Putulbari - Most Infamous Haunted Places in Kolkata
What are the most infamous haunted places in Kolkata?
Kolkata being the first seat of power of the British Raj, it is natural that the city will find many infamous haunted houses or places, and indeed it is so.
We will tell you the stories of such a few.
1. Most Infamous Haunted Places in Kolkata - National Library
This historic building, once the residence of the first Governor General of East India Company, Warren Hastings is said to be haunted by the ghost of Lady Metcalf, who was obsessed with cleanliness and still dusts the books and shelves. Some people have also heard footsteps and voices in the library.
As the legend goes, Warren Hastings still roams here in the night to find a black bureau that he couldn’t find when he was alive. His faint apparition can be spotted at times. This bureau he believed has papers that could prove his innocence in the House of Commons. Even though all charges against him were dropped later, he still comes back in the hope of locating those papers.
Guards at the National Library are often armed with a copy of the Hanuman Chalisa to shoo away any spirits lurking around. Many have reported spotting a faint apparition of a man leaving them petrified. In 2010, a newspaper report added to the spookiness of the building when ASI (Archeological Survey of India) conservation engineers discovered a mysterious room on the ground floor of the 250-year-old building that went unnoticed for decades. The chamber did not have any door or even a secret door to get in which added to the mystery of what lies inside it which might be skeletons or treasure chests.
2. Most Infamous Haunted Places in Kolkata - South Park Street Cemetery
This cemetery is one of the oldest in the city, and contains the graves of many prominent British figures. It is said to be haunted by the spirits of the dead, who can be seen wandering among the tombs or following the visitors. Some people have also felt a sudden drop in temperature, a sense of suffocation, or a touch on their shoulder.
Many of the British and European colonial residents in Kolkata caught ‘tropical diseases’ which couldn’t be cured back then. So, a lot of them died very young. This graveyard stopped being used in 1790 and was completely abandoned in 1830.
Although this cemetery has stopped receiving the dead, thousands of the living visit each year, and many believe that it’s haunted. It’s also been named the most haunted place in Kolkata.
Some visitors claim that when they have visited this graveyard they fainted or felt suddenly very ill. Others say, that they have felt vexed with chills up their spine, couldn’t breathe, or have a weird feeling. There is a legend that during monsoon, the Dennison family tomb bleeds and oozes blood. So, it now has the nickname of the ‘bleeding tomb’. But there were no sightings or ghost photographs.
Today, it has been preserved as an Archaeological Survey of India site.
3. Most Infamous Haunted Places in Kolkata - Putulbari
This old mansion is also known as the House of Dolls, because of the statues of dolls on its facade.
It is said to be haunted by the ghosts of the women who were exploited and abused by the rich landlords who lived here. People have reported hearing screams, cries, and laughter from the upper floors, and feeling a presence watching them.
During the times of Victorian rule in England, Kolkata was the second busiest city in their global colony after London.
Most of the trading ships would unload and store their shipments in warehouses in Shovabazar which were taken care of by the rich Bengali aristocratic Babus. One such warehouse cum mansion was Putul Bari.
The rich Babus who later owned the place from the original owner, intoxicated by their wealth, bought women dancers, molested their dignity, murdered them and these never left the palace. Buried deep inside its rooms is a sinister feel which sends shivers down the spine.
These are only a few of the most haunted places in Kolkata, but there are many more to explore. Would you like to explore?
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