Places in India Made Popular by Urban Legends and Other Stories

There is always that special spot in our hearts when it comes to supernatural stories you believe it or don't is another topic. Things get more interesting when we get past the hurdle, that is common sense. And there is always that section of travellers who find their next destination based on interesting stories that revolve around that particular destination. Call them urban legends or folklores, these stories from India are as interesting as they come and they have made these following places popular among inquisitive travellers.

Nohkalikai Falls, Meghalaya

The tallest plunge waterfall in India has a story behind it. Nohkalikai Falls, located near Cherrapunji is one of the most visited places in the state of Meghalaya. If legends are to be believed, Ka Likai (Ka is used to address females) was a widow with an infant and worked as a porter. Though she remarried, all her attention would go to her child when she was not out working, much to her new husband's chagrin. One such day while she was out on a job, the husband, overcome with jealousy, killed the infant and cooked the meat. Tired and hungry after a long day of work, Ka Likai sat down to eat her meal and found a tiny finger in the dish. She immediately realised what had happened and in her grief ran around like a mad woman and jumped off a waterfall we know now as Nohkalikai Falls. In local dialect, 'Noh' means to jump, hence the name Nohkalikai.

Jatinga Bird Suicide, Assam
Another gem from the northeast India, Jatinga is a mind-boggling place for both humans and birds. The place made headlines many years ago with bird suicides and many people gave it a supernatural angle. For those who are new to Jatinga Bird Suicide&mdashevery year (September to November) birds come flying at night and drop dead on the ground. For many years locals and those who came to know of this through word of mouth, started to treat this as some other-wordly phenomenon which in turn brought in many researchers from around the world. Some studies suggest that this is nothing but birds getting disoriented when they enter the fog-covered town and fly towards any source of light. While doing so, they hit against street lights and walls leading to injuries and even death. Locals have admitted striking down the disoriented birds (they make for easy prey). No matter what theories researchers come up with, Jatinga feels like something straight out of Hitchcock's mystery plot. This foggy little town in Dima Hasao district does appeal to inquisitive travellers. 

Kuldhara, Rajasthan

Long, long ago, there was a prosperous village near Jaisalmer, a shining example of self-sustenance and development. And one night in 1825, it simply ceased to exist. The village of Kuldhara, which once comprised of more than 84 villages, was evacuated in a matter of few hours and if stories are to be believed, no one saw them leave. The question of why, how and where remains till date. Sounds like something out of a show on alien abduction but according to legend, there was a minister during that time who had his eye on the daughter of the village chief. He gave the village 24 hours time to give her hand in marriage or face dire consequences. The entire village thought it best to up and leave than to give in to his cruel intent. But the story does not end there. The villagers did leave but not before putting a curse on the area, the curse of death on whosoever tries to live in the village after them. So once upon a time, the present-day Kuldhara with old ruins, had been a village with everything intact and perfect from outside, sans people.

Morgan House, West Bengal
Morgan House is a West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation run British colonial mansion in Kalimpong. The present-day heritage boutique hotel draws a large number of tourists with its beauty and add to that the hotel's location&mdashMount Kanchenjunga in plain view. The beautiful wood and stone structure once saw many elegant parties, but in later years it earned the status of a haunted hotel. According to the stories, the spirit of Lady Morgan never left Morgan House. We can't blame the Lady who obviously have put in a lot of thought into the mansion. From its timeless interior to the beautiful exterior of ivy-covered walls, everything is exquisite about Morgan House. So if the former resident still feels attached to the mansion, there isn't much left to do about that. However, the story is inconclusive. But one thing is for sure, it brings out that desire to experience Morgan House's timeless beauty and charm.