#BlogchatterA2Z: G for Goan Ghost stories: 5 haunted spots in Goa.

Those of you reading my series so far must think Goa is all about an exotic heritage, alluring architecture, lip smacking cuisine, decadent desserts, elaborate events, and contented locals who live in faith. 

The topic of today's post in my A to Z series, however, is going to make you think again. Today, I present to you a different aspect of Goa…one that is not as bright and cheerful. One that is dark and spine-chilling. One that is not for faint of hearts. 

So without whetting your curiosity any further, here are five haunted places in Goa (in no particular order of intensity or spookiness) and the stories behind them.  

1)

Borim bridge - imagine you are traveling on a bridge in the night time. 

It is an isolated stretch and you can’t wait to reach your destination. All of a sudden, as if from nowhere, you spot a woman clothed in white trying to jump over the bridge. What will you do? 

Now, any conscientious person, without a second’। thought, would halt his car and run to stop said woman from committing suicide. 

And that’s what people narrating the incident have cited doing. The eerie part, however, was that before they could even reach the spot, the woman vanished in thin air, leaving them flabbergasted and confused as they returned towards their vehicle. Terror, however, struck when they got back into their car and saw the woman in the backseat, her eyes drilling into them. Now imagine that! 

2)

The three Kings’ Church - This is an isolated church located on a hill called Cuelim, in Cansaulim, in South Goa. A lot of visitors have claimed to have witnessed paranormal experiences suggestive of a strong presence in the vicinity of the Church, especially late in the evenings. As legend has it, the church was governed by 3 Portuguese kings. One of them, King Holger, invited the other two over for dinner and poisoned them. He then declared himself as the ruler but was met with the wrath of the people who threatened to barge in the church. Frightened, he consumed the poison and killed himself. It is said that the spirits of the three kings still roam the Church premises protecting it from threat of any kind. Owing to its haunted reputation, visitors refrain from visiting it post six pm. On a fun note, here’s some Bollywood trivia for you: the Church has been featured in the wedding scene in the Ranveer-Deepika starrer, ‘Finding Fanny’. 

3)

Rachol Seminary Arch - Located on the banks of the Zubair river is the village of Rachol, namely famous for its seminary that provided education for Christian students. Legends say that there was a loyal Portuguese sentinel who was charged with only allowing entry to those who had urgent business with the officials in the Seminary. It is apparently the spirit of this very soldier still defending the Arch even in death, denying entry to those he deems unworthy, that renders it its haunted reputation. 

4) D’Mello house - Located in Santemol, Raia, in South Goa, The D’Mello House is included in the topmost haunted spots of Goa and has a past associated with it. The story goes that this house is haunted by the ghosts of the D’Mello brothers, who would always bicker and fight with one another over their ancestral property. As the story goes, it was one such fight that escalated and led to one of them murdering the other. The dead brother was buried in the backyard of the  very house. This incident was followed by the surviving brother committing suicide within a gap of a few days. Villagers claim that the house has been haunted by the spirit of the D’Mello brothers. Sounds of screams, unknown voices, breaking windows have known to have kept away anyone who tried to claim or encroach upon the property.  Now in a dilapidated state, people still think twice before paying the site a visit. 

5)

Kashedi Ghat, Mumbai-Goa highway - What serves as a smooth and scenic drive to some is claimed to be a bone rattling experience by others. This beautiful stretch of road is believed to be haunted by haunted by three blood-thirsty witches who are on the hunt for flesh. And so they are said to chase those carrying non-vegetarian items in their vehicle. People who have encountered them claim that their vehicles have suddenly halted without reason on this road and does not restart until the non-vegetarian food is thrown out. A number of people have even reported being scratched by these witches after which the non-veg food in their possession has magically disappeared. 

And with that I come to the end of this post. I cannot vouch for the authenticity of any of these claims. They can be a product of an overactive imagination or a carefully guarded myth passed on from generation to generation as a means to safeguard property or preserve it. 

All said, they do make up riveting stories. Stories of guilt. Of greed. Of a sense of duty that persists even after death. Stories that may send a shiver down your spine but also spark up an interesting discourse; does the paranormal really exist? 

And for these myths that fuel our imagination and stretch our thinking beyond the supernatural, we say ‘Obrigado, Goa!’

I hope you aren’t too spooked out to return here tomorrow for yet another interesting post on life in my beautiful state. 

Until then, like I always say, 

Mog aasu di.

(Let there be love!)

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I'm participating in #BlogchatterA2Z. 

My theme for the challenge is ‘Obrigado, Goa!’, under which I’ll be writing 26 posts on Goa (April 1-30th, excluding Sundays), each post corresponding to the letters of the English alphabet. You can read more about it in my theme reveal post.