NIDHI VAN: A JOURNEY INTO A HAUNTED LOCATION

India has always been a land of mysteries and legends since time immemorial. There are a lot of places in India that have unexplained phenomena and bizarre mysteries surrounding them. For many years now, adventurers, scientific researchers, and paranormal experts have tried to find out the reason behind all these unexplained and strange phenomena; but unfortunately, have come up empty-handed. Thus, giving rise to the popularity and notoriety of these places. One such location is a place called ‘Nidhi-Van’, in Vrindavan, U.P. According to legends, it is said that ‘Lord Krishna and ‘Devi Radha’ come here every night to sing, dance and have fun along with their companions. It is also said that no one can stay in this forest after 7:00 p.m. That’s why the tourists are always escorted out of this sacred place before 7:00 p.m. and the gates are closed. It is also said that if anyone tries to get a glimpse of the supernatural event; that mortal either dies or goes completely insane by the next morning. There is also said to be heavy security around the place and no one is allowed entry the gates are closed in the evening. Though there is a very beautiful temple inside the forest, tourists can only see it during the daytime. Also, according to security protocols, no one is allowed to click images inside the forest. Even when I went there, I was also not able to click any images of this forest. However, this is not about me, it is about a group of friends who ignored all the rules and regulations of this place and paid the price for it.

Amrita, Chitra, Prashant, Varun and Sameer were a group of friends who were very close since their college days. All of them were well-established in their respective fields and professions. Amrita was a lawyer, Chitra, a wildlife photographer, Varun, a top head hunter for corporate firms, Prashant, a software engineer and Sameer, a respected and well-known journalist. Despite their busy schedules they used to meet twice a year and go on hikes, and expeditions and hunt for unexplained mysteries. This they did as they were also planning to start a new venture that would make people aware of the various unexplored and unknown facts about Indian history and culture, and also they were planning to open a website which would help people in gaining information about various places that were previously been left untouched or very little was known about them. So they met after 7 months to discuss their next project.

“Guys, did you know there is a place called Nidhi Van, in U.P.?” Varun asked.

“Yes, I have heard of it,” Prashant replied.

“Isn’t it the place that is said to be haunted?” Chitra asked.

All this time Amrita and Sameer kept quiet. “Why aren’t you guys saying something? Varun asked both of them. While Amrita still kept quiet, Sameer looked up from his phone and spoke “Guys, Chitra is right. This place is indeed supposed to be haunted. That’s why tourists are not allowed here to stay beyond 7:00 p.m.” Amrita, meanwhile, also checked about this place quietly on her phone.

Prashant said “I have an idea. Why don’t we go to ‘Nidhi Van’ this time? We will explore the place and investigate whether it's truly haunted or just rumours.” While Chitra and Varun were excited about the idea, Sameer, who was the eldest kept quiet for a while and then said “Guys, I don’t think that is a good idea. Here is this article couple of years ago which said that a few tourists ignored the rules and tried to stay inside ‘Nidhi Van’ for the whole night. There were 4 of them I believe. The article further says that the next day only one of them was found and he was babbling like a fool.”

“There was no sign of the other 3 people.” He added.

There was a minute of silence in the group and then Prashant spoke up “What happened to the rest of the people?” “Nobody knows,” Sameer replied.

He further went on “The police searched the whole forest for the next three days but no sign could be found of the 3 people. The police hushed up the matter.”

“What happened to the fourth guy?” asked Sameer.

“He is in a mental institution since then padded up in a straight jacket as he has tried to commit suicide numerous times.”

“The police even tried to charge the fourth guy on the charges of murdering the other three but it was proved in the court that this guy had gone completely insane, and he couldn’t have carried out the murders,” Sameer added.

“Maybe then we should change the idea of going there,” Chitra said a bit hesitatingly.

“Nonsense! Guys, a few tourists go missing and a guy goes insane doesn’t mean anything.” Prashant exploded but immediately calmed down. “Hey, that happened a couple of years ago, right? Maybe, the other three people played a prank on the fourth guy that he lost it completely and went mad.” He added lightly.

Amrita, who was quiet all this time spoke up “Guys, I think Sameer is right, we should not go there.”

“First Sameer, then Chitra, and now you too Amrita?” an exasperated Prashant retorted.

“This is the 21st century, things like this don’t happen here. Moreover, it’s not that we haven’t been to supposedly haunted places before. Remember “Malcha Mahal’, ‘Bhangarh’, or even, ‘Kuldhara’, guys.”

He was talking about the group’s previous forays into all of these haunted locations and putting them up on their site and also getting huge responses from a large number of people which had resulted in gaining them a lot of attention and popularity. This last statement made the other people start thinking.

“I think he is right guys,” Varun spoke up. Chitra also nodded in agreement.

“Hey… I haven’t yet told you the weirdest thing that happened to this last survivor.” Sameer again tried to change their minds.

“What happened now?” asked Prashant.

“The doctors while checking up on this lone survivor found strange marks on the guy’s body. As if someone had touched him and there were welt marks which have not yet cleared till today guys.” He solemnly added.

