In Ajabgarh, Rajasthan: Paranormal Tourism And Discovering Luxury In An Abandoned Land

When we entered the premises of Ajabgarh on a sunny Friday afternoon, I knew little about Bhangarh, the "in"-famous curse, and the history of this place in the foothills of the Aravallis. As a blurry Ajabgarh Fort came into view, I knew there were stories waiting there.

Rajasthan's Ajabgarh, located in the Alwar district, is no Jaipur, Udaipur or Jaisalmer. An abandoned village, a cursed place, a mysterious palace. This lesser-known stony region has everything that might go against the traditional ideas of tourism. But trust a new luxury resort to change all of that.

Spread across 30 acres of pristine land, Ananta Spa & Resort is trying to rebuild the image of a once-"haunted" area, known for its negative energy.

The Ajabgarh Story And Paranormal Tourism

Bhangarh and Ajabgarh are spoken of in the same breath. Situated in the Rajgarh area, in the Alwar district of Rajasthan, Bhangarh Fort lies just at the border of the Sariska Tiger Reserve. Ajabgarh is the neighbouring village, and comes with a fort of its own.

Bhangarh and Ajabgarh were tied together by the same curse. Ajabgarh, says the local folklore, was deserted overnight around the same time that Bhangarh was "cursed".

Two main legends explain the Bhangarh-Ajabgarh "curse". The first goes: A sage, Guru Balu Nath, told the Bhangarh maharaja that no shadow should fall on his home. When columns were added to the Bhangarh Fort, the sage's home was in the dark. He cursed the twin villages of Bhangarh and Ajabgarh, and both were deserted.

The second, and more interesting story, is that a black magician fell in love with the Bhangarh princess. She did not like him or his love potion. When she threw the love potion away, a rock crushed the black magician to death. However, not without a curse. The black magician's curse led to the royal family, along with the entire village, leaving Bhangarh. Ajabgarh followed suit.

A "haunted" place isn't quite the location of choice for a luxury resort. So, why Ajabgarh?

Ananta Spa & Resort director Ashutosh Goyal tells NDTV, "Consumers are always attracted to places that are out of the box. If you give them something unique, they will be attracted; that's what we have seen at our previous properties [Ananta has a chain of luxury properties around India, from Ranthambore to Pushkar]. We also want to educate people on Ajabgarh," says Goyal.

"Everything has a cycle. This region has a lot of negative energy. But in history, rajas and maharajas lived here. Jaipur or Udaipur was not the hub. It's Ajabgarh that the rajas chose as their base. After the Bhangarh curse, people started to move out. A curse persisted for a few years. Now, the time has come to make people aware of the positive energy of the place," says Goyal.

So, we set out for ourselves to see the "negative energies" and the luxury resort trying to combat it.

First Impressions

The vastness of the property was overwhelming. Sprawling over 30 acres, the resort boasts of beauty, aesthetics and sustainable consumption, all in the same place.  

The lush green, the flowers in and around the villas, the blue sky - all seemed to be waiting to welcome us.

The ornate chandelier at the reception, the high ceilings (which is a special feature in the Bamboo Villas - more on that later) and the general architecture of the resort captivated our attention.

Diving Deep 

For its villas, Ananta picks elements of nature, blending luxury with earthiness, and the contemporary with the ancient. Here's a lowdown on the four kinds of villas at the property. 

Fire Villas: These villas, inspired by the Rajasthani Jhopda and spanning 800 sq ft each, showcases bold architecture inspired by cubist forms and the vibrant reds of Gulmohar trees. Their interiors pulse with energy, offering sleek, minimalist designs accented with fiery hues.

Fire Villas are inspired by the Rajasthani Jhopda

● Earth Villas: Inspired by Rajasthani Bhonga houses, these villas are 1,650 sq ft each, with circular mud structures and conical thatched roofs. The Earth Villas are the most expensive ones from among the Ananta Ajabgarh offering.

Earth Villas

The villas come with a private, open-air jacuzzi.

The open-air jacuzzi in the Earth Villas

● Bamboo Villas: Featuring minimalist architecture with bamboo-inspired accents and tropical greenery, they provide a calming, natural retreat.

Bamboo Villa

Bamboo Villa, like the name says, has bamboo as its key highlight. From the interiors to the furniture, the Bamboo Villas are crafted in wood and bamboo.

The Bamboo Villas come with an attic

● Lagoon Villas: Elevated on pillars, they offer uninterrupted views of serene koi-filled ponds and flourishing lilies, creating an idyllic lagoon-like experience.

Lagoon Villas

What we liked the most about these Villas is a sense of place. Unlike the box apartments we are used to seeing in big cities, the sense of space here in Ajabgarh also reiterates the ideas of freedom, relief from boredom and the mundaneness of city life.

What To Do

From Ananta Spa & Resorts, you can go for a Somsagar Lake trek (half-hour drive), and a jungle safari in the Sariska Tiger Reserve (one hour by road).

At the break of dawn on Saturday, we tried our luck spotting a leopard or a tiger in Sariska. The last time I was here, a leopard was kind enough to grace us with a visit. However, this time around, no such luck.

We did spot some other animals and birds too.

A peacock during our safari. Photo: Author

Peacocks and sambar deer greeted us during our trip. The leopards and tigers chose to stay away. We only had a stray call here and there to get our hopes high (in vain).

Sambar deer in Sariska

The beauty of a jungle safari lies in its unpredictability. We ended ours with the hope of a next time.

What To Eat And Drink

The Oasis restaurant, curated by executive chef Laveen Mathur, delivers an exceptional farm-to-table dining experience.

● Authentic Rajasthani classics like Dal Baati Churma, Laal Maas, and Ker Sangri are prepared with age-old recipes and with the finest ingredients.
● Signature creations like Khad Murgh are slow-cooked underground for its distinct smoky flavour, and Gulkand Gulab Ki Kheer, an heirloom dessert of the Ajabgarh royals.
● Global cuisines featuring pan-Asian, Mediterranean, and Continental specialities, including Khow Suey, the refreshing Som Tam Salad, and lavish English breakfasts.

We were treated to an authentic Rajasthani thali

In And Around Ananta Ajabgarh 

A tour of the whole property is an exercise in itself. If you don't want to chill in your cosy room, try out their swimming pool or a drink at the Float Bar.

There's also a cycling track that you can take a bicycle out on.

One of the highlights of our trip was a book-reading session by author Tripti Pandey, a cultural ambassador of Rajasthan. Pandey read out excerpts from her book, The Half Empress.

Pandey's book is historical fiction, about the courtesan Raskapoor, the daughter of a Muslim mother and a Brahmin father. Raskapoor was a celebrity prisoner at the famous Nahargarh Fort, who was called The Half Empress by Sawai Jagat. Pandey's book is a fictional version of the life of Raskapoor.

Our two-day stay included a tour of the Ajabgarh village, where the women weave carpets and make brooms from date leaves.

Women weaving carpets. Photo: Author

Brooms made of date leaves. Photo: Author

We also visited the decades-old Raghunath Temple.

With the setting sun behind us, we visited the chhatri where the rajas used to entertain their guests over lunch and dinner. Guests have the option of choosing a specially curated breakfast under the chhatri.

Ananta's wellness programme included a sound-healing session, a welcome break from our chaotic city lives.

After two days of Ajabgarh, it's the stories and the myths that stay with you, the experience apart. 

What's the truth of Ajabgarh? What actually happened? To seek those answers, we would probably need to visit Ajabgarh once more.