Fear Is Here: 17 Haunted Places To Visit This Halloween

A popular soft drink advertisement says "Darr sabko lagta hai, gala sabka sukhta hai" (Everyone gets scared, everyone's throat gets dry) when we face fear. Many of us try hard to get rid of our fears. And, what better way to challenge your fear than to go to a place, a really scary place!

PropGuide lists 17 most-talked-about eerie places that can certainly test your heart beats and give you goosebumps this Halloween. 

• Gujarat's Dumas Beach: Dumas beach is one of India's scariest place. Hindus were buried on the beach, therefore it is said that the beach after the sunset is haunted by the spirits of these people. 

• Lonavala's Raj Kiran Hotel: The hotel is a hit among those looking for haunted places. People staying in a particular room in the hotel have reported to witness certain supernatural activities such as bedsheets being pulled over, a blue ray at their feet in the middle of the night. This particular room is on the ground floor, in the corner of the hotel.

• Kolkata's National Library: Apart from innumerable books, the National Library in Kolkata is also famous for paranormal activities witnessed by the visitors. While the library was being renovated, 12 labourers lost their lives and a student died of an unnatural death when searching for books. The guards here fear taking up night shifts as they claim to have heard footsteps in the premises. 

• Shimla's Tunnel No. 33: Shimla's Tunnel No. 33, is believed to be the place where the ghost of Colonel Barog roams around during the night. Barog was a railway engineer during the times of the British Raj who committed suicide and was buried near the tunnel.

Shimla's Tunnel No. 33 (Flickr/Sanoop)

• Rajasthan's Bhangarh Fort: Bhangarh Fort tops all the charts, which list the most haunted places in India. People are not allowed to enter the fort premises after 5 pm. It is said that anyone who has been to this place after sunset has never returned. The legend has that there was a black magic sorcerer who cursed the residents of the palace that they all would die an unnatural death and their spirits will stay there for centuries to haunt the fort forever.

Bhangarh Fort in Rajasthan (Wikimedia)

• Mumbai's D'Souza Chawl: D'souza Chawl in the quiet Mahim area of Mumbai has a well that is said to be haunted. Legends say, a woman fell in the well and died. Many people claim to have seen the ghost of the woman near the well during the night.

• Pune's Shaniwarwada Fort: At Pune's Shaniwarwada fort locals say they hear the cries of help from a teenage boy. The story goes that a young prince was brutally assassinated in this famous Pune fort when he was only 13.

Shaniwarwada Fort in Pune (Flickr/Nathan Jois)

• Thane's Vrindavan Society: Vrindavan society is said to be the largest residential complex of Thane but 66 B, a tower in the complex is a haunted place, say media reports. A man had committed suicide here and since then, there have been reports of paranormal activities.

• Delhi's Jamali Kamali Masjid: As per popular belief this famous masjid is the home of djinns. Reports say people experience nightmares and paranormal experiences after their visit to this place.

The courtyard of Jamali Kamali Masjid (Wikimedia)

• Rajasthan's Brij Raj Bhavan Palace: Major Burton who was the British resident of the Kota palace was killed by sepoys in the 1857 mutiny. It is believed that his ghost walks the palace at night.

• Bengal's Dow Hills: People never hang around in the dense area of Dow Hills. The hills have witnessed many deaths and therefore, people believe this place is haunted.

• Delhi's Agrasen ki Baoli: Maharja Agrasen constructed this famous 14th century baoli, which was once filled with black water and would call out to people mysteriously, and ask them to sacrifice their lives, say many people. The water was believed to have hypnotised people and driven them to death.

Agrasen ki Baoli (Gunjan Piplani)

• Meerut's GP Block: Meerut's GP block is a compound of three long-abandoned buildings located in the city's Cantt area. Locals say they have seen boys drinking beer on the rooftop of the double-storeyed buildings and some have seen a girl in a red dress come out of one of the buildings. Others say they have spotted four men sitting at a table with a lighted candle inside the building and drinking beer.

• Hyderabad's Ramoji Film City
  People staying in the hotels within the film city say they have had sightings of paranormal activity. Reports say some claim they have heard knocking on doors when no one is around and others have seen mysterious figures disappearing and re-appearing.

Ramoji Film City (Wikimedia)

• Mussoorie's Savoy Hotel: According to legends the heritage Savoy hotel in Mussoorie is the home to the ghost of Lady Garnet who was poisoned here during British Raj. It is believed that her ghost is in search of the person who poisoned her.

A view of Mussoorie (Wikimedia)

• Lonavla's Raj Kiran Hotel: Reports suggest people have experienced strange knockings on their room door, bedsheets being pulled off and other strange incidents in this hotel.

• Delhi's Cantt Area: Locals say there is a lady in white saree who seeks a lift from people. If you don't stop your vehicle then she jumps on the boot, say many.