Bhangarh is a village situated in Rajgarh Alwar,

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

state of India. It is situated in the Rajgarh municipality of the

Alwar district Alwar is a district in the States and territories of India, state of Rajasthan in northern India, whose district headquarters is Alwar, Alwar city. The district covers 8,337 km2. It is bound on the north by Rewari district of Haryana, on t ...

. Bhangarh is at the edge of the

Sariska Tiger Reserve Sariska Tiger Reserve is a tiger reserve in Alwar district, Rajasthan, India. It stretches over an core tiger habitat area of and 322.23 km² of buffer area making 1203.34 km² total area of tiger reserve. It is comprising scrub-thorn arid ...

. Bhangarh is also a pre-historic site and tourist spot. The journey to Bhangarh takes approximately 1.5 hrs and is 65 km from Jaipur. Its old buildings include the Hindu temples of Gopinath,

Shiv The word Shiv or shiv may refer to: People with the name * Shivnarine Chanderpaul, a West Indies cricketer nicknamed Shiv Arts, entertainment, and media * Shiv, a fictional location in Magic: The Gathering, see Dominaria * Shiv, a villain in the ...

(Someshwar),

Hanuman Hanuman (; , ), also known as Maruti, Bajrangabali, and Anjaneya, is a deity in Hinduism, revered as a divine ''vanara'', and a devoted companion of the deity Rama. Central to the ''Ramayana'', Hanuman is celebrated for his unwavering devotio ...

Ganesh Ganesha or Ganesh (, , ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva (Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in the Ganapatya sect. His depictions ...

, Vishal Devta, Lavina Devi, and Keshav Rai. Other buildings include shops and

dhaba A dhaba is a roadside restaurant in the Indian subcontinent. They are on highways, generally serve local cuisine, and also serve as truck stops. They are most commonly found next to Filling station, petrol stations, and most are open 24 hours ...

s along the main road, several

haveli A ''haveli'' is a traditional townhouse, mansion, or manor house, in the Indian subcontinent, usually one with historical and architectural significance, and located in a town or city. The word ''haveli'' is derived from Arabic ''hawali'', me ...

s, a mosque, and a palace. The palace is 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 Kachwaha Rajput ruler of Jaipur

Bhagwant Das Raja Bhagwant Das ( – 4 December 1589) was the 23rd ruler of Amber. He also served as the Mughal Subahdar of Lahore and the Subahdar of Kabul for a few months in 1586. His step-sister, Mariam-uz-Zamani, was the chief consort of Mughal empero ...

as the residence of his second son, Madho Singh, the younger brother of Emperor

Akbar Akbar (Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, – ), popularly known as Akbar the Great, was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun, under a regent, Bairam Khan, who helped the young emperor expa ...

's general,

Man Singh I Mirza Raja Man Singh I (21 December 1550 – 6 July 1614) was the 24th Raja, Kachawaha Rajput ruler of the Kingdom of Amber from 1589 to 1614. He also served as the foremost imperial Subahdar of Bihar Subah from 1587 to 1594, then for Ben ...

. Madho Singh participated in many campaigns with his father and brother. The next ruler of Bhangarh was his son Chhatra Singh, after whose death in 1630, Bhangarh slowly declined. When the

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an Early modern period, early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to ...

became weaker after the death of

Aurangzeb Alamgir I (Muhi al-Din Muhammad; 3 November 1618 – 3 March 1707), commonly known by the title Aurangzeb, also called Aurangzeb the Conqueror, was the sixth Mughal emperors, Mughal emperor, reigning from 1658 until his death in 1707, becomi ...

Jai Singh II Sawai Jai Singh II (3 November 1688 – 21 September 1743), was the 30th Kachwaha Rajput ruler of the Kingdom of Amber, who later founded the fortified city of Jaipur and made it his capital. He became the ruler of Amber at the age of 11, after ...

annexed 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. Trespassing near Bhangarh is legally prohibited between sunset and sunrise, as it is said to be haunted. According to locals, spirits enter the place after sunset and thus nobody is allowed to enter the borders of Bhangarh during this time. A signboard posted by the ASI (

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexander ...

), which is a

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

organization, specifies these instructions. While the board is written in Hindi, the instructions on it roughly translate to: "Entering the borders of Bhangarh before sunrise and after sunset is strictly prohibited. Legal action will be taken against anybody who does not follow these instructions". Some other rules are there, according to which no one is allowed to graze their animals in the village after sunset.

References

External links

Silent ghost cities – article in ''The Tribune''
{{Alwar district Villages in Alwar district Tourist attractions in Alwar district Reportedly haunted locations in India

See also

References

External links