Eric Chopra's guide to the most haunted places in Delhi

Perched atop the Ridge, the Mutiny Memorial, a Victorian-era tower, rises dramatically above the trees, and the closer you get, the more you have to crane your neck. Black crows often circle overhead or sit watchfully on the spire, adding a little more spooky value to the atmosphere.

Built by the British in 1863 to honour those who died fighting the Revolt of 1857, the memorial originally told the story from their perspective, which was a historical hot take that didn’t age well. After Independence, it was rechristened Ajitgarh to acknowledge the Indian freedom fighters who lost their lives during the uprising.

The Gothic red-sandstone structure, complete with pointed arches and a church-like spire, also comes with its own resident ghost. According to local lore, a headless angrez wanders the road in front of the memorial, asking passersby for a light for his cigarette.

‘And I always wonder,’ Eric laughed, ‘if he's headless, how exactly does he smoke?’

Opening hours: Mon-Sun. 9am-5pm.
Ticket: Free
Address: Kamla Nehru Ridge, Civil Lines, Delhi, 110007

The Ashokan Pillar stands between two very different Delhis: a busy road on one side and the wilderness of the Ridge on the other.

Standing quietly amid the bustle of Delhi University's North Campus, the Ashokan Pillar was originally erected by Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE. Many years later, Sultan Firoz Shah Tughlaq had the sandstone column transported to Delhi.

Eric noted that the ancient Brahmi inscriptions on the pillar preach the Ashokan message of peace, morality and good governance. Yet even the monument couldn't escape hauntings.

‘I met an auto driver one evening,’ Eric recalled. ‘He told me he used to see entities here.’ The driver claimed they looked perfectly normal from the front. But when they turned around, their bodies appeared to be melting.

‘The front looked like heaven,’ Eric said. ‘The back looked like hell.’

Opening hours: Mon-Sun. 9am-8pm.
Ticket: Free
Address: Kamla Nehru Ridge, Civil Lines, New Delhi, Delhi, 110007

Hidden within the sprawling grounds of Hindu Rao Hospital, Pir Ghaib literally translates to ‘the saint who vanished’.

It was built by Firoz Shah Tughlaq as a hunting lodge and possibly an observatory. The structure contains a hollow masonry cylinder believed by some historians to have been used for astronomical observations. Others suggest it may have functioned as a clock tower. Either way, its elevated position offered quite a commanding view over the Ridge forest below it.

Soon after the decline of the Tughlaq Empire, a pir (saint) is said to have adopted the abandoned structure as a place of worship. According to local lore, the saint later vanished without a trace, giving the monument the name it carries today.

Even now, the monument's reputation as a haunted site remains, owing to some bizarre sightings. Some locals insist they were perfectly sober when they spotted the ghostly pir riding a horse along the roads around Hindu Rao Hospital.

While others, mostly medical visitors at the hospital, use the place for worship. Eric pointed to lamps, incense sticks and garlands tucked away behind the structure, evidence that the site continues to attract believers.

Opening hours: Mon-Sun. 8am-5pm.
Ticket: Free
Address: Pir Ghaib, Hindu Rao Hospital Complex,, Civil Lines, Delhi, 110007