Monday, 22 January 2018
Snake Island
Off the shore of Brazil, almost 93 miles away from downtown São Paulo, is Ilha da Queimada Grande, also known as “Snake Island.” The island is untouched by human developers, and for a very good reason. Researchers estimate that on the island live between one and five snakes per square meter. The snakes live on the many migratory birds (enough to keep the snake density remarkably high) that use the island as a resting point.
“Between one and five snakes per square meter” might not be so terrible if the snakes were, say, two inches long and nonvenomous. The snakes on Queimada Grande, however, are a unique species of pit viper, the golden lancehead. The lancehead genus of snakes is responsible for 90 percent of Brazilian snakebite-related fatalities. The golden lanceheads that occupy Snake Island grow to well over half a meter long, and they possess a powerful fast-acting poison that melts the flesh around their bites.
Golden lanceheads are so dangerous that, with the exception of some scientific outfits, the Brazilian Navy has expressly forbidden anyone from landing on the island.
Locals in the coastal towns near Queimada Grande love to recount two grisly tales of death on Snake Island. In one, a fisherman unwittingly wanders onto the island to pick bananas. Naturally, he is bitten. He manages to return to his boat, where he promptly succumbs to the snake’s venom. He is found some time later on the boat deck in a great pool of blood.
The other story is of the final lighthouse operator and his family. One night, a handful of snakes enter through a window and attack the man, his wife, and their three children. In a desperate gambit to escape, they flee towards their boat, but they are bitten by snakes on branches overhead.
Marcelo Duarte, a biologist who has visited Snake Island over 20 times, says that the locals’ claim of one to five snakes per square meter is an exaggeration, though perhaps not by much. One snake per square meter is more like it. Not that that should ease one’s mind: At one snake per meter, you’re never more than three feet away from death.
Know Before You Go
Presently, reaching the island legally requires the cooperation of the Brazilian Navy. A particularly daring tourist could hypothetically travel to Peruíbe or Itanhaém (approx. 1.5-2.5 hours from downtown São Paulo) and convince a local with a boat to approach the island, but doing so is dangerous and illegal. Golden lanceheads can legally be seen at the Butantã Institute in São Paulo if one asks politely.
“Between one and five snakes per square meter” might not be so terrible if the snakes were, say, two inches long and nonvenomous. The snakes on Queimada Grande, however, are a unique species of pit viper, the golden lancehead. The lancehead genus of snakes is responsible for 90 percent of Brazilian snakebite-related fatalities. The golden lanceheads that occupy Snake Island grow to well over half a meter long, and they possess a powerful fast-acting poison that melts the flesh around their bites.
Golden lanceheads are so dangerous that, with the exception of some scientific outfits, the Brazilian Navy has expressly forbidden anyone from landing on the island.
Locals in the coastal towns near Queimada Grande love to recount two grisly tales of death on Snake Island. In one, a fisherman unwittingly wanders onto the island to pick bananas. Naturally, he is bitten. He manages to return to his boat, where he promptly succumbs to the snake’s venom. He is found some time later on the boat deck in a great pool of blood.
The other story is of the final lighthouse operator and his family. One night, a handful of snakes enter through a window and attack the man, his wife, and their three children. In a desperate gambit to escape, they flee towards their boat, but they are bitten by snakes on branches overhead.
Marcelo Duarte, a biologist who has visited Snake Island over 20 times, says that the locals’ claim of one to five snakes per square meter is an exaggeration, though perhaps not by much. One snake per square meter is more like it. Not that that should ease one’s mind: At one snake per meter, you’re never more than three feet away from death.
Know Before You Go
Presently, reaching the island legally requires the cooperation of the Brazilian Navy. A particularly daring tourist could hypothetically travel to Peruíbe or Itanhaém (approx. 1.5-2.5 hours from downtown São Paulo) and convince a local with a boat to approach the island, but doing so is dangerous and illegal. Golden lanceheads can legally be seen at the Butantã Institute in São Paulo if one asks politely.
Is the Ark of the Covenant really in Ethiopia?
After the destruction of the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem, no one knows for sure where the Ark of the Covenant ended up.
The monks living in the small Church of St. Mary of Zion, also called “The Chapel of the Ark,” in the sacred Ethiopian city of Aksum are forbidden to step outside the gate that encircles the building.
They cannot abandon the task that has been entrusted to them: they are to watch the “Tabot,” as they call the Tables of the Law in Ethiopia, for as long as they live.
Abba Gebre Meskel, 56, has already spent three decades in the chapel.
