According to a paranormal investigator, this is 'India's answer to the Conjuring House'

Paranormal investigator Sarbajeet Mohanty said Mukti Kothri in Nainital stands above Bhangarh and Kuldhara on his list of haunted places. He said the investigation was so overwhelming that his partner Pooja stepped away from paranormal work for a period.The remains of the Royal Palace. (Image courtesy: Tiasa Bhowal)Ask someone to name the most haunted place in India and Bhangarh Fort will probably come up within seconds. Kuldhara, the abandoned village in Rajasthan, may be another popular answer. But according to paranormal investigator Sarbajeet Mohanty, both are nowhere near the top of the list.In an earlier conversation with India Today, Mohanty said Bhangarh's reputation has been amplified over the years by viral videos, television specials and social media content, turning it into a kind of shorthand for haunted India. A picture overlooking the Gopinath Temple in Bhangarh Fort. (Image courtesy: Tiasa Bhowal) “It's misunderstood. It doesn’t even count among the top 10 haunted places of India,” he said.The place that does stand out for him is Mukti Kothri in Nainital. The British-era property is surrounded by stories of a doctor who allegedly conducted experiments linked to the afterlife and claimed to know the exact date and time of his patients' deaths. Nearby, Abbott Mount Church is another location woven into the area's paranormal folklore.For Mohanty, however, Mukti Kothri isn't memorable simply because of the stories attached to it. It was the experience of investigating the property that stayed with him. He recalls that his partner and co-founder, Pooja, found the investigation particularly overwhelming and subsequently stepped away from paranormal work for a period.“That place is India's answer to the Conjuring House,” Mohanty said.The comparison is striking, but it also underlines how different the popular idea of a “haunted place” can be from the experience of investigating one. Bhangarh may have the fame, the abandoned ruins and decades of folklore behind it. But for Mohanty, Mukti Kothri is far more unsettling — and deserves a place much higher on India's paranormal map.For the full conversation on India's most haunted locations, Bollywood's fascination with the paranormal and why Mohanty thinks Bhangarh is overrated, read India Today's earlier interview with him.- EndsPublished By: Tiasa Bhowal Published On: Aug 18, 2026 17:41 IST