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About
Bhangarh
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Information about
Bhangarh |
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Bhangarh is a town in India that is well-known for
its historical ruins within the Banghar Fort which
was founded in 1613. It is in the Rajgarh municipality
of the Alwar district in the state of Rajasthan.
Bhangarh is at the edge of the Sariska Tiger
Reserve. The modern village has a population of
1,306 in 200 households. Bhangarh is also a famous
tourist attraction.
Bhangarh is a place between Jaipur and Alwar in
Rajasthan state of India. Bhangarh is famous for its
ruins, but still worth a visit; the place is
wonderful and peaceful. What remains though, is a
shadow of a once beautiful kingdom.
Bhangarh, a deserted town in Rajasthan, was
established in 1613 by King Madho Singh, son of
great Mughal general, Man Singh of Amber. Bhangarh
was abandoned soon after being built and supposedly
after it was cursed by a magician. In ignorance Ajab
Singh, the grandson of Madho Singh, raised the
palace to such a height that the shadow arrive at
the forbidden place. Hence the destruction of entire
town of Bhangarh happened. Local villagers say that
whenever a house is built there its roof collapses.
People say that nobody returned who stayed there
after dark. And the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)
sign board put up there says, "Staying after sunset
is strictly prohibited in this area." |
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Description
of Bhangarh |
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Bhangarh is also a
pre-historic site. The most significant about its
buildings are the temples of Gopinath, Shiva (Someshwar),
Mangla Devi, Lavina Devi and Keshava Rai. Other buildings
include shops along the main road, several havelis, a
mosque, and a palace. The palace was protected by two
inner fortifications across the valley. The town is
separated from the plain by ramparts with five gates.
The town was established in 1573 (VS 1631) during the rule
of Bhagwant Das as the residence of his second son Madho
Singh, the younger brother of Emperor Akbar’s general, Man
Singh I. Madho Singh participated in many battles with his
father and brother. The next ruler of Bhangarh was his son
Chhatr Singh,after whose death in 1630, Bhangarh slowly
declined. When the Mughal Empire became weaker after the
death of Aurangzeb, Jai Singh II attached Bhangarh to his
state by force in 1720. After this Bhangarh diminished in
population, and since the famine of 1783 (VS 1840) the
town has remained uninhabited.
Entry to Bhangarh is legally prohibited between sunset and
sunrise. It's the only 'Legally Haunted' site recognized
by the Indian Government. A signboard posted by ASI
(Archaeological Survey of India), which is a Government of
India organization, specifies the instructions. While the
board is written in Hindi, the instructions on it roughly
translate into: "Entering the borders of Bhangarh before
sunrise and after sunset is strictly prohibited. Legal
action would be taken against anybody who does not follow
these instructions". |
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Legends |
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According to legend, the city of Bhangarh was cursed by
the Guru Balu Nath. He had approved the construction of
the town on one condition, "The moment the shadows of your
palaces touch me, the city shall be no more!" When a
descendant prince raised the palace to a height that
spread a shadow on Balu Nath's forbidden retreat, he
cursed the town. Balu Nath is said to be buried there to
this day in a small samādhi. |
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Bhangarh Story |
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The story and the history of the Bhangarh starts in
the year of 1573 when the fortress was established.
Founded by Raja Bhagawant Das, the ruler of the city
of Amber, Bhangarh Fort has become the residence of
Madho Singh, ruler's second son who fought alongside
his father and brother in many wars. The decline of
Bhangarh Fort started in 1630 after Chhatr Singh,
son of Madho Singh got killed in a violent attack.
The decline continued until 1783 when the fortress
and the city were completely abandoned following
that year's famine. |
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Bhangarh Myths |
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It is said that the city of Bhangarh was cursed by the
Guru Balu Nath, causing the towns evacuation. Balu Nath
authorized the establishment of the town but said: "The
moment the shadows of your palaces touch me, the city
shall be no more!" Ignorant of such foreboding, one
ambitious descendant raised the palace to such a height
that its shadowed Balu Nath's forbidden retreat and thus
the town was devastated as prophesied. The small samadhi
where Balu Nath is said to lie buried is still there.
The other myth is as follows: The charm of princess of
Bhangarh Ratnavati was said to be matchless in all of
Rajasthan. Being eighteen years old, the princess started
getting matrimonial offers from other states. In the same
region there lived a tantrik, a magician well versed in
the occult, named Singhia who was desperately in love with
the princess knowing that he would never be allowed to
even see her, let alone meet her. One day, he saw the
princess' maid in the market buying scented oil for her.
Seeing this, he got an idea by which he could meet the
princess. He used his black magic and put a spell on the
oil which would hypnotize the princess by her merely
touching the oil, and she would surrender herself. The
princess foiled this plan though. She had seen the tantrik
enthralling the oil, and she therefore threw it away,
whereupon the flagon rolled over a stone. As soon as the
oil touched the stone, it started rolling towards the
wicked tantrik and crushed him. While dying, Singhia
cursed the palace with the death of all who dwelt in it,
without any rebirth in their destinies. The very next year
there was a battle between Bhangarh and Ajabgarh and
Ratnavati died. |
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