The supernatural has always fascinated PashaTuks- more since one has never experienced or even sighted a ghost, despite best attempts. Visits to the most haunted places, cemeteries, burning ghats, burial grounds , haunted buildings - nothing ever yielded anything worth reporting.
The mind has always found a logical human solution to everything unexplained.
A random click on a link promising to reveal the 13 most haunted places in Delhi had the pulse racing for adventure once more.
The scaredy cats in the team backed out and the non believers camera on the shoulder and excitement in the psyche moved on.
The journey started with Bhuli Bhattiyari ka Mahal. Bu- Ali Bhatti was the female caretaker of this hunting lodge of Firoze Shah Tughlaq. The name got twisted over the centuries to its current name and it is reputed to be the place where a lot of unearthly activities take place.
The closest Metro Station is Jhandewalan Station- its a 15 minutes walk through the narrow bylane going in from Bagga link automobiles.Within minutes of walking from the overpopulated noisy hustle bustle roads of central Delhi, a different world hits you.
Little has been said about the ridge area of Delhi -woody expanses, meandering roads, stillness that is deafening despite being so close to the hustle bustle.
walking to this monument may not be exactly the best option if one is going alone or there are ladies only, given Delhis reputation and the places isolated nature.The place has a lot of police support, which makes one wonder if criminal activities are commonplace in the area.Would not be surprising given the loneliness of the place and the absolute privacy that it offers.
It is clear that not many people come here- there are no broken beer bottles or plastic wrappings that are so common place in areas more frequented by tourists, youngsters and lovers, yet the place is a dream come true for people who seek to get away from the daily humdrum.
Theres nothing much to see here - the lodge itself is broken down unkempt, wild flora growing all over.And definitely no GHOSTS.
Even the odd local we spotted in the vicinity told us that there were no ghosts.
The only odd thing that we did spot was a clump of human hair hanging on the branches of a tree, almost as if it has been ripped off the scalp. A couple of burnt grass patches- maybe in the evening the tantriks try their numbo jumbo and spread tales of Ghosts to ward off unwanted people.
Whatever it is team Pashatuks reports that the place is a beautiful area for nature lovers, lovely nature trails, unspoiled hilly terrain - close proximity to public transport makes it an ideal day outing for people looking to get away from crowded parks. The DDA park opposite the lodge makes an ideal picnic ground.
Disappointed at the lack of GHOSTS but happy to have found a good place to unwind with loved ones, we moved on to the next supposedly haunted place on our list- Nicholson Cemetery.
The location is very near to the Kashmere Gate InterState Bus Terminal. On the main road of civil lines, one almost misses the entry due to the buses that stop there. One can drive right into the Cemetery. Photography is not allowed without permission from the church.Graves as old as 250 year old are found here and the place is unkempt- like an unloved child - the very essence of cemeteries is the tranquility, but thats missing here due to the huge rush of traffic. Marked and unmarked graves tie lie neglected. The only soul is the gardener there who informed us very candidly that there were no ghosts. This area sees multiple burials in the same plot - and that it takes 10 years for the human body to go from "ashes to ashes and dust to dust"
Interestingly we came to know that burials are a rather expensive affair with wood coffins costing as much as INR 12000 and marble plaques INR 80,000.
If it were not so morbid,it would have been funny- a gentleman who sells these funeral goods, even gave us his visiting card and asked us to contact him anytime we needed his services. Marketing in a graveyard- with eerie people like him around, even the ghosts would look for solace elsewhere.
Disappointing first day- but Pashatuks doesn't give up- the journey will continue as we try to meet some ghosts, or even experience some ghostly sensations. Watch this space for more on the surreal- if at all it exists!!!
The mind has always found a logical human solution to everything unexplained.
A random click on a link promising to reveal the 13 most haunted places in Delhi had the pulse racing for adventure once more.
The scaredy cats in the team backed out and the non believers camera on the shoulder and excitement in the psyche moved on.
The journey started with Bhuli Bhattiyari ka Mahal. Bu- Ali Bhatti was the female caretaker of this hunting lodge of Firoze Shah Tughlaq. The name got twisted over the centuries to its current name and it is reputed to be the place where a lot of unearthly activities take place.
The closest Metro Station is Jhandewalan Station- its a 15 minutes walk through the narrow bylane going in from Bagga link automobiles.Within minutes of walking from the overpopulated noisy hustle bustle roads of central Delhi, a different world hits you.
Little has been said about the ridge area of Delhi -woody expanses, meandering roads, stillness that is deafening despite being so close to the hustle bustle.
walking to this monument may not be exactly the best option if one is going alone or there are ladies only, given Delhis reputation and the places isolated nature.The place has a lot of police support, which makes one wonder if criminal activities are commonplace in the area.Would not be surprising given the loneliness of the place and the absolute privacy that it offers.
It is clear that not many people come here- there are no broken beer bottles or plastic wrappings that are so common place in areas more frequented by tourists, youngsters and lovers, yet the place is a dream come true for people who seek to get away from the daily humdrum.
Theres nothing much to see here - the lodge itself is broken down unkempt, wild flora growing all over.And definitely no GHOSTS.
Even the odd local we spotted in the vicinity told us that there were no ghosts.
The only odd thing that we did spot was a clump of human hair hanging on the branches of a tree, almost as if it has been ripped off the scalp. A couple of burnt grass patches- maybe in the evening the tantriks try their numbo jumbo and spread tales of Ghosts to ward off unwanted people.
Whatever it is team Pashatuks reports that the place is a beautiful area for nature lovers, lovely nature trails, unspoiled hilly terrain - close proximity to public transport makes it an ideal day outing for people looking to get away from crowded parks. The DDA park opposite the lodge makes an ideal picnic ground.
Disappointed at the lack of GHOSTS but happy to have found a good place to unwind with loved ones, we moved on to the next supposedly haunted place on our list- Nicholson Cemetery.
The location is very near to the Kashmere Gate InterState Bus Terminal. On the main road of civil lines, one almost misses the entry due to the buses that stop there. One can drive right into the Cemetery. Photography is not allowed without permission from the church.Graves as old as 250 year old are found here and the place is unkempt- like an unloved child - the very essence of cemeteries is the tranquility, but thats missing here due to the huge rush of traffic. Marked and unmarked graves tie lie neglected. The only soul is the gardener there who informed us very candidly that there were no ghosts. This area sees multiple burials in the same plot - and that it takes 10 years for the human body to go from "ashes to ashes and dust to dust"
Interestingly we came to know that burials are a rather expensive affair with wood coffins costing as much as INR 12000 and marble plaques INR 80,000.
If it were not so morbid,it would have been funny- a gentleman who sells these funeral goods, even gave us his visiting card and asked us to contact him anytime we needed his services. Marketing in a graveyard- with eerie people like him around, even the ghosts would look for solace elsewhere.
Disappointing first day- but Pashatuks doesn't give up- the journey will continue as we try to meet some ghosts, or even experience some ghostly sensations. Watch this space for more on the surreal- if at all it exists!!!
