Kolkata is a land of historical significance and rich cultural heritage. Its royal monuments, colonial buildings and enchanting temples make it one of the most famous tourist attractions in the country. Not to forget, the city’s Durga Puja festivities will let you experience the most spectacular celebration of your life, filled with colours, lip-smacking delicacies, joyous events and an enormous amount of liveliness. But like every bright and happy place, this one’s got a few dark secrets too — those that remain hidden in the spookiest corners of the city.
What Are The Top Most Haunted Places In Kolkata?
Considered to be the hub of tantra mantra or black magic, Kolkata has more than enough terrifying mysteries, eerie beliefs and nightmarish legends to send chills down your spine. So are you ready to explore the most haunted places in the city? Go ahead and read the stories behind them to find out if you’re brave enough to visit them someday. We dare you!
Writer’s Building
Who knew that the most historically powerful building of Kolkata held a deep, dark secret? There’s a reason why all the caretakers refuse to work here after 7 pm, ‘cause apparently, this is where “the dead man” walks around and cries out loud at night. The “man” in question is allegedly Captain Simpson of the East India Company who was killed by three famous revolutionaries, Binay, Badal and Dinesh during the struggle for Independence. Legend has it that this 300-year old building is home to the spirit of the Captain, and the neighbours have claimed to have heard loud shrieks at night from the very same place even though it happens to be deserted.
Address: Binoy Badal Dinesh Bagh, Lal Dighi, Kolkata, West Bengal – 700 001
Howrah Bridge
This iconic spot is also said to be one of the most haunted places in Kolkata. It is here where people claim to see the spirits of those who committed suicide by drowning themselves in the river. The wrestlers who practice near the Mullick Ghat flower market claim to see pale arms rising from the Hooghly River every now and then, asking for help. They have also claimed to witness a woman in a white robe, sobbing and calling out to them in a nasal tone. But nobody in their good sense tries to approach these figures (anymore) as those who already did are known to have been traumatised for life.
Address: Howrah-Kolkata, West Bengal – 700 001
National Library
Being one of the largest libraries of the country, this landmark attraction is a storehouse for the rarest books and publications, and yet, knitted with dark, eerie tales that nobody wishes to read. Students claim to feel the presence of something breathing down their neck when they are reading alone and find it even more amplified if books aren’t kept in their rightful place. This is believed to be the spirit of Lady Metcalfe, a Governer’s wife who was an ardent reader and a cleanliness freak. She was so fond of books that just the idea of them not being organised neatly in their respective shelves disgusted her. Turns out this OCD was so strong that it didn’t die even after her death. Librarians have claimed to witness chairs being drawn away, sounds of pages being ruffled and books being dropped on their own apart from just her footsteps.
Address: Belvedere Road, A – Block, Alipore, Kolkata, West Bengali – 700 027
Nimtala Shamshan Ghat
As one of the oldest crematoriums or burning ghats in the city, this is one haunted spot that freaks everybody out till date, so much so that the locals try to maintain a good amount of distance from it. Curious to know why? Well, this is where spirits are presumably released from their bodies at night. On the occasion of Kali Puja, Aghori sadhus perform various rituals including the kind where they feed on the leftover flesh of dead bodies, their burnt corpses and smear this ash on themselves. They do this to invoke Shamshan Kali, who is believed to be their reigning goddess, in an attempt to be possessed by her or gain occult powers.
Address: Nimtala Ghat Street, Ahiritola, Beniatola, Kolkata, West Bengal – 700 005
Putulbari Heritage House (of Dolls)
The Putulbari house is a century-old Romanesque building that’s almost in its ruins. And its eerie architecture coupled with hundreds of dolls stacked up on the stands is enough to give you the jitters. This haunted house in kolkata was once inhabited by some wicked Babus (wealthy landlords) who found joy in sexually exploiting and killing women for their own pleasures. Today, it has residents who, despite having stayed there for several years, refrain from going to the upper floors of the building and will advise you to do the same if you wish to live. This is because of the loud, painful cries of women that they hear or sounds of anklets and bangles clinking in the middle of the day from the topmost floors, despite having seen nobody go up there.
Address: 17, Hara Chandra Mullick Street, Sovabazar, Kumartuli, Shobhabazar, Kolkata, West Bengal – 700 005
Rabindra Sarobar Metro Station
What’s creepier than the eerie silence of a metro station at night? It’s infamously called a “paradise of suicide” due to a large number of suicide cases witnessed by the people on this station. It is hence believed that the souls of these spirits roam around the place at late hours – so much so, that the last train which runs at midnight is said to be completely haunted. The station attendees and train drives have also claimed to see shadowy figures, appearing and disappearing in a gust of wind. Would you be brave enough to take this midnight ghost train?
Address: Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Road, Charu Market, Kalighat, Kolkata, West Bengal – 700 033
Lower Circular Road Cemetery
Cemeteries are known to be spooky, but this one might end up giving you terrible nightmares. During the British Era, there was a civil servant called Sir William Hay MacNaghten who was brutally murdered in the first Anglo-Afghan War. His body was further ripped into pieces and sent to Afghanistan to his wife. And it was in this cemetery where she returned with the leftover parts of her husband and buried them. Since then, anybody who enters this place returns back home troubled by the visions and nightmares of their own loved ones’ distorted bodies. People who have been near this cemetery have also witnessed the huge tree above the graveyard shaking rapidly as if it’s trying to warn you. So, enter at your own risk!
Address: 184, Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Road, Beniapukur, Kolkata, West Bengal – 700 017
Kidderpore Dock
This famous dock was initially known as the Kolkata Dockyard where its owner, Nawab Wajid Ali Shah of Awadh, was forcibly removed by the Britishers so that they could set up their own base. Due to this anger and resentment, the Nawab eventually died of heartbreak. And since then, the residents around this place have considered it to be haunted. The locals believe that the Nawab’s spirit often roams around the dock to seek revenge from the Britishers who threw him out of his much-loved home. If you go there in the dark, you might even hear his footsteps pacing towards you.
Address: 50, Kabitirtha Sarani, Andaman Dock, Khidirpur, Kolkata, West Bengal – 700 023
So, are we sensing some goosebumps on your arms? *wink*
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