There are a lot of stories that revolve around Sanjay Van, which is considered to be haunted and is listed among the top 10 haunted places in India, as per the reports. Just like a prism can be viewed from various angles, similarly, the stories the ghost stories that revolve around the mysterious Sanjay Van also have different perspectives and angles to it. Thus, below are the stories that have been elaborated with adequate precision to detail, and the various angles & theories associated with them have also been explained. Let’s have a look at these stories-

1. Story Behind the Girl in White Sari

Just like every other story associated with Sanjay Van, there are multiple theories associated to this theory as well:

Theory 1

According to sources, that girl was one of the many unfortunate ladies who have fallen into the trap of the lust brewing up in the sick mind of a rapist in the rape capital of India, Delhi. As per beliefs, she was asking for a lift due to emergency conditions and the guys who gave her a lift in the car raped her brutally and then killed her before dumping her body at Delhi Cantt. Ever since that incident, her soul is stuck in the vicious cycle of death which propels her to ask for a lift as she tries to repeat the events of her death each night.

Theory 2

Another theory that stems out of the story is that she is a spirit looking for vengeance, which is why she tries to kill any man who gave her the lift in an attempt to seek redemption.

Theory 3

According to this story, she has been classified as a wicked woman who murdered her own children before killing herself after finding out that her husband was cheating on her. But, as she did this in a fit of anger, she was filled with guilt and shame due to her deed, and she has ever since been trying to find her way back to her home. It is believed that she is stuck up in the death loop as a wandering and lost soul who is making attempts to find the way back to her home and being a lost soul, she weaves her black magic on anyone who interacts with her or gives her a lift. As a result, the person who ends up giving her the lift is lost in the vicious cycle of black magic and he keeps roaming around in circles all over the city.

Theory 4

In an article by Vargis Khan, he has contradicted all the theories that are based on the belief that supports the existence of a ghost. He mentioned in his article that he went for ghost hunting to fulfill his adventurous streak and on interacting with the white lady, he found out that she was just a poor girl selling her body for some money due to her miserable condition, due to poverty.

2. The Story & History of the Fort of Prithviraj Chauhan

Near Sanjay Van, there is a fort of Prithviraj Chauhan named Qila Rai Pithora, also known as Rai Pithora’s Fort or Lal Kot. Basically, more than a fort, it is much more of a fortified city built in the 12th century by the Chauhan. The remains of the walls of the fort are scattered across various regions in South Delhi. Before the reign of Prithviraj Chauhan, this city was ruled by the Tomars, but the Rajputs had defeated them and had taken over the city of Delhi.

Thus, it is obvious that the construction of Lal Kot had begun during the 8th century under the Tomar reign. But, after their defeat, Lal Kot was also conquered by Prithviraj Chauhan and the fort served as headquarters for Prithviraj Chauhan for 30 years, during which he ruled Delhi. But, the Rajput Kingdom started to witness the attacks of Afghans and Prithviraj defeated Ghori 17 times, but due to the disloyalty shown by the traitor Jaichand, Ghori defeated Prithviraj in the 18th attempt and imprisoned him.

Today, Lal Kot is in ruins that stretch over 10 km. During the invasion of Muslims, it is said that the invaders buried the poor children under the graves of the Muslim cremation ground. According to sources, the wall is believed to be still lamenting the fate of Prithviraj Chauhan because, according to stories, those children wake up from sleep at night and the silence of the night is pierced by the screams, laughs, & crawls under those graves.

3. The Story Behind a Sufi Saint Walking on an Illuminated Path

Theory 1

According to mythology, there is a story that a saint named Hazrat Sheikh Shahabuddin Ashiqullah who walks along a path illuminated by candles at night. The saint is said to be from 14th century and his mausoleum lies in the backyard of the forest in the middle of many other graves. He is also called as ‘Pirbaba’.

Theory 2

At one time, Delhi witnessed the oncoming of the first Sufi saints. On the day of Abdal Baba’s death anniversary, his son Hazrat Sheikh Shahabuddin Ashiqullah arranged a feast for people where food was inadequate for people. But, the saint remained calm and covered all the food containers with a clean cloth. After chanting some spiritual mantras, he removed the cloth after taking the name of Allah and to the surprise of everyone; the container was filled with food again. Till today, the Dargah still offers free food to people in memory of that magical day.

4. The Story of Other Haunted Incidents

Other haunted incidents include sounds of baby crying, a woman laughing, an eerie feeling of being followed, wisps of air behind the shoulders, and stories of murders and dead bodies lying in the forest.

My View Point & Conclusion

And, out of all the theories, I agree with the theory of Vargis Khan as I am not a firm believer in ghosts. According to in-depth research, if an area is tagged haunted, it draws the attention of people and creates an intrigue in people’s minds. For example, if I say to you or someone else that so and so place is haunted, then it will surely garner attention. Due to the sensationalization era, the reporters and journalists have a strong tendency to create publicity by weaving such stories. But, nevertheless, the sight of women roaming at night in white sari are still very dreadful whether these women are dead or not, as they are already in such a miserable condition that it is even worse than death.

Also, there is a possibility that these ghost stories are being spread to entice the reckless youth to visit these areas at night, as since the area is unguarded, at night, young people go there acting as Ghostbusters for seeking adrenaline and to satisfy their adventurous spirit. This very adventurous spirit leads them to fall prey at the hands of evil people who harm them in search for worldly possessions. As per Wikipedia, there is no such mention of Sanjay Van being a haunted area. Further, several people have also denied the existence of such women roaming in the area.

But, still if Travel News, India Today, and several other sources like The Jungle Haunt, Delhipedia, Bhaskar.com, and Tripoto have listed it among the top five haunted places of Delhi. These are the stories according to folklore and mythology, and they can be true as well as various folklores have turned out to be true and there are evidences that justify their existence like Ram Sethu. According to a dialogue in the movie named as 13B starring R.Madhavan which released around 2009 and in accordance to the Newton’s third law, just like every action has an equal and opposite reaction, similarly, if there is a positive energy like God, then there is a negative energy as well like ghosts. Further, these poetic lines from a song, “Kaisa Ye Raaz Hai” from the movie Raaz 2, aptly sum up the situation:

“Hota hai Jo sawaalo mein
Milta nahi Jawabon mein
Rehta hai Jo khayalo mein
Ab tak hai woh hijabo mein
Hai dil ka yeh
Kaisa mausam
Na Dhoop Hai
Na hai Shabnam
Kaisa Yeh raaz hai
Jo ke khulta nahi”

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