Bhoot Chaturdashi 2026: Haunted places and curated walks to explore in Kolkata

On misty Saturday mornings, when the Kolkata Race Course is still wrapped in a gauzy veil, some claim to have spotted a white horse galloping across its tracks. It is said to be Pride, a champion racehorse whose story ended in tragedy almost a century ago. But if local lore is to be believed, Pride never quite stopped racing. Known as William Saheb-er Sada Ghora (Sir William’s white horse), its ghost is among the more enduring apparitions in Kolkata’s repertoire of supernatural tales.Bhoot Chaturdashi is observed in Bengal today, on the eve of Kali Puja. Traditionally, 14 earthen lamps, or choddo prodip, are lit in homes to guide ancestral spirits and ward off malevolent ones. Families also prepare choddo shaak, a dish made with 14 varieties of leafy greens. It is a night when, according to Bengali folklore, the veil between the world of the living and the dead grows thin, and restless spirits are believed to wander. Local lore suggests that Pride still haunts the race course. | Photo Credit: AFP There is a nip in the air as autumn softens and inches towards winter. The evenings grow longer, the river wears a silvery veil of mist, and the city’s colonial facades acquire an altogether different character after sundown. Kolkata, with its crumbling mansions, forgotten cemeteries and winding lanes, has never been short of stories about those who may not have quite departed. If you are looking for an unconventional way to spend Bhoot Chaturdashi, here are seven places you can explore with friends, armed with a little curiosity and perhaps a dash of courage.Kolkata Race CoursePerhaps the city’s most unusual ghost story belongs to the Royal Calcutta Turf Club. Founded in 1847, it was among the most popular horse-racing institutions in the subcontinent. Race days were grand social occasions, often inaugurated by the Viceroy, and the horses were celebrated. Pride, supposedly owned by a racing enthusiast called George Williams in the 1930s, is said to have won race after race, bringing glory and fortune to its owner. But age eventually caught up with the animal. The legend goes that Pride lost a major race at the Annual Calcutta Derby, costing Williams a considerable fortune. The horse was subsequently found dead on the racecourse, reportedly shot in the head. One version alleges that Williams killed the animal in a fit of anger; another suggests he shot the horse as he could not bear to watch his once-celebrated companion lose its prowess. On misty Saturday mornings, a ghostly white horse is supposedly seen galloping across the tracks | Photo Credit: AFP Yet, if local lore is to be believed, Pride’s racing days are not quite over. On misty Saturday mornings, a ghostly white horse is supposedly seen galloping across the tracks. The story remains unverified, and even accounts of the horse’s gender differ. But there is something particularly haunting about the thought of a horse continuing to race long after its final finish.Where: Kolkata Race Course, Maidan. Check race schedules and public access arrangements before visiting.Putul BariIn the old quarters of north Kolkata, near the Sovabazar riverfront, stands Putul Bari, or the House of Dolls. A slupted doll sits on top of the building towering above the street lending the mansion a theatrical, Annabel-esque quality. Behind its architectural beauty lies a darker local legend.Druhin Roy, a paranormal activity enthusiast who enjoys exploring haunted spaces with friends, speaks of the stories surrounding the mansion. “I have heard that women who were exploited by zamindars (land-owning gentry) in the mansion were not given a proper burial or a proper ritualistic sraddha (funeral). They were tortured. So their spirits are trapped in this realm, ” he says. Where: Shobhabazar, near Ahiritola and the Sovabazar riverfront. The building can be viewed from the public street; do not enter without permission.Curated walksMind the Graves – South Park Street Cemetery: Led by archaeologist Dhritideepa Das, this guided walk explores colonial tombs, forgotten histories and the cemetery’s ghost stories, including the fabled Bleeding Tomb. Date: November 7 | Time: 3 pm–5 pm | Cost: ₹850 per person. Book: immersivetrails.comGhost Walk on Bhoot Chaturdashi – Dalhousie: Organised by Debasree Nandi, this evening walk explores colonial landmarks and local ghost stories around B.B.D. Bagh, accompanied by guide Partha Sarathi Mukherjee. Tea and light snacks are included. Date: November 7 | Time: 7.30 pm–9.30 pm (assemble at 7 pm outside The Lalit Great Eastern Hotel) | Contact: 7439119861. Book: allevents.inKolkata Paranormal City Tour – The Indian Chronicles: Led by paranormal researcher Dr Ujjwal Gupta, this five-hour expedition covers seven locations, including Rabindra Sarobar, Hastings House, National Library, Alipore Cemetery, Nimtala Ghat, Putul Bari and Howrah Bridge. Date: November 7 | Time: 10 am–3 pm | Cost: ₹1,999 per person. Book: The Indian Chronicles. Book: ticentertainment.inHeritage and Haunted Tour – Kolkata Explorers: Explore Kolkata's spooky history on an overnight city tour, travelling by air-conditioned coach through the city's haunted and heritage landmarks. The experience ends at sunrise with a steaming cup of tea. Date: November 28–29 | Time: 10.30 pm (Saturday) to 5.30 am (Sunday) | Starting and ending point: Oberoi Grand Hotel arcade, Esplanade | Cost: Contact organiser for pricing. Group size is limited. Registration and enquiries: WhatsApp Kolkata Explorers at 9874062962.Beyond Burials – Immersive Trails: A guided exploration of South Park Street Cemetery, focusing on its colonial-era tombs, architecture, epitaphs and the lives of those buried there. Dates: November 8, 9 and 10 | Duration: Approximately two hours | Cost: From ₹499 per person. Book: Immersive Trails.Calcutta Walks – Haunted Kolkata: For those interested in a guided night walk