations going and I would really appreciate it if you will share my newsletter with your friends and family.

See you soon! You can also read my travel stories on my blog and follow me on my social media.

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