City of Joy with some essence of haunts: Exploring the haunted places in Kolkata

I have been traveling in Jharkhand and West Bengal for my work from the last few days. Well yes, I am a Nomad and whenever I get time, I try to explore the nearby places. I finished my work in Pakur and reached Kolkata on the same day. My train for Delhi is at 4:50pm so now I have 8 hours in hand, 8 hours in Kolkata, 8 hours in the city of joy. What should I do? I started making my plans. Should I go for street photography…? Naah…I have already done that so many times. Then What? Esplanade…Zoo…Victoria Memorial…Confused…one of my friend is in Kolkata so I preferred to ask her. Haunted places, this is the word that I heard from her mouth. Haunted places? Like seriously, there are no any haunted places in Kolkata. Yes there are..and here she got my attention.

My uncle lives in Kolkata so I have been in the city of joy so many times. I never knew that Kolkata has any haunted areas or places. So this information made my day. I gathered all the information and started walking towards the exit of Howrah Junction. 

South park street cemetery

My first stoppage was south park street cemetery. This cemetery is also known as the city of dead. The entry fee is rs.20 (without camera) and Rs.50 (with camera). The entrance was quite attractive. Well, to be very frank, I am not a fan of haunted places but still, I was excited. The last time I visited a haunted place was Bhangarh, Rajasthan. I observed the place and I realized I am walking in between the deads. Old Cemeteries everywhere of every size. The year’s mentioned on the cemeteries are like 1793, 1802, 1806, 1839 and so on. I saw that this place was more a lovers point than a haunted place. I felt nothing like a haunted place. Even the lady, who works there as a caretaker, has the same opinion like me. I asked few people and the story was like, In that cemetery, there’s the grave of Sir W.H. Mac Naghten whose body was ripped apart in Afghanistan. Later, his wife had assembled the remaining pieces of his body, brought to Calcutta and buried here in this cemetery. Apparently, if someone narrates this incident near his grave, then huge tree above his grave shivers. The place has some historical importance so I saw the place in that point of view only. 

Putulbari

Since I had limited time so it was my last stop. Putulbari is also known as the house of dolls. Imagine a century-old house that is almost in its ruins with the Roman architecture depicting dolls in the arches and spooky cobwebs, resonating with hue and cry of female voices. Jittery isn't it! So is the Putulbari or the House of Dolls in Kolkata. As per the sources, The haunted and dark upper stories of the hoary house are assumed to be haunted by the spirits of the women, Opulent landlords of Bengal, who were  tortured and subjugated by opulent landlords, screeching laughter or even jangling of bangles and anklets. The place was scary. I could only manage to enter the house but not to the upper floors. The building was so old, not maintained. I thought for now it was enough for me and I left the other haunted places for next time.

Ravindra Sarovar Metro

Jumping at the tracks of Metro railways which carries 4000 volts of current seems to be the Suicide paradise of Kolkata—it’s been en vogue since the inception of the Metro in Kolkata. However, around 70% of the total suicides have been committed at the Rabindra Sarobar Metro Station.   I had heard about the suicides but didn’t know this metro station was haunted. I reached there and started walking towards the platform. Since I was there at day time so nothing felt like haunted. But yes, Haunted by the spirits of people who had committed suicide it is labeled as the 'Paradise of Suicide'. The last train is claimed to be haunted and travelers and the station staff have seen creepy shadows wandering and then disappearing in the wind. The metro pillars are colorful and scary. I was given this suggestion by the metro staffs and other locals:  Don't board the last train! 

National Library

And here we go, a haunted library. National library is one of the most famous places to visit in Kolkata. Dare you break the arrangement of the rare and substantial books and publications treasured in The National Library in Kolkata! The erstwhile abode of Governor-General during the British period have witnessed some paranormal activities, as the place is said to be haunted by the wife of Lord Metcalfe, who keeps wandering in the halls. She was a bibliophile and a hygiene freak. She hated, if things were out of order, even now it pisses her off! Another eerie mystery of this place was revealed in 2010, during the restoration work. The Ministry of Culture and Archeological Survey of India noticed a door-less secret chamber on the ground floor of this 250-year old building. There are also few chambers there in which you can’t visit. Well I am very daring in so many things but when it comes to ghosts and witches, I don’t even try to dare.