Between archaeology and legend
According to the narrative contained in the Book of Exodus in the Bible, the Tables of the Law contained the Ten Commandments God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai. Some scholars date the event around the year 1440 BC.
Popular apocryphal legends circulating in North Africa and some regions of the Middle East attribute supernatural powers to the Tables and the Ark that contained them. It was around these legends that so many others were woven, including those telling of the Nazi obsession for occultism and relics that Hollywood would profit from, giving Indiana Jones his acclaimed first mission on the big screen.
But the truth is that after the destruction of the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem, no one knows for sure where the Ark of the Covenant ended up. The Ark disappeared without a trace (and without any known record of its whereabouts), so the place where it might be found — assuming it had been preserved in the first place — remains today one of the great enigmas not only of history but, particularly, of archaeology.
But what is certain is that almost 45 million Ethiopian Orthodox Christians (part of the Coptic tradition) are convinced that the Ark of the Covenant was taken about 3,000 years ago to Aksum, in northern Ethiopia, and has since been jealously cared for by these monks in the modest church of Saint Mary of Zion.
Menelik, the son of Solomon
According to the Coptic tradition, the Queen of Sheba (whose visit to Solomon’s palace is noted in Scripture and celebrated in art) and King Solomon had a son: Menelik I, the founder of a dynasty of Solomonic emperors who, for three thousand years, ruled Ethiopia. He, Menelik, would have personally been in charge of moving the precious chest made of gold and acacia wood.
According to deacon Zemikael Brhane, as noted by Lonely Planet’s great report on this chapel, “God himself chose this land, and Aksum is our most sacred city. Men in the West always need visible evidence, but we Ethiopians do not need to see the Ark to know it is here. We just feel it.”
Who can enter the chapel?
The Ark’s purported location is not open to the public. Not even Indy himself could gain admittance to the chapel. In fact, only the monks in charge of taking care of the site may enter. Few are even allowed to speak to the guardian monks — one exception is historian Ephrem Brhane, who guides both tourists and faithful from all over the world around Aksum. As reported, Brhane says, “Abba Gebre Meskel is convinced 200 percent that this is the authentic Ark of the Covenant: it not only has the exact shape described in the Bible, but also it shines with enormous strength.”
Seen only in replica
Seven days a month, before sunrise, the monks of Saint Mary of Zion take a copy of the Ark in a procession. And despite the fact that every one of the nearly 50,000 Orthodox churches in Ethiopia holds a similar replica, the processions are attended by almost 1,000 people.
Sadly, the old chapel of Our Lady of Zion seems to have met its end; numerous roof leaks have forced the monks to begin the construction of a new church, right next to this one, to which the monks, in absolute secrecy, will move the Ark.
No one will know when the move happens, says the keeper of the church, until it has already occurred.
The monks living in the small Church of St. Mary of Zion, also called “The Chapel of the Ark,” in the sacred Ethiopian city of Aksum are forbidden to step outside the gate that encircles the building.
They cannot abandon the task that has been entrusted to them: they are to watch the “Tabot,” as they call the Tables of the Law in Ethiopia, for as long as they live.
Abba Gebre Meskel, 56, has already spent three decades in the chapel.
Between archaeology and legend
According to the narrative contained in the Book of Exodus in the Bible, the Tables of the Law contained the Ten Commandments God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai. Some scholars date the event around the year 1440 BC.
Popular apocryphal legends circulating in North Africa and some regions of the Middle East attribute supernatural powers to the Tables and the Ark that contained them. It was around these legends that so many others were woven, including those telling of the Nazi obsession for occultism and relics that Hollywood would profit from, giving Indiana Jones his acclaimed first mission on the big screen.
But the truth is that after the destruction of the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem, no one knows for sure where the Ark of the Covenant ended up. The Ark disappeared without a trace (and without any known record of its whereabouts), so the place where it might be found — assuming it had been preserved in the first place — remains today one of the great enigmas not only of history but, particularly, of archaeology.
But what is certain is that almost 45 million Ethiopian Orthodox Christians (part of the Coptic tradition) are convinced that the Ark of the Covenant was taken about 3,000 years ago to Aksum, in northern Ethiopia, and has since been jealously cared for by these monks in the modest church of Saint Mary of Zion.
Menelik, the son of Solomon
According to the Coptic tradition, the Queen of Sheba (whose visit to Solomon’s palace is noted in Scripture and celebrated in art) and King Solomon had a son: Menelik I, the founder of a dynasty of Solomonic emperors who, for three thousand years, ruled Ethiopia. He, Menelik, would have personally been in charge of moving the precious chest made of gold and acacia wood.
