The western region of the state of Maharashtra is lavishly blessed with nature's riches - plush forests, mountain ranges, water bodies and an amazing range of life. The city of Pune, located on the Deccan Plateau is one such metro who enjoys natural, political as well as global pampering. The city has an even richer history, dating back to about 1000 AD. Well, you can find endless resources telling you about the city, the tourist destinations & blah blah blah - that's not what we are here for, right?
As I mentioned, the city has an age-old history - wars, revolts, natural calamities and so on. Such events have a landmark contribution to the uprise of supernatural activities. However, with the increase in globalization, the pace of the metropolitan citizen has forced him to bypass the presence of such activities. There is, as a matter of fact, a very restricted segment of people in here who have something chilly to tell or listen to.
Of the many historical tourist destinations is the renowned fort of Sinhagad (Marathi: सिंहगड, The Lion's Fort) which adorns the southwest boundary to the city. The fort is so well constructed on the hill that it easily allows (or allowed) a close watch over the nearby mountains and the adjoining territories. Some of the structures (like the Kaudinyeshwar temple) date back to about two thousand years. Later, the fort changed hands as various royal bodies fought over its custody. Today, however, it stays silent, browsing back through its age-old book of historical events. The fort is now a popular tourist hangout. The road going up the fort-hill is even more inviting - with the greenery pouncing on you every moment of your drive.
Since decades, many people have been experiencing some distinguished events during their journey to & fro this fort. People who stayed up the fort have reported hearing faint sounds of war cries (most probably dating back to the Maratha Empire) during the wee hours of the night. Though such an activity has been very rare and reporters haven't been sure of the origins - the villagers (residing near the base of the hill) have lots of such stuff to tell.
A decade back, the road leading to the fort was open to every kind of vehicle - buses included. A friend tells us of a very tragic yet mystifying tale dating back to the last decade. A bus carrying about 60 little children (about 6-10 years in age) and a few teachers met a horrifying accident at a rather sharp blind turn. The driver, apparently, could not get a good hold over the wheels and the whole innocent lot fell down the valley. Not one of them survived. Our friend tells us that many people have reported a weird phenomenon at the same location. While you are still on one side, you can hear a bus coming over from the other side, full with children laughing and shouting. The moment you cross the turn - there is nobody on the other side. Mindgames, rumours, call whatever you wish - the reports do not cease.
Another very interesting tell apparently happened with another ... ahem ... friend. This one too, dates back to the last decade, when this friend was still in his teenage days. This fellow dared himself to ride halfway up the hill at 10 pm and stopped by for a smoke and filling up his already alcoholized tummy, sitting on a stone bench overlooking the valley. Between his party, he suddenly sensed somebody coming up from behind. He looked back to find a local (probably residing within the above-mentioned village) walking up towards him. Taking it up casually, this fellow continued his booze. The local came ahead and stood besides him, although he barely noticed him. The local seemed to be in some kind of trance, because he was blindly eyeing the valley ahead. All of a sudden, before our fellow could understand, the local climbed up the stone fence and jumped down the valley. Now our fellow took quite a while to regain his senses and when he did, he got up screaming, pushed down his urge to scream more and rode all the way down the village as fast as he could. The next day saw him all pumped up with high fever.
There are still many more such thrilling apparitions which surround this enormous monument. One, for example, tells us about a sharp turn somewhere in between, which might be a reside to something supernatural. People who did not have the faintest idea about this spot have reported that the moment they crossed over, the hair at the back of their necks stood up, the way it does when there is somebody watching you from behind. Another such story tells us of a silhouette seen particularly on the detour to Khed-Shivapur. This and many such other stories cover this usually cheerful place with a mysterious blanket.
Do let me know if anybody else has seen anything more over at this place.
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