One of the most popular destinations in Rajasthan, Bhangarh, located in the Alwar district, is referred to as the ‘most haunted place in India’. Built in the seventh century by Madhav Singh, the son of the Maharaja of Amer, the Bhangarh Fort has a main palace and a village with more than 9000 houses. While several legends suggest occult-based stories about the haunting of the fort complex, a sign by the Archaeological Survey of India outside the fort warns people to not stay in the fort after dusk. While the fort has some exquisite town planning, looking at the ruins of an entire town, with royal palaces, ceiling- less homes, empty temples and a stranded market area do lend a degree of eeriness to the town.

The story of Kuldhara is a well-known yet unfathomable legend. Located at a distance of about 18 km from Jaisalmer, Kuldhara is a village that lies abandoned since the 1800s. According to folklore, the Kuldhara villagers used to pay their taxes to an unscrupulous minister, Salim Singh. On a visit to the town, the minister’s eyes fell on the beautiful daughter of the village chief. Laying a claim on the girl, the minister threatened to impose exaggerated taxes on the villagers if he couldn’t marry the girl. To save his daughter from the tyrannical minister, the chief of the village, as well as the chiefs of 84 other villages in the town, decided to leave Kuldhara. Within one night, 85 villages full of people were abandoned, and till date, no one knows where they went, for no one actually saw them leave. Kuldhara remains in the state it was when it was abandoned, and creates an eerie ambiance for all those who visit to see the remains of so many lives and homes, the occupants of which vanished overnight.

Near Pushkar is a quaint little area known as Sudhabay. While not many people visit the place, the area celebrates an annual ‘Ghost Fair’ when people from all over come to Sudhabay to get rid of the spirits they say possess them. This place also has a lake, the waters of which are considered to very sacred. Residents of the area take bath in the lake to stay protected from the negative energies that float around. The annual Sudhabay ghost fair sees a motley bunch of people and some highly unusual rites that are odd enough to give one some goose-bumps, but if you’ve always wanted to witness exorcisms, Sudhabay is the place to visit. While you are there, make sure you take a dip in the holy lake after. All in all, this is definitely not a place for the faint of heart.