Haunted Bhangarh Fort and Return of the Delhi

Bhangarh
 

The last stop in Rajasthan before heading back to Delhi was Alwar. This is the mid-point between Ranthambore and Delhi and we stopped at a fort in a village close to Alwar, called Bhangarh. Believe it or not, we chose to visit this fort and went out of our way to go there.

Entrance to Bhangarh Fort

The village is well-known in India for being haunted and some Indians - many of whom are very superstitious - are in awe of the place. The story goes that a wizard fell in love with the princess that lived in the palace in the village. Having his advances spurned, the wizard cursed the village and everyone in it, saying that no one would ever be able to live there again. The ghosts of the wizard and the princess are said to haunt the fort to this day. The trip was on a bit of a whim because Baby D, who has an interest in the paranormal and Bobby, who is on the extreme end of the superstitious spectrum, had been talking about ghosts, fairies, giants and so on. Bobby had never been to Bhangarh and was really keen to go. 

 
The way into the fort was through some ruins which reminded us of ruins we’d seen outside of Rome. They appeared to be homes or shops, set out into 3 small rooms, with no roof and some had stairs. We found out later that it was actually a market, and the buildings were shops. The surroundings were full of hungry monkeys and after being jumped on by a monkey at the last fort we’d visited, I was a bit wary about my phone being stolen, and in my rush to hide it from a cheeky looking monkey, I fell over with my ankle under me. It had to happen sooner or later and I was surprised it had taken this long to go.

View from Bhangarh Fort

We took our time walking through the gardens approaching the fort, then climbed up hundreds of steps leading into it. It was actually a really lovely place – one of the nicest forts we’d visited. Bobby needed a wee while we were in there and spent the whole time he was peeing apologising to the ghost for desecrating the place and praying. He went on so much about it, and was so scared of the ghost that he hardly slept all night and went and slept in the car as he felt more secure there!

It didn’t help matters that Baby D had taken a photo of the fort which had a strange shape and light in it. All the Indians we’ve shown are either convinced it’s a ghost or think it’s a snake. Many Indians believe that snakes have the ability to change form and become different things, as well as living to 5000 years old. As a matter of fact, in the hotel in Pushkar they kept tortoises and the staff there told us the tortoises would also live to 5000 years old.

Alwar

After all the excitement of Bhangarh we headed into Alwar where we were staying overnight, via the rockiest, most treacherous road ever. (Apart from maybe the one in the desert in Jaisalmer, but it would be a close call). The hotel in Alwar was a dump. So what else is new?! 

Later on, after dinner, Bobby who had by now had too much whiskey, asked Baby D to drive into town to buy hot milk. Baby D had had small 2 beers by then but wasn’t over the limit (by UK standards anyway), regardless of the fact he wasn’t insured. Hot milk is a big deal in India. It is drunk every night by Indians that have had too much to drink. It is sweetened and apparently stops hangovers. 

Tiny Bobby in the background

So, Baby D drove into town to hunt down some hot milk. I was in the front seat looking out for somewhere and as luck would have it, we found a dairy, which is the first we had seen anywhere. (The guys at the hotel told us there was nowhere to buy milk). The dairy was less than a 5 minute drive away so who knows what planet they were on. The dairy advertised a range of different products for sale through pictures. Baby D was reeling off all the goods on sale by looking at the pictures. Milk, yogurt, curd, cheese, milk balls….milk balls!? He meant eggs…

Alwar City Palace

The next day before heading back to Delhi, we had a look round Alwar and visited the City Palace, (there’s that fixture again) and we were soon on our way. I was glad and sad about that. Delhi was a bit of a shock to the system first time round, so we were a bit apprehensive this time. It was sad to say goodbye to our little pal Bobby, we’ll miss him.

Alwar City Palace

Delhi the return

So back in Delhi and we were back in the Pahar Ganj area. We were in a different hotel this time though, and weren’t we glad about that! This one was lovely for Delhi standards. Delhi seemed like a completely different place, and maybe because we were not so close to the train station, the area seemed nicer. We were quite near the main bazaar which is a lively, local market street selling street food, chai, lassi, fruit and veg, pots and pans, toys, peanuts, sweets, the list goes on.

Bazaar at Pahar Ganj

We went for a chole bature before making it to Humayun’s Tomb where we had attempted to go on the first visit to Delhi but didn’t, as we couldn’t get cash from the ATM. Humayun’s Tomb was the inspiration for the Tal Mahal. It is a beautiful red sandstone Moghul mausoleum set in lovely gardens, with a huge dome similar to the Taj Mahal’s.

Humayun's Tomb

Before arriving at Humayun’s Tom we went to Purana Qila. This is a complex of various buildings, dating back about 2500 years. It is a fortress with palaces, mosques and bathing areas, and was taken over by our friend Humayun when the Moghuls invaded. Humayun actually fell down some steps in one of the buildings he used for a library after hearing the call to prayer and died 3 days later. 

Purana Qila

The area of Purana Qila is quite large, probably 1 square km. with many ruins, caves and wooded areas, it is the ideal haunt for young Indian couples to snog the faces off each other. We felt like a pair of voyeurs and the affronted looks we got for being in there sightseeing were classic.

Purana Qila

Between Purana Qila and Humayun’s Tomb is the zoo so we thought we would take a short cut through it. We saw a tiger or 2 including the rare white tiger, but afterwards we vowed we wouldn’t go back to a zoo. The animals looked depressed and were showing some weird OCD-type behaviour. The other visitors got seriously excited by the big cats and we could easily see how someone was killed in 2014 after ending up in the white tiger’s enclosure. 

We ended up at DePaul’s on Janpath Market, off Connaught Place for the best chicken momo in Delhi. Although the food was cheap as chips, we were hassled non-stop by street sellers there. We had been dropped off by a tuk-tuk driver who was charging us a fortune. At some traffic lights an old lady asked him if she could jump in for free and he yelled at her no, telling us she was a cheater as she wasn’t going to pay. We knew that and didn’t mind, but he drove off yelling how she was a cheater. Baby D remarked that he was the cheater as we had turned on the meter and for a trip that should have cost us 50 rs we were actually charged 200 rs. We told him karma would get him but he laughed sheepishly and drove off, ready to con the next tourist. 

Later on we treated ourselves to a few impressive cocktails in a bar called ‘the Vault’ on Connaught Place, and we stayed there for dinner. We had beef! And salami! In India!

Our final full day in India and I managed to book an appointment to get my highlights done while Baby D went off to the railway museum. 5 hours later and I emerged a bit blonder than I would have liked, but  I convinced myself I would grow to like it. 

That evening we went down near Jama Masjid for food. We fancied some decent, cheap meat dishes and the Muslim area there was full of it. The traffic going through Delhi was mental as usual. We finally found a tuk-tuk driver to take us. He got stuck in a traffic jam and as he went to turn round, he was hit in the face by a policeman! We wouldn’t work out what had happened – maybe he wasn’t meant to turn round there, but he took the slap and on we went!

Meat Feast near Jama Masjid

Off to Kathmandu and a bit of a panic at the airport check in. The guy at the desk looked at our visas and asked us for our official registration papers. Eh? He and his colleague proceeded to tell us we would be fined for not having registered with the authorities within 15 days of arrival in India, because we were staying more than 2 weeks. A frantic Google search later and we realised he was talking crap and we told him so.

So long India, it has been an EPIC 2 months. Next stop Nepal!

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