According to deacon Zemikael Brhane, as noted by Lonely Planet’s great report on this chapel, “God himself chose this land, and Aksum is our most sacred city. Men in the West always need visible evidence, but we Ethiopians do not need to see the Ark to know it is here. We just feel it.”
Who can enter the chapel?
The Ark’s purported location is not open to the public. Not even Indy himself could gain admittance to the chapel. In fact, only the monks in charge of taking care of the site may enter. Few are even allowed to speak to the guardian monks — one exception is historian Ephrem Brhane, who guides both tourists and faithful from all over the world around Aksum. As reported, Brhane says, “Abba Gebre Meskel is convinced 200 percent that this is the authentic Ark of the Covenant: it not only has the exact shape described in the Bible, but also it shines with enormous strength.”
Seen only in replica
Seven days a month, before sunrise, the monks of Saint Mary of Zion take a copy of the Ark in a procession. And despite the fact that every one of the nearly 50,000 Orthodox churches in Ethiopia holds a similar replica, the processions are attended by almost 1,000 people.
Sadly, the old chapel of Our Lady of Zion seems to have met its end; numerous roof leaks have forced the monks to begin the construction of a new church, right next to this one, to which the monks, in absolute secrecy, will move the Ark.
No one will know when the move happens, says the keeper of the church, until it has already occurred.
Thursday, 18 January 2018
Wednesday, 17 January 2018
Violence erupts in Malawi due to fears blood sucking vampires are on the loose
EIGHT people have died after reports vampires were prowling the streets looking to suck blood in the African nation of Malawi.
A SUSPECTED coven of voracious vampires is causing chaos in an African country with two people arrested for threatening to suck people’s blood.
Violent protests against the suspected vampires have led to 140 arrests and nine deaths in the south east African nation of Malawi.
The uprising began on 16 September when three men, who were suspected of being blood suckers, were killed by a mob. A further two men were killed on Thursday in Malawi’s second city of Blantyre.
One was stoned to death, the other set on fire, reports the BBC.
A Reuters reporter said the man who was set alight was epileptic and was killed while walking home from a nearby hospital.
The attacks suspected vampires has got so bad, town administrators and the UN aid have reportedly pulled staff out of areas where the violence has been the greatest.
Local website Malawi 24 has reported that the attacks are based on magic, Satanism, superstition and ignorance.
Victims have been suspected of being vampires simply because they have metal in their homes.
The website said Malawian MP had said blood sucking is real and people were dying due to it.
“People are seeing gold pipes in their homes and get weak,” the MP said, an apparent reference to folklore that certain kinds of metals can be a vampire’s weakness.
The vampire craze isn’t new and has bubbled under the surface in some parts of the country for years. The BBC reported that some villagers believe blood sucking is a ritual that originates in neighbouring Mozambique and is said to make people rich.
Belief in witchcraft is widespread in parts of Malawi.
Educational standards are also low in rural areas meaning some villagers who spot others with technology they’ve never seen before, like a battery and cables to jump start a car, suspect they could be used in vampiric rituals.
Dr Chioza Bandawe, a clinical psychologist at the University of Malawi said these communities believe in “mysterious magical explanations for things” and “people will tend to attribute their difficulty on what they call blood suckers.”
Those who fear being victims worry about “the hope being sucked out of them,” he said.
James Kaledzera, Malawi’s national police spokesman, said police patrols had been stepped up in areas affected and they would “arrest anybody who is deemed to have taken part in the killings”.
A curfew has also been imposed in some southern parts of the nation.
President Peter Mutharika, who has been visiting some of the areas swept up in the Vampiric craze, said the killings will be investigated.
A SUSPECTED coven of voracious vampires is causing chaos in an African country with two people arrested for threatening to suck people’s blood.
Violent protests against the suspected vampires have led to 140 arrests and nine deaths in the south east African nation of Malawi.
The uprising began on 16 September when three men, who were suspected of being blood suckers, were killed by a mob. A further two men were killed on Thursday in Malawi’s second city of Blantyre.
One was stoned to death, the other set on fire, reports the BBC.
A Reuters reporter said the man who was set alight was epileptic and was killed while walking home from a nearby hospital.
The attacks suspected vampires has got so bad, town administrators and the UN aid have reportedly pulled staff out of areas where the violence has been the greatest.
Local website Malawi 24 has reported that the attacks are based on magic, Satanism, superstition and ignorance.
Victims have been suspected of being vampires simply because they have metal in their homes.
