Sanjay Van, Lothian Cemetery, do you know all of Delhi’s spookiest places?

Have you heard of the man who walks with his head in his hand at Lothian Cemetery in Delhi in the dead of night?Have you heard the cries and laughter of children at Sanjay Van? Have you seen the woman in white in Delhi Cantonment?In this episode of our series Urban Legends, the haunted spots of the national capitalHave you heard of the man who walks with his head in his hand at Lothian Cemetery in Delhi in the dead of night? It’s apparently the headless ghost of a British soldier, wandering along hundreds of graves lining the cemetery. Or so goes the urban legend. In this episode of paranormal stories that residents in many cities and towns across India have grown up with, we’ll be taking a spooky tour of the capital city, which has come up over several layers of other cities that pre-date modern Delhi, by over a thousand years. Starting from Indraprastha to Lal Kot, Qila Rai Pithora, Firozabad, Jahanpanah, Tughlaqabad, Shahjahanabad and finally, Delhi, the city is full of tales of restless spirits – from Mughals to headless apparitions of British officers on moonless nights, not to forget the odd white-sari-clad woman waiting to waylay you on a silent road. Ghosts of Sanjay Van Spread over a 10 square kilometre area, Sanjay Van is a forest located right in the middle of the city and one of the most thickly wooded areas. Lush greenery surrounds you all around with birds chirping, creating a paradise for nature lovers. It’s home to several species of birds such as the Asian koel, white-breasted kingfisher, purple sunbird and more. A walk in the day, especially in winters, is a lovely experience. But the night has a different story to tell. The forest has many graves and mazaars of Sufi saints and also broken ramparts of the Qila Rai Pithora. Brave souls who have ventured into the forest at night have reported feeling the presence of something unknown and hearing the cries and laughter of children. The spectre of a woman, clad in a white sari, has also been seen, who then vanishes into thin air. Headless soldier at Lothian Cemetery Established in 1808, the Lothian Cemetery is the oldest British cemetery in Delhi. It was used for more than a century before it was closed for burials during the 1960s. Buried in the cemetery are those who belonged to the local Christian community between 1808 and 1867. Throughout the cemetery are graves of members of the East India Company and their families who perished during India’s first cholera outbreak during the 19th century. Also buried in the cemetery are English servicemen who died during the First War of Independence in 1857. As with many other cemeteries, Lothian Cemetery is full of tales of hauntings. One famous ghostly tale is that of Sir Nicholas. Nicholas was a British officer whose ghost is now said to roam the cemetery missing its head. The story goes that Nicholas fell in love with a local Indian lady who eventually married another. A heartbroken Nicholas took his own life over his lost love. Maintained by the ASI, Lothian Cemetery was in a state of disrepair until renovations began in 2017. Haunted Delhi Cantonment Home to hundreds of military personnel and their family, as well as large tracts of green foliage, Delhi Cantonment has the honour to be counted as one of the most haunted places in Delhi. Wide open roads and picturesque urban planning turns into a desolate stretch that challenges the courage of many an intrepid traveller, especially at night. As you travel, you may come across a woman in white, as though looking for a ride. If you stop and offer her one, she disappears. If you don’t stop though, she’s likely to chase you, seemingly on air, no matter how fast you make your vehicle run. She will then suddenly come in front of your car, making it crash. According to local legend, the woman was killed in a road accident and her spirit wanders the same area, stopping passersby. These incidents usually occur between 1am and 4am. Spooky Ridge One of the spookiest places in Delhi, though, is the large green space known as the Ridge. A thickly wooded, rocky extension of the ancient Aravalli hills, this place is usually deserted even by day. Post sundown, it will give anyone goosebumps! What drives the eerieness of the Ridge is its violent history. It was the site of bloody massacres during the First War of Independence of 1857, when Indian soldiers led an uprising against the East India Company. Legend has it that hundreds of dead bodies of Englishmen as well as sepoys were dumped into the Khooni Jheel, or bloody lake, located within the Ridge area. Dead children wailing for their mothers, a phantom horseman and English women in tattered clothes are said to roam the Ridge at night. The Mutiny Memorial, located in a lonely section of the Ridge, was built in 1863 in memory of British and Indian soldiers who had died in the uprising of 1857. This 29m tower was the site of a huge munition magazine explosion that killed many sepoys, onlookers, and residents. Many bravehearts who have tried passing near the Memorial at night claim to have been accosted by spirits asking for cigarettes! Ghosts of GK It’s not just the ancient past that drives the spirit in Delhi. The modern city makes its contribution felt as well. Considered one of the most posh addresses in Delhi, Greater Kailash is prime real estate. Bungalows admist tall trees is what everyone is looking for here. House number W-3 in Greater Kailash though, has long had a reputation for the dark, eerie atmosphere of a haunted house. Some 35 years ago, it was the scene of a bloody crime. An aged couple, Yadu Krishnan Kaul and Madhu Kaul, were murdered by a yoga guru who wanted to get his hands on their property. After killing them, he dumped their corpses in an underground water tank. It was after several weeks that neighbours called the police over the missing couple. When cops tried to trace the family of the Kauls, they found there were no heirs. The case was never solved and the property was abandoned. As time passed, the house began to be called a ghost house. Neighbours as well as locals reported strange noises, screaming, wailing as well as apparitions and a feeling of disquiet and wrong. Nobody dared enter the premises after sunset. The house was finally taken over by a family who before moving in, did a three-day long havan to sanctify the place. Agrasen ki Baoli Considered a tourist attraction, the 14th century Agrasen ki Baoli, located in the heart of central Delhi, was constructed during the rule of Maharaja Agrasen. A beautiful spot in the middle of a busy city, the baoli is considered haunted by many. The baoli, or reservoir, goes down over 103 steps, into the water pool of the step-well. Many believe that the now empty baoli was once filled with black water which had hypnotic properties that enticed visitors into diving in and killing themselves. Many visitors to the step-well have reported feeling something strange, especially as you step further down the well, in the evening. They have reported feeling like they were being followed or watched. Some have even claimed to have felt a nudge, push or even a slap while sightseeing! Voices: Anindya Chakravorty, Vasundhara Bose, and Abhishek SharmaAudio production: Prateek KapoorNote: The podcast was recorded on Sep 8, 2022