7 abandoned cities you can easily visit in India

India is one of the few countries in the world that is rich with centuries old history from different bygone eras. The country has witnessed reigns of different kingdoms and popularity of different religions, leading to the establishment of various cities that were later abandoned during transition. These are the 7 abandoned cities in India that carry with them haunted stories of the past and can be easily visited by curious travellers.

Talakadu in Karnataka is situated on the left bank of the Kaveri river and was the capital of Western Ganga kingdom for six centuries. The ghost town was home to over 30 temples that are now buried under the sand and are sometimes accessible with the movement of the sand bed. It is now a popular tourist spot for people who visit the spot to take a glimpse at the ancient temples.

Mandu or Mandavgad is a town in Madhya Pradesh that was once the capital of the Malwa region but was abandoned almost 400 years ago. It contains various ruins of mosques, tombs and palaces. It is said that the town is haunted by the ghosts of King Baz Bahadur and Rani Roopmati who lived in a palace there.

Nature is the most powerful force of all and it takes under everything that remains. Such is the story of the Ross Island which was once a British and Japanese capital but is now an island filled with abandoned buildings such as bakeries and churches that have been taken over by nature.

Sometimes, you don't willingly leave a home but are forced to by forces out of your control. Something similar happened with the inhabitants of Dhanushkodi, a ghost town in Tamil Nadu when they had to leave their homes because of a devastating cyclone in 1964. The abandoned town is now a popular tourist spot due to its spectacular views of the Indian ocean and Bay of Bengal and abandoned church, police station and railway station.

Maluti village located in the Dumka district of Jharkhand was a prominent town in the 17th and 19th centuries where the Baj Basanta dynasty built as many as 108 temples, out of which only 58 exist now. It is now a forgotten temple town where no soul lives.

Gujarat is known for its port cities, and Lakhpat is an abandoned port town in the state. It is enclosed by fort walls built by Jamadar Fateh Muhammed in the 19th century and served as a major connecting centre between Gujarat and Sindh. An earthquake in 1819 caused the Indus River flowing through the town to change its course and leave it inhabitable for the people.

Established in 1291 by Paliwal Brahmins, the town of Kuldhara was once a thriving community. It was mysteriously abandoned overnight in the 19th century. The story behind the town revolves around Jaisalmer's state minister Salim Singh who demanded to marry the daughter of the village head and threatened the villagers for it. Rather than submitting, the villagers abandoned the village and cursed anyone who came to live there later. Now, tourists visit this town due to its popular haunted stories of eerie sounds and ghosts.