The website said Malawian MP had said blood sucking is real and people were dying due to it.
“People are seeing gold pipes in their homes and get weak,” the MP said, an apparent reference to folklore that certain kinds of metals can be a vampire’s weakness.
The vampire craze isn’t new and has bubbled under the surface in some parts of the country for years. The BBC reported that some villagers believe blood sucking is a ritual that originates in neighbouring Mozambique and is said to make people rich.
Belief in witchcraft is widespread in parts of Malawi.
Educational standards are also low in rural areas meaning some villagers who spot others with technology they’ve never seen before, like a battery and cables to jump start a car, suspect they could be used in vampiric rituals.
Dr Chioza Bandawe, a clinical psychologist at the University of Malawi said these communities believe in “mysterious magical explanations for things” and “people will tend to attribute their difficulty on what they call blood suckers.”
Those who fear being victims worry about “the hope being sucked out of them,” he said.
James Kaledzera, Malawi’s national police spokesman, said police patrols had been stepped up in areas affected and they would “arrest anybody who is deemed to have taken part in the killings”.
A curfew has also been imposed in some southern parts of the nation.
President Peter Mutharika, who has been visiting some of the areas swept up in the Vampiric craze, said the killings will be investigated.
Tuesday, 16 January 2018
Unusual and Mysterious Places to Visit in India
Traveling to India can be more than visiting hill stations, havelis or beaches of Goa. How about some cursed places, a village with no doors and several similar unusual and mysterious places to visit in India. Below are some places that are really worth the visit for adventure lovers and brave-hearts. Not everyone would dare to visit some of these unusual places in India...
Balasinor:
Are you fan of Jurassic Park movies? Then you will definitely enjoy a visit to Balasinor in Gujarat. Few decades ago, accidentally government officials discovered one of the biggest Dinosaur excavation site in the world. It is actually second biggest in the world. Even today, dinosaur fossils could be found lying on the ground. In fact, Balasinor is the only place in the world where you can actually touch a 600 millions years old dinosaur egg. Gujarat government is developing a Jurassic Park in Balasinor that will feature life size models of the dinosaurs..
Karni Mata Mandir:
Another classic example of unusual places in India is Karni Mata Mandir in Bikaner. The temple is famous for huge rat population. Thousands of rats live inside the temple. These rats are considered auspicious therefore you can not kill or hit them. Spotting a white rat inside the temple is very lucky. One need to be very careful while walking inside the temple. If you are scared for rats, then this is not the temple for you.
Mehandipur Balaji Temple:
This temple dedicated to Lord Hanuman in Rajasthan is famous for Exorcism. Its not exactly what you see in Haunting Shows or the movie Exorcist. Long time ago, the image of Lord Hanuman appeared from nowhere in the Aravali Hills. Today a temple has been made at that place. It is believed that this temple has the power to cure people affected by Black Magic or evil spirits. Any person who has been possessed will evil spirit will start to act unnaturally as he enters the temple premise. You can see hundreds of people at the temple who are believed to be possessed with evil spirits. Thousands of people are believed to have been cured here.
Kuldhara:
You will come across this deserted village during camel safari in Jaisalmer. Once Kuldhara was home to more than 1500 people. Suddenly one night the entire population of this village disappeared. Now that's spooky isn't it? Unlike Pompei in Italy, it didn't happen because of volcanic eruption, earthquake or floods. Apparently the Diwan of Jaisalmer, who was famous for his debauchery set his eyes on the beautiful daughter of village chief. When he was tipped off about the intention of Diwan, chief decided to leave the village to save his daughter. Fearing that in the absence of chief, other people of village may become victim of Diwan's anger, the entire village decided to disappear overnight. They only took some of the valuable items and left the village in dark. But not before cursing it that whoever will dare to live in Kuldhara will die. Since then, this village has become a ghost town. Nobody has dared to live here. Whoever tried, suffer a brutal death. The houses made out of sandstones have become a tourist attraction. Several of these houses have been restored by Rajasthan tourism.
Levitating Stone of Shivapur:
A small village near Pune in Maharashtra is famous for a levitating stone. If 11 people touch their finger to the stone and shout the name "Qamar Ali Darvesh", the stone flies up in the air. This is a huge stone weighting around 200kg. While some don't believe in this phenomena, other rule it out by calling it an illusion. However you can see for several videos on YouTube, demonstrating this amazing levitation stone
Khajuraho Temples:
Its hard to imagine finding erotic art in India that too on the walls of Hindu temples. But this is exactly what Khajuraho has to offer. Khajuraho temples, commonly referred as Temples of Love are a group of ancient Hindu, Jains and Buddhist temples that are famous for erotic sculpture on the outer walls. The reason for carving erotic sculpture on the outer walls is still a mystery. Out of 80 odd temples only 26 have left. Khajuraho is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Wonders of India.
