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Haunted Places In Mumbai

Sanjay Gandhi National Park is not only a popular weekend destination for boating, seeing its huge variety of resident birds, reptiles, and mammals, but is also known for being possessed by the ghost of a hitchhiker.

Visitors and even the park’s guards have reported seeing this shadow-like figure clad in white walking with them and running alongside vehicles. What adds more to this eeriness are thickly forested pathways where sunshine doesn’t reach and you walk accompanied by the sounds of screeching birds.

Another part that people steer clear of is the Kanheri Caves. These 1st-century caves are said to have a ghostly atmosphere because of their looming stony structure and dark alleyways, where people lose their way often.

Location: Western Express Highway, Borivali East, Mumbai.

There is something about an abandoned church that makes one immediately think of the eerie and the unexplained. The same is the case with this 500-year-old church. Its ruined arches, walls full of creepers, and overhanging silence is enough to send shivers down your spine.

It is said that the spirit of a young bride used to haunt this Church. People report witnessing an exorcism in 1977 by a local priest to rid the place of the spirit.. During the exorcism, they heard a loud cry and a splash in the church’s pond.

Surprisingly, all the fish in the pond were found to be dead the next day. Even now, people visit the church, amongst the top 10 haunted places in Mumbai, for Christmas mass just once a year, steering away from it for the rest of the time.   

Location: SEEPZ Industrial Area, Andheri East, Mumbai.

Known as one of the most haunted places in Mumbai, this 150-year-old place has quite an intriguing horror story. Established by the East India Company, a huge fire led to the death of many workers and this textile mill going out of business in 1982.

Since then, the charcoal coated ruins, creeper-infested walls, and abandoned pathways have been said to be haunted by spirits and cries of the dead workers. It used to be a popular shooting location until the time the actors and crew members reported seeing ghostly images and experiencing supernatural experiences, leading to its abandonment.

Location: Near TCI Industries, Narayan A Sawant Road, Colaba, Mumbai.

Wailing children, violent ghostly figures asking for lifts, people practising witchcraft are only some of the reasons why Aarey Milk Colony is included amongst the most haunted places in Mumbai. People have reported a woman asking for lifts and getting violent if denied a ride.

The place has long patches of heavily forested areas that remain dark even during the daytime, adding further to the possessed-like atmosphere of the place. Everybody advises not to pass the colony after 10 pm in the night.

Location: Goregaon East, Mumbai.

It is a popular notion that the souls of people who come to violent deaths always haunt the places where they die. As a place that has witnessed more than its share of violent tragedies, Poonam Chambers is amongst the top horror places in Mumbai.

The place was a site of the 1993 blasts and the collapse of one of its wings later on. People working in the building have reported rattling doors and sighting ghostly aberrations.

Some even claim to have heard cries of people, without anybody being visible. In fact, workers refuse to stay back for work after dusk at the chambers.

Location: Dr. Annie Besant Road, Markandeshwar Nagar, Shiv Sagar Estate, Worli, Mumbai.

The Tower of Silence has been engulfed in enigma ever since its existence. Majorly because of the shroud of secrecy around them. It is a place where the age-old custom of leaving out the dead for the vultures to devour was practiced by the Parsi community. It is done to avoid the dead polluting the sacred mother earth and as a final act of charity.

Since non-Parsis are not allowed to enter the place, it is the subject of many ghostly legends. People claim to have seen the white apparitions, hearing eerie shrills coming from the tower at night, and feeling sudden shivers when walking around the place. This is the reason the Tower of Silence is featured amongst the top horror places in Mumbai.

Location: Kemps Corner, Malabar Hills, Mumbai.

This is one of those places that are said to inhabit the harmless ghost of the ‘lady of the well’. The story of this place is part-reality and part-fiction. The reality was that a few years back a well was dug inside the chawl to help overcome the water woes of the residents.

Since boundary walls didn’t protect the well, a lady fell into it and died after struggling painfully. After the incident, people claim to see an apparition that looks anguished roaming the well area, which has been closed since. It’s said that this figure never harms anybody and vanishes as quickly as she comes into sight.

Location: Kalina Kurla Road, Kolivery Village, Vidya Nagari, Kalina, Santacruz East, Mumbai.

Love stories ending in death are the most tragic and the souls, the most tormented. The road, canopied by trees and dark patches, is said to be haunted by the spirit of a young girl brutally murdered on her wedding day and dumped in the thick forests here.

People claim to have seen a ghostly apparition in a bridal dress asking people for lifts. Some have reported their cars being followed by the flying ghost leading to fatalities. No wonder this road is counted amongst the most haunted places in Mumbai.

Location: Southern Mumbai.

This is one area of Mumbai that’s rich with stories of tormented souls and the places that they haunt. And this one especially sends shivers down the spine. A woman committed suicide here after a fight with her husband.

Since she went so unhappily, her soul is said to still wander in the alleys. After her death, a black dog occupied the empty house and is said to howl whenever the spirit appears. The soul, that is said to be seen standing in the same spot of the house every time she appears, has never harmed anybody. Still, the other residents are so scared that they refuse to even take the name of the dead person.

Location: West Mumbai.

Mahim area is already considered to be the hotspot for haunted locations in Mumbai. One of the most notorious here is Nasserwanj Wadi. Around 20 years ago, the Parsi owner of the building Nasser, was murdered brutally and his body buried in the well.

Ever since people claim to see Nasser’s spirit walking around the building especially near the well. So much so that even covering the well didn’t appease the spirit and it still wanders. The spirit is said to become aggressive when it feels people are obstructing its path.

Things go a step ahead in this haunted place. Some have even reported becoming possessed by the spirit of the erstwhile landlord. More than 8 people seem to have died under unnatural circumstances in this building after the owner’s death.

