Bhangarh Fort, located in Alwar district, about 80 km from Jaipur district of Rajasthan, has always been a matter of curiosity for the people. Sariska National Park is located just a few kilometers from this fort.
There are also many temples in the fort, in which the temples of Lord Someshwar, Gopinath, Mangala Devi and Keshav Rai are the main temples. The carvings done on the walls and pillars of these temples can be estimated that how beautiful and grand this entire fort must have been.
Excavations by the Archaeological Survey of India have provided ample evidence that the city is an ancient historical site. Presently this fort is maintained by the Government of India. The Archaeological Department has given strict instructions to the tourists coming here that no one should stay in this area after sunset.
1. History of the Fort
The story of Bhangarh is mysterious and very interesting. In 1573, Raja Bhagwant Das of Amber got the Bhangarh fort built. The fort remained inhabited for 300 years after the settlement. In the 16th century, Raja Madho Singh, the younger brother of Raja Sawai Man Singh, made Bhangarh Fort his residence and Bhangarh became the capital of Madho Singh. Mansingh was considered very close to Akbar.
Somsagar pond is five kilometers away from Bhangarh, from the bank of which a stone was found. It was revealed from this stone that Madho Singh was a Diwan in Akbar’s court. Some of the carvings in the Someshwar temple and the Gopinath temple are excellent. According to beliefs, an evil sorcerer had cursed, due to which everything ended here.
2. Story of Curse
It is said that Princess Ratnavati of Bhangarh was very beautiful. At that time the discussion of princess beauty was in the whole state. Marriage proposals were coming for Ratnavati from many states. At the same time she once came out of the fort to the market with her friends. She reached a perfume shop in the market and was smelling its fragrance by taking the perfume in her hand. At the same time, a person named Sindhu Sevda was standing at some distance from that shop and was looking at the princess. Singhiya was a resident of the same state and he was an expert in black magic.
Allegedly the tantrik was fascinated by the beauty of the princess and fell in love with the princess and started thinking of getting the princess. But Ratnavati never looked back at him. Singhiya went to the shop from where the perfume was sent for the princess and performed black magic on the perfume bottle sent to Ratnavati and used vashikaran mantra on it. When the princess came to know the truth, she threw the perfume bottle on a nearby stone. This broke the vial and the perfume was scattered. Due to black magic, the stone followed Sindhu Sevda and crushed her. Sindhu Sevda died, but before dying that tantrik cursed that all the people living in this fort would die soon and would not be born again. His soul will keep wandering in this fort only. Even today in the 21st century, there is a fear among people that Bhangarh is inhabited by ghosts.
3. Story of Friar
According to another story, it is told that the land on which the Bhangarh Fort stands, belonged to a powerful ascetic named Guru Balunath. Before starting the construction of the fort, Madho Singh sought the ascetic’s permission. He was given permission with one condition. The condition was that the height of the palace should be kept low so that the shadow of the fort would never fall on the ascetic’s house. But Madho Singh’s successor Ajab Singh ignored this condition and built a fort with strong walls. The shadow of these walls fell on the ascetic’s house and the ascetic cursed in anger which destroyed Bhangarh.
4. Third Story
According to a third story, in 1720, Bhangarh started desolating because there was a shortage of water. In 1783 there was a famine which destroyed the habitation here and Bhangarh was completely destroyed.
5. Is Bhangarh really haunted?
This is a question to which no one has an answer. Those who believe believe and those who do not believe, they call it imagination. If legends are to be believed, the palace is cursed and spirits reside here, but those who do not believe call it a myth. Whatever the truth may be, but Bhangarh is searched a lot on Google and a large number of people come here.