Bhangarh:
There is a belief about Bhangarh that the place is haunted and no one dares to go after sunset there.
Bhangarh is a place between Jaipur and Alwar in Rajasthan state of India. Bhangarh is known for its ruins, but still worth a visit; the place is beautiful and tranquil. What remains though, is a shadow of a once beautiful kingdom.
The Bhangarh Story
The story (and the history) of the Bhangarh began in the year of 1573 when the fortress was established. Built by Raja Bhagawant Das, the ruler of the city of Amber, Bhangarh Fort has become the residence of Madho Singh, ruler's second son who fought alongside his father and brother in many wars. The decline of Bhangarh Fort started in 1630 after Chhatr Singh, son of Madho Singh got killed in a violent attack. The decline continued until 1783 when the fortress and the city were completely abandoned following that year's famine.
Bhangarh Myths
It is said that the city of Bhangarh was cursed by the Guru Balu Nath, causing the towns evacuation. Balu Nath sanctioned the establishment of the town but said: "The moment the shadows of your palaces touch me, the city shall be no more!" Ignorant of such foreboding, one ambitious descendant raised the palace to such a height that its shadowed Balu Nath's forbidden retreat and thus the town was devastated as prophesied. The small samadhi where Balu Nath is said to lie buried is still there.
The other myth is as follows: The charm of princess of Bhangarh Ratnavati was said to be matchless in all of Rajasthan. Being eighteen years old, the princess started getting matrimonial offers from other states. In the same region there lived a tantrik, a magician well versed in the occult, named Singhia who was desperately in love with the princess knowing that he would never be allowed to even see her, let alone meet her. One day, he saw the princess' maid in the market buying scented oil for her. Seeing this, he got an idea by which he could meet the princess. He used his black magic and put a spell on the oil which would hypnotize the princess by her merely touching the oil, and she would surrender herself. The princess foiled this plan though. She had seen the tantrik enchanting the oil, and she therefore threw it away, whereupon the flagon rolled over a stone. As soon as the oil touched the stone, it started rolling towards the wicked tantrik and crushed him. While dying, Singhia cursed the palace with the death of all who dwelt in it, without any rebirth in their destinies. The very next year there was a battle between Bhangarh and Ajabgarh and Ratnavati died.
What does the signboard say?
Here is a translation:
The Government of India
The Archeological Survey of India, Bhangarh
Important warning:
1. Entering the borders of Bhangarh before sunrise and after sunset is strictly prohibited.
2. Shepherds and woodcutters who enter Bhangarh area will face legal action.
3. The Kewda or Pandanus trees found in Bhangarh area belong to the Archaelogy Survey of India. Is it forbidden to subject this tree to any kind of harm.
Note: Anyone flouting of the rules mentioned above will face legal action.
By order
Supervisor, Archaelogical Survey Board
True, the signboard does not say that there are ghosts in the area, or the place is haunted. But the signboard is extremely unusual....
Most Haunted places in Mumbai
Case 1
Over 16 years, a spacious, uninhabited bungalow, in the bylanes of JVPD scheme and in the neighbourhood of many Bollywood stars including the Big B, is being gradually reclaimed by the elements of nature. An array of imported cars gathering dust in its compound, a mass of vegetation and thick undergrowth now cover the prime property worth crores.
Neighbours swear that the property takes on a new dimension after sunset. The chirping of birds, the only residents of the bungalow, reach a crescendo and what follows is an abrupt silence and the presence of an eerie energy.
Neighbours further claim that the owners of the bungalow, which is now under government custody, apparently vanished into thin air after they were accused of pilfering money from a public limited company they had floated.
Case 2
Numerous water wells of Mahim which never run dry, are not only a Mecca for the water tanker operators, but also a source of forbidden mysteries.
With water tankers parked on the either side of a lane, right behind the Paradise cinema, lies a building called Ram Sakit and in its compound is a sealed well, supposed to possess the spirit of old lady Sulochana who met her watery grave on the very spot, over 20 years ago. "I knew the lady, who was in her fifties and hailed from a Maharashtrian family. It was around 10 am when she stepped out to wash her clothes and slipped into the well and died," claims an old resident adding that the entire neighbourhood believes she still appears during Amavasya and vanishes in the morning.