combining colonial history, forgotten stories and local ghost lore, contact Calcutta Walks. Cost: Confirm with the organiser. Contact: 85840 33244, 98301 84030. Email: explore@calcuttawalks.com. Instagram: @calcuttawalksHowrah BridgeBeneath the immense steel structure of Howrah Bridge, where the flower market spills towards the river and the ghats meet the Hooghly, the city’s ghost stories take on a particularly unsettling character. The river carries a reservoir of whispered tales, many involving the spirits of those who have met tragic ends in its waters.Sunil Das, a tea garden worker who ferries tea leaves via local trains from Howrah to North Bengal, recalls warnings from the people he encounters near the flower market. Local taxi drivers, rickshaw pullers and flower vendors arriving before daybreak have cautioned him against lingering near the river after dark. He remembers one flower vendor telling his little daughter, “Okhane raatre darabe na” (dont stand there at night). The warning becomes more specific around Bhoot Chaturdashi: “mamoni tumi chul khule ratre bhut chaturdashi r din ghora fera koro na” (Dear one, don’t let your hair loose at night, especially on bhoot chaturdashi). According to local belief, Sunil says, “spirits can latch on to a woman’s hair.” Another ominous refrain he remembers is “Amabasya’r pratipad din ta bhalo na go, dada” — the day before the new moon is not considered auspicious.The next time you find yourself at Mallick Ghat, look towards the water. The muddy waters of the Hooghly can be deceptive; in the imagination of those who know its stories, the river has never quite been empty.Where: Ram Chandra Goenka Zenana Bathing Ghat, alongside Hooghly river next to Mallick Ghat Flower Market. The surrounding public areas can be explored independently.South Park Street cemetery Established in 1767, this sprawling burial ground is filled with towering mausoleums, weathered inscriptions and elaborate tombs that bear testimony to the lives and deaths of residents of colonial Kolkata. The tall tombs of South Park Street Cemetery | Photo Credit: Getty Images Among its most famous legends is the Bleeding Tomb, a small, pyramid-shaped mausoleum belonging to the Dennison family. There are claims that a blood-like substance seeps from the structure during the monsoon. The members of the family buried within died under mysterious circumstances within weeks of each other. Visitors have also reported a sudden heaviness in the air, dizziness and breathlessness, while some claim to have captured strange orbs and hazy white figures in photographs. On the other hand, there are those who find the cemetery peaceful, even meditative, in the daytime. Its most compelling stories, however, belong to the people buried beneath its elaborate memorials: colonial administrators, soldiers, writers and families whose lives were shaped by the uncertainties of 18th and 19th -Century Kolkata. Where: South Park Street Cemetery, Park Street.National LibraryAt Belvedere Estate in Alipore stands the National Library, a sprawling repository of books and manuscripts housed in a building steeped in colonial history. Its imposing corridors, high ceilings and hushed reading rooms make it an ideal setting for a ghost story.One persistent legend concerns the spirit of Lady Metcalfe, the wife of Governor-General Charles Metcalfe. Riya Chatterjee, a member of the library, recounts the popular tale of an apparition that supposedly patrols the library’s corridors, keeping an eye on its readers and books. Riya says, “I often hide the books that I really like in the most impossible places. But whenever I am back I can never find them.” Riya says she does not linger at the library after dusk. Whether these stories owe more to the building’s atmosphere than to anything supernatural, the National Library’s long history makes it an intriguing stop for anyone interested in colonial Kolkata. Where: Belvedere Estate, Alipore. The National Library is a functioning public institution; check visitor guidelines and respect restricted areas.Hastings HouseThe former country residence of Warren Hastings, the first Governor-General of Bengal, Hastings House in Alipore is among the city’s most frequently mentioned haunted landmarks. Today, it houses the Institute of Education for Women.The ghost story draws upon the controversies surrounding Hastings’ administration and his subsequent impeachment proceedings in Britain. According to one version, his restless spirit returns to the mansion searching for missing papers that might have established his innocence. Another account speaks of a horse-drawn carriage appearing on the grounds, accompanied by the sound of hooves and footsteps. One can almost imagine the clatter of wheels breaking the stillness of the estate, only for the sound to dissolve into the night.Where: Hastings House, Alipore. The property is an educational institution; view the exterior from publicly accessible areas.Rabindra SarobarBy day, Rabindra Sarobar is a sanctuary of sorts, with its tree-lined pathways, rowing boats and morning walkers. But as dusk settles over the lake, another set of stories emerge. The area has long been associated with accounts of mysterious silhouettes, unexplained sounds and strange sightings.The nearby Rabindra Sarobar Metro station has acquired its own supernatural reputation. Tales circulate of mysterious figures on the tracks and unexplained apparitions, sometimes associated with the area’s tragic history of deaths and suicides. Whether these stories are products of grief, imagination or the station’s subterranean atmosphere is difficult to establish. Still, the thought of an empty platform, a flickering light and footsteps where there should be none is enough to unsettle even the most committed sceptic.Where: Rabindra Sarobar and the surrounding public spaces in south Kolkata. Visit during permitted hours; do not enter restricted areas or railway tracks.