Haunted Castles around the world – Part 1

We all like to listen to ghost stories and some of us like to see horror movies too, but how does one feel when they really see a ghost!! There is something scary and terrifying about the paranormal but at the same time all of us find it very interesting and intriguing too.

A terrible incident, an untoward happening or a gruesome death that happened many years ago leaves an unexplained energy that haunts us to this day. This is the origin of ghosts and the story behind the places that they haunt.

History tells us stories about power and passion, treachery and intrigue of great Kings and Dynasties around the world. These stories revolve around great castles and palaces who are the surviving witnesses of all the happenings inside them. Let us look into a few such haunted castles from around the world

1. Leap Castle, Ireland

The Leap Castle, as seen today, was built between the 13^th and the 15^th century somewhere around the year 1250AD by the O’Bannon clan. According to Irish legends two brothers of the O’Bannon clan wanted to build the castle but only one brother landed up building it. The O’Bannon’s were secondary chieftains, subjects of the O’Carroll clan who were the first owners and residents of the Leap Castle. John O’Carroll was the first Prince of Ely and the one who was responsible for the initial construction of the Leap Castle. The O’Carroll clan were a very fierce and brutal clan that were continuously in the caught up in power struggles resulting in poisoning, murder and intrigue.

There was a brutal murder in 1532 that involved one of the O’Carroll brother’s murdering the other. The murdered brother was a priest and he was killed in the castle’s chapel while conducting a mass. He is said to have died with his blood dripping upon the alter. The chapel is now referred to as the Bloody Chapel and the priest is said to haunt this chapel at night. Later, in the year 1900, a hidden dungeon was discovered in this castle which contained cartloads of human bones. All this combined makes Leap Castle as one of the most haunted castles in the world.

2. Chillingham Castle, England

This ancient fortress was built in the 1300’s in the village of Chillingham in the northern part of Northumberland, England and was the family home of Sir Humphrey Wakefield and his wife the Hon. Lady Wakefield. The castle has been owned by one continuous bloodline relating back to the Earls Gray since 1246. It supports many grand state rooms juxtaposed by alarming dungeons and torture chambers. Down the years the castle has been a witness to the constant feuds and battles between England and Scotland. Today it is best known for its reputation of being one of the most haunted castles of Britain.

It is said that several ghosts wander around this castle, the most famous ones being the ghost of the Radiant Boy and that of Lady Berkeley. It is said that the cries of a young boy could be heard in the Pink Room of the castle at the stroke of midnight and once the cries subsided, a bright halo of light would appear with a figure of a young boy dressed in blue. Later the bones of a child with decaying pieces of blue cloth were found behind the walls of the room. The ghost of Lady Berkeley, wife of Lord Grey, is also said to be roaming around the castle. Lady Berkeley is said to have been abandoned by her husband in the castle. She only had her daughter for company. The rustle of her dress can still be heard along the corridors of the castle.

3. Himeji Castle, Japan

Himeji castle, is a hilltop Japanese castle, which was built in the early 14^th century and is considered to be the finest examples of Japanese architecture. The construction of this castle dates back to 1333, when Akamatsu Norimura who built a fort on top of the Himeyama hill. It was later reconstructed in 1346 as Himeyama Castle and two centuries later remodeled into Himeji Castle. In 1581 this castle went through another remodeling by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who added 3 more storeys. The castle subsequently went through a lot of changes and renovations, till it grew into a big castle complex by the middle of the 15^th century.

Many legends and folklores are associated with the Himeji Castle. The most popular being that of Okiku’s Well. According to legend Okiku was a beautiful servant maid, who was falsely accused of losing one of ten dishes that was a family treasure. She was killed and thrown into the well. It is said that her ghost still haunts the castle. The vengeful spirit continues to torment the castle by counting dishes from 1 to 9 and instead of counting 10 it shrieks and jumps back into the well. Another supernatural entity or Yokai from the Japanese folklore called the Osakabehime, is said to haunt the castle tower as she hated humans and wanted to stay away from them.

4. Shaniwar Wada, Pune

Shaniwar Wada in Pune, India, built in the year 1732, was the ancestral seat of the Peshwas of the Maratha Empire until 1818. It was built in the honor of the great Maratha warrior Peshwa Bajirao Ballal Balaji Bhat. When the Maratha Empire rose in power this fortress became the center of Indian politics in the 18^th century. In 1828 an unexplained fire broke out, destroying the colossal structure and what remains of this wreck is now turned into a tourist attraction.

According to history Shaniwar Wada was a witness to a terrible murder. Narayana Rao, the fifth and ruling Peshwa and the grandson of Bajirao Peshwa was brutally murdered by the guards inside the Shaniwar Wada fort on the orders of his uncle Raghunath Rao and aunt Anandibai. His body was thrown into the river without fulfilling his last rites. The ghost of Narayana Rao still haunts the fortress and it is said that the tortured soul cries for help on every full moon night.

                                                                                  (to be continued)