The Top Five Places of Kolkata

1. Howrah Bridge – The Lady in White

Howrah Bridge – The Lady in White (#1 out of 12 Best Haunted Places in Kolkata) (Photo Credits:
Shutterstock)

One of the most iconic sights of Kolkata, the Howrah Bridge is also said to be a haunt of
ghosts. Talk to the wrestlers who train under it, and some of these might tell you that they
regularly see arms merging from the Hooghly River, unsure whether they belong to a
human or a spirit. Some people might also recall seeing a sobbing woman in white robes,
calling out to them in a nasal voice. Those who have heard it or tried to approach the
figure have claimed to be traumatised. These spirits are said to be of those, who died of
drowning in the river either accidentally or willingly. While ghosts are said to roam at
most places at night, it is the morning which is claimed to be the most horrifying time
here.

2. National Library – Ghost with an OCD

National Library – Ghost with an OCD (#2 out of 12 Best Haunted Places in Kolkata) (Photo
Credits: NDTV)

The National Library in Alipore is another ghostly place in the city, if you believe such
stories (personally, I find libraries to be the most depressing places on earth). Several
people will tell you that they felt as if someone was breathing down their neck when they
were reading alone. This feeling is said to be amplified if you don’t keep a book in its
rightful place. Now, this is what I call a ghost with an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder so
strong, which won’t die even after the person is dead. There have also been reports of
people hearing footsteps near them, but seeing nobody. It’s not only readers, but even
librarians have complained of seeing chairs being drawn away; chairs on which they were
sitting along with hearing sounds of ruffling pages and books being dropped. The
presence being felt is said to be of the wife of Charles Metcalfe, a former Governor-
General of India. If you are staying at hotels in Alipore, then make it a point to explore
this landmark attraction.

3. Nimtala Ghat – Where Aghoris Roam

Nimtala Ghat – Where Aghoris (#3 out of 12 Best Haunted Places in Kolkata) (Photo Credits:
RailYatri)

Nimtala Ghat is one of the oldest crematoria in Kolkata, and what better place to have
been claimed as being haunted than one, where spirits are supposedly released from the
body. Aghoris throng this ghat on the occasion of Kali Puja, wherein they eat the already
burned corpses and smear the ash on themselves (a band like Gorgoroth or Cannibal
Corpse could make an entire music video, showing them in the midst of human remains,
eating off the dead). They are also said to invoke the goddess so that she possesses them.
It might not be so scary an experience, but certainly one worth looking at.

4. Putulbari – House of Dolls Possessed

Putulbari – House of Dolls Possessed (#4 out of 12 Best Haunted Places in Kolkata) (Photo Credits:
Kolkatawale)

Dolls are cute, aren’t they? But, those who have seen The Conjuring, Annabelle, The
Child’s Play series or even Dexter’s Laboratory episode, Dee Dee’s Room, wouldn’t be
so sure. Want to be more skeptical than ever of dolls? Then, you got to visit Putulbari –
The House of Dolls. Before you even feel a presence, dolls stacked up on stands in a
grand Romanesque building will freak you out. There are residents in this house, but even
they refrain from going to its upper floors. It is said that wealthy landlords who lived in
this haunted house in Kolkata in the olden days had sexually assaulted and killed several
women here, who now roam here as ghosts. Some people have heard women laughing and
anklets clinking even when there was no one there except for them. If you are brave
enough to walk to the upper storeys, you might earn a whole new respect for yourself.

5.Writer’s Building – Dead Man Walking

 Writer’s Building – Dead Man Walking (#5 out of 12 Best Haunted Places in Kolkata) (Photo
Credits: Shutterstock)

The Writer’s Building in Binoy Badal Dinesh Bagh is a place where the dead man
apparently walks (not talking about The Undertaker). The person being mentioned is
Captain Simpson of the East India Company, who was murdered here by revolutionaries
during the struggle for independence. It is his ghost, which apparently walks here at
night. Caretakers say that they heard shriek-like noises late in the night, even though the
building is closed for people at 7:00 pm. No caretaker, it is claimed, has been able to
continue his job for more than 24 hours!