Day 12 (L) ~ #BlogchatterA2Z
All artwork is copyrighted by Lonely Canopy.
#BlogchatterA2Z posts:
A , B , C , D , E , F , G , H , I , J , K , L , M , N , O , P , Q , R , S , T , U , V , W , X , Y , Z
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Bhangarh fort, situated near Sariska reserve, is several hours drive from Jaipur. This 17th century fort was built by Man Singh I for his son, Madho Singh. It’s supposed to be the most haunted place in Rajasthan, and features in almost every “haunted place” list in India.
The fort encloses a small city, with the palace situated on a hillock in the center. To reach the palace, you have to walk for about 1.5 kilometers through the city. The road is surround by the remains of houses and shops – and its an interesting fact that none of them have roofs. The feeling is very eerie.
An ASI notice at the entrance warns tourists about the fort being haunted and advises them to leave before sunset. Therefore, its not surprising that the fort has several stories told about it.
Princess Ratnavati and Tantrik Singhia
The most popular one is about a tantrik, Singhia, who lived in a temple on one of the mountains near the fort. Even today, this temple can be seen clearly from the fort. Singhia fell in love with the beautiful princess, Ratnavati.

Once, the princess went with her friends to purchase some Ittar (perfume). The tantrik, in an attempt to snare her, added a love spell to her ittar. However, the clever princess recognized the trick and threw the perfume. It fell on a boulder, which rolled down and killed the tantrik. With his last breath the tantrik cursed that Bhangarh would be destroyed and become deserted.
Subsequently, the fort was attacked by Mughals from Ajabgarh. Bhangarh was surrounded from all sides.
The entire population within the fort, including the princess, were killed. The present state of the fort is attributed to the curse of this crazy tantrik and people believe the ghosts in the fort are those of the princess and the wizard.
The palace had many alleys and passageways that led to closed chambers, with locked iron doors. There was a deadly, musty smell in the air (mostly Bat piss) in these pathways. On reaching the summit of the sprawling fort palace, the city in its entirety, and the hills surrounding it are clearly visible. I spotted a small path that led up to another temple (the one where the tantrik lived) on the top.
With the stories creating a tangible feeling of dread, and the evening sun adding to its eerie character, Bhangarh Fort felt like a muted facade to me. The stories buried deep within its ramshackle walls and epitaphs seemed to be reverberating and surrounding me like echoes of the past.
Staying here overnight is a challenging task, even for the courageous at heart.
The sketches are fantastic. They add so much to the text here and remind me of Satyajit Ray’s sketches
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😄 Ray !! if my name is said by anyone in the same sentence as his, I’m in heaven 😇☺️ thanks for the lovely complement 🙂
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Why do all forts have ghost stories? It’s like people don’t want us visiting them! Nice story and sketches Seema.
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Ashwini, thanks for stopping by. Do you know other haunted forts? This is the only one I have been to …
Maybe all the wars, and the protecting of a city against external threat, those “anxious/negative” emotions and aura linger on as supernatural stories.
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This post looks exciting. The mystery behind the fort is really interesting.
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Yes … Rajasthan is full of such legends and lores.
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It must have been really eerie visiting that fort. What a wonderful talent for sketching you have! I loved the detailing of the cobblestones in the second one Seema
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Thanks, Namratha 🙂
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Lovely sketches. I could appreciate it even more as I have visited Bhangarh. You have any Jaipur connection?? I am curious as a lot of your stories are based around this area.
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Thanks again! Good to know that you have also been there. My husband is from Jaipur so we try to explore around that area when we get a chance.
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What a ghostly place! Your sketches too give out the eerie feeling. Well done. I have been to sariska national park, but not here. Of course we were pressed for time at that time.
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We too went via Sariska, which was quite dry, and reached Bhangarh around 4. The late evening mood with shadows was good fun.
