Delhi is one of the cities in India which has the richest places in India that have the richest history from being the kingdom ruled by the Pandavas to the capital of various Islamic kingdoms like Delhi Sultanate and Mughal Empire to the home to the British Viceroy General of India. There is not one place in the country’s capital that does not have an interesting history linked to it. We have historic monuments scattered all around Delhi and while the monuments that find an easy mention in the historical texts like the Red Fort, Qutb Minar, Agrasen Ki Baoli, and many more, some of the places remain secluded from the eyes of the tourists. One among these neglected palatial structures is the Bulli Bhatiyaari Ka Mahal. Most of you reading the article might have come across it for the first time in your life. So let’s start from scratch and begin with the mysterious story of Bhulli Bhatiyari Ka Mahal!
Where to find this place?
You will be surprised that this place is too easy and within the reach to be neglected by tourists. This historic structure is located in the forest just behind your very own landmark statue of Lord Hanuman in Jhandewalan. You just have to walk for a while on a silent road behind the statue and right there is your destination.
Why is the name so eerie and mysterious?
To know the reason behind the name of this monument, let us look into some age-old legends and a bit of history.
The very first story of this palace is mentioned in Sair-Ul-Manazil written by Sangin Beg. He mentioned this palace to be the home of Deval Rani whose tales are very famous. The next mention of this place was found in the list of monuments compiled by Maulvi Zafar Hassan in the early 1990s who stated that this crumbling building was occupied by a Bu Ali Bhatti and that is how the place got its name.
Some say that was a Sufi saint named Bu Ali Bakhtiyaari who has started to live here but no sooner did he leave the palace than evil spirits started living here. Some stories also suggest that the Sufi saint himself became a ghost. This next story might give you chills. The next story is that there lived a neglected queen “Bhatiyaari” who died and now roams in the palace looking for salvation. The last story that I have come across (might not be the last story that exists though!) is that a woman of the Bhatiyaari tribe of Rajasthan who got lost in the woods started to live here and died later.
What do we know from history?
This palace was one of the hunting lodges built by Feroz Shah Tughlaq when he ruled the Delhi Sultanate, the other ones being Peer Ghaib, Malcha Mahal, and a lodge near Teen Murti grounds. The lodge also has bastions on the outside which give the impression that it might have been built to hide safely in case of calamity or an emergency. Historians say that the place must have also been used as an inn when the hunting lodge was not in use.
The government has made many efforts in the restoration of the historic building but when INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Heritage) started the process of restoration, some portion soft eh building was already crumbling and the building was reduced to a semi-circular structure. Because of this dilapidated condition of the building, it also gives eerie vibes which in turn help spread the stories of haunting from this place.
The government also set up a toilet adjacent to the structure to promote tourism and include this place in the Delhi Tourism circuit but so far all the efforts have been in vain, probably because of the rumors of this place being haunted. The officials also put up a mark haunted but to keep the anti-social elements from encroaching the building.
But why is it haunted?
Even though Jay Alani, a popular paranormal investigator, and TEDx speaker, busted all the claims of this place being haunted, people still refrain from visiting this beautiful place because of these haunted stories that they hear. Curious?
Some people who visited the place ventured into the dense jungle for a while and found a white wall in the middle of it. When they took out their camera, adjusted the settings, and look up there was nothing to be seen. The wall had vanished! Can it be true? The answer to this question can only be known when you find these people.
Other people claim that they have heard screaming and crying voices of children from inside the building as if they were beaten up. And the classic story of the queen turned into a witch is something I have already mentioned. People believe this queen died 600 years ago! And of course, how could I forget the story of a Fakir Baba cursing the building.
What makes it all the more mysterious and scary is that no guard appointed by the government has stayed on duty for more than a day or two. Nobody knows why but that’s just it.
Keeping these stories and the question of their authenticity aside, this is a beautiful place that deserves more recognition. Even though the structure is in rubbles now because of the forest trying to swallow the place, one can see corbelled arches, an open square styled courtyard, and there is also a flight of stairs that leads to another courtyard that can only be accessed when you climb these stairs. The architecture of the building is unique in itself.
You will love the place if you want to spend some time surrounded by jungle and enjoy some solitude if you are okay with the fact that the place is considered haunted! You will find no one here or just a few people who want to feel the same thrill as you. Take a stroll in the pathways surrounded by lush greenery, admire the intricacies of the architecture, spend some time with your precious people and scare the weak-at-heart friend of yours.