The belief is said to be so strong that a person called Richard, who claims to be the landlord, carries out exorcisms of laying flowers on the well (see pix) everyday, to mollify the spirit, which is said to not be malicious in nature.
Case 3
In less than a kilometer radius of the Mahim railway station, lies the dreaded Nasserwanj Wadi, where no local likes to venture after midnight. "Don't venture inside or you will get possessed. Don't expect any one from the area to come and help you," warned a group of ladies standing near the gate as this reporter approached the wadi (old settlement) compound.
Folklore has it that the property once belonged to a Parsi gentleman called Nasser, who was brutally burnt in a cabin close to a well inside the compound. "The gruesome murder was committed around 16 years ago, but the Parsi landlord still takes his daily stroll over here after midnight, keeping a watch on his property. He is known to torment anyone who crosses his path," alleged Francis, a resident.
Francis confessed that moving out of his house was a total taboo for him and his family and they always kept a crucifix and slept with a light on. "More than seven people have lost their lives here, within a span of one year after the Parsi landlord died, so we concealed the well under a pile of rubble. But this has not really helped," he alleged.
Case 4
Eight months ago, in a scene right out of Omen, a huge, black dog appeared out of nowhere and made the second floor corridor of a building in Santa Cruz (W), his permanent home. His uncanny presence coincides with the death of a lady, simply known as "second floor ki bhabi", who committed suicide after a tiff with her husband.
The dog simply doesn't budge from his place; he just sits there quietly. But every night, he lets out a series of low frequency howls and a veiled lady appears and strolls in the corridor. Next, the silence is broken as the building lift mysteriously comes to a standstill on the floor, as if on command, casting ghastly shadows from its tube light.
"The veiled lady never harms anyone, but has all the neighbours scared to death and they refuse to even speak out her real name. You just have to be in the building at midnight to feel her presence," alleged 23-year-old Nadeem Sheikh, a local resident.
Case 5
A famous South Bombay hotel is supposed to have a friendly ghost in the form of its original architect. Folklore has it that the Frenchman, who created the blueprints, went off on a trip to his country in 1903.
On his return, he was stunned to find that the hotel frontage had been made in the reverse direction, and committed suicide. His ghost is still believed to manifest in the old wing, but has never bothered anyone.
Case 6
Close to the Pawan Hans quarters, near the Juhu aerodrome is a century old peepal tree, which residents claim is the home to a 20-year-old girl called Salma who poured kerosene and set herself ablaze for no apparent reason in 1989.
Her presence was so strongly felt that a resident called Anthony D'Souza, a devout Catholic, built a Hanuman mandir to protect residents from harm after he was apparently guided to do so in a dream. "On special nights, the girl can still be seen running, with her clothes still on fire and disappears into the tree," claimed Mehboob Sheikh, a local resident.
Case 7
In the backyard of SNDT, Girls College, Juhu are a few dilapidated structures, once used as staff toilets by the gardeners and other menial staff workers. Residents of the neighbouring building swear that post 1.30 am, sounds of a teacher thrashing her students can be heard clearly.
"First the lessons start, and the teacher can be heard reciting mathematical tables, invariably followed by thrashing sounds and the wails of children. It's been practically heard by everyone in our building and goes on till the wee hours of the morning," alleged Riyaz Ansari, a local resident.
"Once, out of curiosity, we formed a group of 10 boys to investigate the phenomena, but found only an eerie emptiness. By the time we reached back home, the cries from the structure had restarted and no one has ever dared to venture out there again," added Riyaz.
Case 8
With mangroves on either side, a narrow strip of road, which leads to Marve and Madh Island is notorious for many automobile accidents. It's said that a lady in full bridal attire, seen especially on full moon nights, distracts the drivers, which leads to the mishaps. Dozens of uncharacteristic sightings have been reported, not only by locals, but by staff of beachfront hotels who return from late night shifts.
The trick, they say, is to not look directly in to the mesmerising eyes of the beautiful lady and to just ignore her. Legend has it that an unknown bride was brutally murdered on her wedding night and her body dumped in the isolated mangroves over 25 years ago. The spirit is apparently still on the lookout for the culprits.
Case 9In the dead of the night, it requires sheer guts to cross the dimly-lit Aarey Road, which connects Goregaon to Powai. Danger lurks not only from the leopards who come down from the National Park to feed on easy prey, but also from the paranormal.
The spirits, which seldom attack the locals, are known to target only outsiders, especially rickshaw drivers who would rather take a longer route to reach their destination than risk this terrain. A strange old man in white kurta pajama is known to hire a rickshaw. Within a span of 15 minutes, the man disappears into thin air, leaving the driver under a strange state of hynopsis.