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I love the lost stories behind these fortresses. ‘Ekant’ on epic channel is one of my favourite. And the art is fantastic too. Loved it😊
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I love Ekant … infact, I was inspired by their episode on Bhangarh, to visit the fort 🙂
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That’s great. I am yet to visit all the places I loved on the show.
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Old legends are wonderful research to write new stories.
I love the sketches, they fit the mood so well.
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Thanks, Cheryl … so glad you liked the sketches 🙂
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Lovely sketches Seema. I haven’t been to Bhangarh yet although many of my friends have.
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Thanks, Kalpanaa for stopping by 🙂
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Have heard a lot about Bhangarh and the fact that it is haunted, though haven’t visited it. I am not sure I have it in me to do that!
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Maybe go during the afternoon … apart from the haunted fact, its also a really beautiful architecture 🙂
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I am sure, Indian architecture is really beautiful. If only we could appreciate the fact. 🙂
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I have a keen interest in ghost stories, ghost videos, haubted places etc. I guess Bhangarh Fort is the most popular haunted place of India. I clicked the post because of it’s name. I didnt know this history. If you write this only then it would be an average post but your paintings have added all the flavors into the story. Amazing!! The sketches more prominently portraying the story!! It has added all the scary flavors into it.
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Thanks, for visiting my blog. I’m happy to know the illustrations are effective in conveying the mood 🙂 Do check out another post, about a haunted school, https://lonelycanopyblog.wordpress.com/2018/04/03/dow-hill-haunted-house-spirits-of-kurseong
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Have heard a lot about Bhangarh Fort. I hope to visit it one day.
Fantastic artwork. This was a visual treat 🙂
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We visited Jaipur couple of years back, but weren’t aware of this fort. Otherwise I’d have loved to go and check it out. That being said, your sketches are fantastic, Seema. Kudos. They add a lot to the narrative.
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Glad you liked the Illustrations, Varad. Its worth a planning a trip to Bhangarh … you can club it with Sariska and Abhaneri. It is towards the road that goes towards Alwar, and there is another route from Dausa.
https://lonelycanopyblog.wordpress.com/2017/12/10/stepping-down-into-myth-and-history/
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Your sketches have added just the right amount of “broodiness”, if that’s even a word, to this post on a haunted fort! I haven’t been to Bhangarh yet, but have read about it. Maybe someday. Definitely not my usual solo trip though
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Broodiness is definitely a word, or should be 🙂
Yes, the stories of Bhangarh are all over thanks to travel shows and media. You can travel there anytime, it can only get more haunted 🙂
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This is an interesting, wonder if anyone attempted to stay there overnight! The sketches are brilliant!! Just flawlesss! You motivate me to draw more architecture and buildings 🙂
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I’ve seen YouTube videos and read some blogs about people who have attempted this, but they haven’t been able to complete the night.
When my husband was in college, a few of his friends took a dare to spend the night there. Not sure what happened, but when they came back, they were sick for a very long time.
Looking for to seeing your drawings 🙂
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Oh my the sketches add so much to the narrative and spooky atmosphere of the place; you seem to be a very accomplished artist too Seema 🙂
L is for Laini Taylor #atozchallenge
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Again, lovely sketches. It has an eerie element too like the stories of Bhangad fort. I have heard these stories in serials, horror shows and movies, never visited the place, but god, i would really want to. In daytime ofcourse.!!
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Thanks, Pratikshya. There’s a lot material in media about Bhangarh fort nowadays. Do share your experiences, when you visit the place 🙂
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I’m genuinely delighted you visited my blog so I could find my way back here today to your wonderful post. Your art is fabulous! What a sad tale of the downfall of Bhangarh.
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Thanks, Deborah. I’ve enjoying meeting bloggers and reading different kinds of articles and stories through the #AtoZchallenge 🙂
Bhangarh is a sad, spooky place.
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The last sketch is so good. Mostly the rumors have some truth to them that makes it creepier. (The sketches on the cover when large are so much better that I notice that the small versions of them in the posts aren’t doing justice to them)
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