Squad ghouls

Cursed forts, haunted graveyards, local djinns, mansions with Victorian ghosts. Indian tourism has unlocked a new level. Don't scream, don't be scared - there's a message behind every spooky story

- Kritika Kapoor

Who doesn’t love a good ghost story? The woman in a white sari spooking drivers on the highway. The abandoned haveli, from where laughs and screams still echo. The shadows in the window. Headless horsemen, bewitched babies...

Turns out, even in the age of driverless cars and motion-activated lighting, we're still excited about strange magic. Paranormal tours have been popping up across India. Groups - we're too chicken to go it alone — sign up to hear about grisly murders, cold cases, ancient injustices, and their spooky repercussions in the present. And, for the first time, Indians are paying to get a closer look at the dark side.

At Rajasthan’s Bhangarh, a 17th century fort that locals believe to be cursed, the curious arrive in droves - some 2.7 lakh tourists visited in 2023-24 (a 44% jump from the previous year, according to the Ministry of Tourism). On YouTube, more than 100 videos from this year feature people who visited and felt like they were being watched, or heard faint screams.

The travel industry, of course, is delighted. “Heritage is not only about buildings,” says Bharat Gothoskar, founder of the Mumbai-based Khaki Tours. “It’s the language we speak, the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the stories we tell - and that includes scary stories.” Khaki Tours’ weekly Grisly Girgaon neighbourhood walk runs full in Mumbai. Take a closer look.

Djinneology 101