Said one driver who was 'struck' by the spirit, "I felt as if I was surrounded by a flowing water body and was helpless. Covered in perspiration, I was vaguely aware of being approached by another man, who slapped me to get me to my senses."
Case 10
In the heart of IC colony, Borivali is an open garden plot so dreaded that no child has played here for the last 30 years. Old residents claimed that a gardener committed suicide here after fearing he would lose his job when the property changed hands. Said to be so possessive of the land, the gardener allegedly targets any child playing on the property, which is now covered in undergrowth.
Case 11
The mango groves surrounding the LIC colony at Borivali add a strange mystique to the quiet area. But it is the tall water tower, surrounded by huge boulders, known as the 'reservoir', which emits a creepy energy. Residents make it a point to never go near there alone. Those who have, complain of giddiness and vomiting, beyond the spectrum of medical science, that vanished within a week.
Case 12
Moving across the newly completed Jogeshwari Link Road stands a row of pink buildings, said to possess the spirit of an airhostess who was allegedly murdered in her second floor flat. Residents say that soon after her death, the company flat was allotted to another airhostess, who encountered a weeping lady on the terrace one day.
On enquiry, the sobbing lady stated that she was unable to go home, as the flat she was residing in had been occupied by someone else. When asked for details, she quietly pointed her finger at the same flat where the new airhostess resided, before vanishing in to thin air.
Ghosts or not, all these 12 places are said to have an unexplained energy... believe it or not if you will, but fiction overrides fact in these Mumbai 'haunts
Over 16 years, a spacious, uninhabited bungalow, in the bylanes of JVPD scheme and in the neighbourhood of many Bollywood stars including the Big B, is being gradually reclaimed by the elements of nature. An array of imported cars gathering dust in its compound, a mass of vegetation and thick undergrowth now cover the prime property worth crores.
Neighbours swear that the property takes on a new dimension after sunset. The chirping of birds, the only residents of the bungalow, reach a crescendo and what follows is an abrupt silence and the presence of an eerie energy.
Neighbours further claim that the owners of the bungalow, which is now under government custody, apparently vanished into thin air after they were accused of pilfering money from a public limited company they had floated.
Case 2
Numerous water wells of Mahim which never run dry, are not only a Mecca for the water tanker operators, but also a source of forbidden mysteries.
With water tankers parked on the either side of a lane, right behind the Paradise cinema, lies a building called Ram Sakit and in its compound is a sealed well, supposed to possess the spirit of old lady Sulochana who met her watery grave on the very spot, over 20 years ago. "I knew the lady, who was in her fifties and hailed from a Maharashtrian family. It was around 10 am when she stepped out to wash her clothes and slipped into the well and died," claims an old resident adding that the entire neighbourhood believes she still appears during Amavasya and vanishes in the morning.
The belief is said to be so strong that a person called Richard, who claims to be the landlord, carries out exorcisms of laying flowers on the well (see pix) everyday, to mollify the spirit, which is said to not be malicious in nature.
Case 3
In less than a kilometer radius of the Mahim railway station, lies the dreaded Nasserwanj Wadi, where no local likes to venture after midnight. "Don't venture inside or you will get possessed. Don't expect any one from the area to come and help you," warned a group of ladies standing near the gate as this reporter approached the wadi (old settlement) compound.
Folklore has it that the property once belonged to a Parsi gentleman called Nasser, who was brutally burnt in a cabin close to a well inside the compound. "The gruesome murder was committed around 16 years ago, but the Parsi landlord still takes his daily stroll over here after midnight, keeping a watch on his property. He is known to torment anyone who crosses his path," alleged Francis, a resident.
Francis confessed that moving out of his house was a total taboo for him and his family and they always kept a crucifix and slept with a light on. "More than seven people have lost their lives here, within a span of one year after the Parsi landlord died, so we concealed the well under a pile of rubble. But this has not really helped," he alleged.
Case 4
Eight months ago, in a scene right out of Omen, a huge, black dog appeared out of nowhere and made the second floor corridor of a building in Santa Cruz (W), his permanent home. His uncanny presence coincides with the death of a lady, simply known as "second floor ki bhabi", who committed suicide after a tiff with her husband.
The dog simply doesn't budge from his place; he just sits there quietly. But every night, he lets out a series of low frequency howls and a veiled lady appears and strolls in the corridor. Next, the silence is broken as the building lift mysteriously comes to a standstill on the floor, as if on command, casting ghastly shadows from its tube light.