Location: Near Mahim Railway Station, Mahim, Mumbai.

Trust the ghosts to not spare even the courts! And the ghost here is even known to assist the lawyers by forcing and scaring the convict to accept his/her crimes. People have reported hearing bilingual murmurs especially at the time of a murder trial.

And this phenomenon is said to exist for the last three decades. Opinions are divided on whose spirit is it? Some say it’s a falsely convicted person and some believe it to be a lawyer’s spirit. What adds more to the intrigue of the place and the curiosity of the people is the looming Gothic 18th-century structure of the place, perfect setting of spooky yarns.

Location: Dr. Dadbhai Naoroji Road, Fort Area, Kala Ghoda, Churchgate, Mumbai.

Constructed in 1975, what was considered to be one of the poshest residential areas in Mumbai, quickly became notorious as one of the most eerie places known for ‘too many suicides’. It is said that the spirits of these tormented old people, younger ones jilted in love, and even children who fell to their death haunt the towers.

It is even said that the buildings were made on the top of a cemetery, which is the reason for so much unhappiness in the residents here. People claim to hear whispering voices, see ghost-like figures, and feel shivers down their spine. No wonder the Grand Paradi Towers find their place in the top 10 haunted places in Mumbai.

Location: Babulnath, Kemps Corner, Malabar Hills, Mumbai. 

Some places just have that aura of being something more than they are. This simple-looking locality consisting of over a hundred buildings is just that. Considered to be amongst the top 10 haunted places in Mumbai, it has quite an eerie yarn woven around it.

It is said that an old man in building number 66B committed suicide. Ever since this incident, the other residents have felt an unnatural presence here without actually seeing the ghostly figure. Security guards claim to have been slapped by an invisible hand. So while people continue to live here, they steer clear of the haunted building and its slapping ghost.

Location: Thane West, Mumbai.

One of the most surprising inclusions in the list of top 10 haunted places in Mumbai this iconic hotel is said to have its own resident ghosts! While it is difficult to imagine a ghost in such a beautiful place, since too many people talk about its presence it almost seems like a reality.

It is said that the hotel’s architect WA Chambers was so possessive about the hotel that he committed suicide when he saw that the place not had been constructed as per his plans in his absence. Even today, people report seeing a phantom-like presence floating in the old wing of the hotel.

If nothing else, this tale has only increased the popularity of the place with many people dropping in just to experience the paranormal!

Location: Apollo Bandar, Colaba, Mumbai.

This story of a troubled spirit is one of the scariest in Mumbai, because it is said to attack the children in the area. This nondescript colony tucked away in Borivali is considered to be amongst the top 10 haunted places in Mumbai.

The story goes that a gardener employed here, due to the fear of losing his job, committed suicide right here. Since he was so attached to the place in life, his spirit is said to be seen roaming in the colony and targeting children.

So much so that for about 30 years, children were not allowed venturing out alone in the gardens. Be on the lookout for the ‘gardener ghost’ next time you are in the area! 

Location: Borivali West, Mumbai.

In 1989, a young 20-year-old girl was said to have set herself on fire for unknown reasons. Since it was a violent death, the spirit of the girl is considered to be trapped in the place. Many people claim to have seen a burning figure running into a peepal tree in the area during the night, scaring them out of their wits, some even fainting.

This place is considered to be so spooky that people have built a Hanuman Temple to protect them from this trapped spirit and they take detours while travelling to the aerodrome.

Location: Pawan Hans, SV Road, Airport Area, Juhu Aerodrome, Mumbai.

It is said that this bungalow belonging to the erstwhile actor Rajesh Khanna was purchased by him despite known as a house of horrors! Since then all the bad omens in his life have been attributed to the unhappy souls said to have been trapped in his house.

It is said that the house was so cursed that it led to his illness, money, and personal problems. So much so that he used to spend very little time here towards his end. Its being known amongst the most haunted places in Mumbai has led to the market value of this huge bungalow going down and it being sold at a pittance recently.

Location: Carter Road, Bandra, Mumbai.

This is one of those horror places in Mumbai, which boasts of a harmless ghost! It is said that a 50-year-old woman fell to her death while fetching water from a well inside the building.. Though the well has since been covered up, it is said that the woman’s spirit never left the premises.

She is said to be seen every ‘Amavasya’ or the new moon day walking near the place where she died. This apparition has scared anybody and seems to be peacefully coexisting with the residents without too many spooky chills.

Location: Behind Paradise Cinema, Mahim, Mumbai.

This prestigious women’s college has its own share of spooky tales passed on from class to class. It is said that every day at around 2 am one can hear multiplication tables in a woman’s voice as if she is teaching a class.

Along with this, the sounds of wailing children are also claimed to have been heard. People are known to have carried out investigations into this but have found nothing. This is why SNDT Girls College is considered to be amongst the top horror places in Mumbai and carries on being a subject of tales of ghostly encounters.

Location: Juhu Road, Santacruz (West), Mumbai.

Unnatural deaths in Mumbai have given wind to many horror stories, and the 2nd floor of the pink-coloured Jogeshwari building is no different in this regard. The legend says that the ghost of an air hostess who was killed here is still hanging around. Rumour has it that the ghost can often be seen on the terrace and seems to be crying all the time.

Since another air hostess has taken up residence in the house, local people speculate that the ghost is crying because of the loss of her house. Some people have also claimed that the ghost seems to be pointing towards the house, further reinforcing the belief that she is upset that someone else has taken over her residence.

Location: Parsi Panchayat Road, Shankarwadi, Jogeshwari East, Mumbai, Maharashtra