The Catacombs of Paris are underground ossuaries in Paris, France, which is one of the most haunted places on the Earth. It holds the remains of more than six million people in a small part of a tunnel network built to consolidate Paris’ ancient stone mines. They’re some of the creepiest and most taboo places on the planet. For a city of lights that is known worldwide for its fashion, romance, and culture, Paris is hiding a dark secret. These little-known facts about the vast Catacombs of Paris will leave you puzzled.

The Catacombs remained largely bygone until it became a novelty place for concerts and private events in the early 19th century. After further reconstructions around Place Denfert-Rochereau, it was open to public visitation from 1874.

Catacombs of Paris

Catacombs Of Paris Inside View

Paris’s original spot to be bury was at Saints Innocents, the city’s oldest and most used graveyard. But in the 18th century, the cemeteries were running out of space. If that wasn’t bad enough, some bodies weren’t buried properly and were spreading disease. So the Parisian officials chose to condemn the city’s cemeteries and move the remains they contained elsewhere. So all of them were taken to their final resting place which is now known as the Catacombs of Paris. The Catacombs of Paris became a curiosity for more privileged Parisians from their creation.

Saints Innocents

Every day, thousands of Parisians and tourists are unaware that they’re walking directly above a long series of underground tunnels that house 6 million skeletons. A dark history that often goes without notice as busybodies commute to work going about their daily antics whilst a mysterious world exists below. The tunnels are known as the Paris Catacombs.

Although the catacombs offered space to bury the dead, they presented disadvantages to building structures because the catacombs are directly under the main streets, so large foundations cannot be built. For this reason, there are only a few tall buildings in this area. Skulls upon skulls. Bones perfectly arranged by hand to form ongoing, never-ending walls made of skeleton pieces. What’s truly shocking is how many bones have actually been deposited there. This may seem odd to some visitors, but the whole experience is quite repetitive due to the large volume of bones that never seems to end.

A group of urban explorers known as Cataphiles has also spent vast amounts of time within the depths of the Catacombs for their own enjoyment and adventure. They have also created maps so that people who visit there don’t get lost in the vast tunnels.

Apart from bones, there’s some pretty good wine on offer within the catacombs, too. There was a case in 2017 when a gang of French thieves drilled through the walls of the Catacombs into a nearby vault, which was located under an apartment and contained around 300 bottles of vintage wine. After this, the Catacombs were closed to the public during September 2009 and reopened on 19th December of the same year.

Vintage Wine

Now it is open to public visitation as a museum. So you can also visit there if you want to.

Advertisement

Bhangarh is a village situated in the Rajgarh municipality of the Alwar district in Rajasthan, India. It is famous for its historical ruins and is considered to be one of India’s scariest locations. This place also has the tag of being one of the most abandoned places in India. However, it still attracts visitors from around the world. However, it should be noted that if you decide to visit this place after sunset, you will be not be allowed to enter the borders of Bhangarh during this time. According to locals, spirits enter the place after sunset. A signboard posted by the ASI (Archaeological Survey of India), which is a Government of India organization, specifies these instructions.

ASI Board at Bhangarh

While the board is written in Hindi, the instructions on it roughly translate to: “Entering the borders of Bhangarh before sunrise and after sunset is strictly prohibited. Legal action will be taken against anybody who does not follow these instructions”.

The journey to Bhangarh takes approx 1.5 hrs and is 65kms from the capital city, Jaipur. The most remarkable aspects of Bhangarh are its old buildings: the Hindu temples of Gopinath, Shiv (Someshwar), Hanuman, Ganesh, Vishal Devta, Lavina Devi, and Keshav Rai. Other buildings include shops and dhabas along the main road, several havelis, a mosque, and a palace. The palace is protected by two inner fortifications across the valley. The town is separated from the plain by ramparts with five gates.

One of the five gates

Bhangarh Fort

One of the major attractions of this place is the Bhangarh Fort. It was built in 17th by Raja Bhagwant Das, a Kachhwaha ruler of Amber, for his younger son Madho Singh. The fort is situated at the foot of the hills on sloping terrain. The ruins of the King’s palace are located on the lower slope of the hills; trees surround the pond area and a natural stream falls into the pond within the premises of the palace. The approach to the entrance gate of the fort in the last 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) stretch of the road is an unpaved road. In addition to the main gate, where the temples, dhabas and havelis are located, there are four more points of entry to the fort – the Lahori Gate, the Ajmeri Gate, the Phulbari Gate, and the Delhi Gate. The Royal Palace is located at the extreme end of the fort’s limits.

Unpaved Road

The story which this town is well-known for

According to legends, a sadhu named Baba Balak Nath lived within the fort area, and it was his injunction that any houses built in the precincts of the fort should not be taller than his house, and if the shadow of any such house fell on his house, it would result in the destruction of the fort town.

According to one popular folk tale, a magician adept in black magic fell in love with Rani Ratnavati, a beautiful princess with many suitors. One day, the wizard followed her to the marketplace and offered her a love potion, however she refused it, throwing it onto a large boulder that consequently rolled onto the wizard and crushed him to death. Before the wizard died, he supposedly cursed that Bhangarh would be destroyed soon and no one would be able to live within its precincts. Subsequently, Bhangarh Fort was invaded by the Mughals from the north and the city was surrounded and sacked, and all inhabitants including the princess were killed. According to legend, the present state of the fort is the result of the wizard’s curse, and the ghosts of the wizard and princess haunt the fort. Local traditional beliefs say that the curse will be lifted someday when the princess is reborn and visits the fort.

Despite the story surrounding the ruins, it still is a fascinating place to visit. In fact, it has also been officially promoted as a tourist destination.

Ruins of the Fort

Inside the Bhangarh Fort