"The veiled lady never harms anyone, but has all the neighbours scared to death and they refuse to even speak out her real name. You just have to be in the building at midnight to feel her presence," alleged 23-year-old Nadeem Sheikh, a local resident.
Case 5
A famous South Bombay hotel is supposed to have a friendly ghost in the form of its original architect. Folklore has it that the Frenchman, who created the blueprints, went off on a trip to his country in 1903.
On his return, he was stunned to find that the hotel frontage had been made in the reverse direction, and committed suicide. His ghost is still believed to manifest in the old wing, but has never bothered anyone.
Case 6
Close to the Pawan Hans quarters, near the Juhu aerodrome is a century old peepal tree, which residents claim is the home to a 20-year-old girl called Salma who poured kerosene and set herself ablaze for no apparent reason in 1989.
Her presence was so strongly felt that a resident called Anthony D'Souza, a devout Catholic, built a Hanuman mandir to protect residents from harm after he was apparently guided to do so in a dream. "On special nights, the girl can still be seen running, with her clothes still on fire and disappears into the tree," claimed Mehboob Sheikh, a local resident.
Case 7
In the backyard of SNDT, Girls College, Juhu are a few dilapidated structures, once used as staff toilets by the gardeners and other menial staff workers. Residents of the neighbouring building swear that post 1.30 am, sounds of a teacher thrashing her students can be heard clearly.
"First the lessons start, and the teacher can be heard reciting mathematical tables, invariably followed by thrashing sounds and the wails of children. It's been practically heard by everyone in our building and goes on till the wee hours of the morning," alleged Riyaz Ansari, a local resident.
"Once, out of curiosity, we formed a group of 10 boys to investigate the phenomena, but found only an eerie emptiness. By the time we reached back home, the cries from the structure had restarted and no one has ever dared to venture out there again," added Riyaz.
Case 8
With mangroves on either side, a narrow strip of road, which leads to Marve and Madh Island is notorious for many automobile accidents. It's said that a lady in full bridal attire, seen especially on full moon nights, distracts the drivers, which leads to the mishaps. Dozens of uncharacteristic sightings have been reported, not only by locals, but by staff of beachfront hotels who return from late night shifts.
The trick, they say, is to not look directly in to the mesmerising eyes of the beautiful lady and to just ignore her. Legend has it that an unknown bride was brutally murdered on her wedding night and her body dumped in the isolated mangroves over 25 years ago. The spirit is apparently still on the lookout for the culprits.
Case 9In the dead of the night, it requires sheer guts to cross the dimly-lit Aarey Road, which connects Goregaon to Powai. Danger lurks not only from the leopards who come down from the National Park to feed on easy prey, but also from the paranormal.
The spirits, which seldom attack the locals, are known to target only outsiders, especially rickshaw drivers who would rather take a longer route to reach their destination than risk this terrain. A strange old man in white kurta pajama is known to hire a rickshaw. Within a span of 15 minutes, the man disappears into thin air, leaving the driver under a strange state of hynopsis.
Said one driver who was 'struck' by the spirit, "I felt as if I was surrounded by a flowing water body and was helpless. Covered in perspiration, I was vaguely aware of being approached by another man, who slapped me to get me to my senses."
Case 10
In the heart of IC colony, Borivali is an open garden plot so dreaded that no child has played here for the last 30 years. Old residents claimed that a gardener committed suicide here after fearing he would lose his job when the property changed hands. Said to be so possessive of the land, the gardener allegedly targets any child playing on the property, which is now covered in undergrowth.
Case 11
The mango groves surrounding the LIC colony at Borivali add a strange mystique to the quiet area. But it is the tall water tower, surrounded by huge boulders, known as the 'reservoir', which emits a creepy energy. Residents make it a point to never go near there alone. Those who have, complain of giddiness and vomiting, beyond the spectrum of medical science, that vanished within a week.
Case 12
Moving across the newly completed Jogeshwari Link Road stands a row of pink buildings, said to possess the spirit of an airhostess who was allegedly murdered in her second floor flat. Residents say that soon after her death, the company flat was allotted to another airhostess, who encountered a weeping lady on the terrace one day.
On enquiry, the sobbing lady stated that she was unable to go home, as the flat she was residing in had been occupied by someone else. When asked for details, she quietly pointed her finger at the same flat where the new airhostess resided, before vanishing in to thin air.
Ghosts or not, all these 12 places are said to have an unexplained energy... believe it or not if you will, but fiction overrides fact in these Mumbai 'haunts
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