Varun said “yaar, Sameer tu aise darana band kar bro.” Everyone broke up laughing. Even Sameer had a smile on his lips.

“Okay, okay. I give up guys. I had to warn you but the majority here wins.”

“Anyways, guys, let’s wait till I get some more information about this place, is that okay?” he asked the group.

Everyone nodded in agreement except Amrita, who was looking a bit hesitant. But she chose to go along with her friends. That night Amrita had the strangest of dreams. She saw that she was in the ‘Nidhi Van’ forest all by herself. Suddenly, she saw the trees with strange twisted vines come alive. They all moved towards her. She got scared and she started to run screaming for help but there was no one there. As she was running through the forest, another strange thing happened, all those twisted vines took the shape of humans and started chasing her. They were all wearing strange clothes and all this while there was this eerie music emanating from somewhere deep within the forest. As she kept on running, she could see an intense glow some up ahead, the moment she was about to near that glow she woke up with a start. Amrita found herself sweating all over and very much frightened. Though she could not understand the reason.

That morning, at first, she thought of discussing her dream with her friends but did not do so as she knew everyone would just not believe her and think that she was making it all up. Also, she had a very important case that day so, she had to prepare herself for that and forgot all about her dream.

However, on her way to the district court, something happened that made Amrita feel as if she was back in that forest. She again felt the same terror as she had felt the night before. Wherever she turned, she thought that the same people were trying to get hold of her. She screamed. Then she realized that she was sitting in her car and people were hoking behind her to get a move on. She found herself completely drenched in sweat despite the car AC running at full speed.

Somehow, she managed to get to the courthouse and made herself busy with her trial preparations. That night, again Amrita had the same dream, this time she felt a bizarre sense of calm in the forest. Although she again saw those same people in their strange attire; this time they were not chasing her. Rather, they seemed to ignore her. As she found herself floating towards that incredibly bright light, she opened her eyes and found herself in her bed. This time also she was drenched in sweat.

“Yeh kya hor raha hain mere saath. Aise sapne kyun aar rahe hai mereko?” She thought.

The next day, she decided to discuss this matter with Chitra, as she was her closest friend.

“Tu bahut zyada soch rahi hai is baare mein.” Replied Chitra, after listening to Amrita patiently.

Amrita seemed not too convinced with Chitra’s explanation. She wanted to know why she was having these kinds of dreams. So, she started researching ‘Nidhi Van’. Meanwhile, Sameer too, was busy planning the upcoming trip. All the responsibilities of booking a hotel, planning their scheduled trip, making reservations, purchasing tickets etc. were on him. Varun and Prashant were helping him occasionally. Everyone except Amrita was excited to be a part of this trip. Amrita had also tried to show her hesitations, but she was overwhelmed by her friends’ reaction and unwittingly, had to bow down to their request.

Finally, the day arrived when they had to embark on their journey. It was a Saturday morning, and Sameer had estimated that it would take around 6-7 hours to reach Vrindavan, U.P. if they started early.

Although Amrita had agreed to come along, she was nervous and apprehensive about this trip. As we progress, we would see that her apprehensions came to be true as a strange set of inexplicable incidents began to occur with the group.

While everyone was enjoying the journey, Amrita was quietly sitting by the window side deep in contemplation. Suddenly, on one of the roadsides she saw a frail old village woman waving towards her. She was surprised at this sight. Why was this old woman waving at her? Moreover, it seemed as if she was trying to warn her against going to ‘Nidhi Van’. She thought it must have been her imagination as she had been thinking too much about this trip. A couple of miles ahead, again Amrita saw the same old woman waving towards her trying to warn her once more. She called Chitra and told her “Yaar, yeh aurat tabse mereko roadside se wave kiye jaa rahi hai. Ek to smajh nahi aa raha ki jitni bus aage jaati hai, usse bhi aage yeh mereko wave karti hain.” Chitra looked at her with disbelief and looked at the road “What woman?” She asked.

“Arrey…. Can’t you see the old woman standing on the side of the road?” Amrita pointed towards the roadside. However, Chitra could not see anyone there. “You must be tired from too much overthinking, that’s why you are hallucinating. There is no woman on either side of the road.” Chitra responded. Amrita was taken aback by this. She again looked and saw the woman standing and frantically waving towards her. She went up to the driver and asked him to stop the bus. She got down and started looking for the woman, but she could not be found anywhere. Even Chitra, Varun and Prashant got down from the bus exasperated and looked around, but nobody could anyone there.

“See, I told you that you were imagining things. There is no one here.” Chitra said and gently guided Amrita back to the bus. Amrita wanted to say something but remained quiet. The rest of the journey was uneventful. Eventually, they reached their hotels and after getting their rooms went to their respective rooms to get a bit of rest and freshen up for the next day. Sameer had also hired one of the most professional tourist guides in the city. So, he also visited them and welcomed them with a big grin on his face.

“Sir, tomorrow is a big day as we will be touring the historic city of Vrindavan.” Raju, the guide informed them.

“What all is there to see in Vrindavan?” Varun enquired.

“Sir, all important historic temples, buildings and of course the main site Nidhi Van,” Raju replied with a wink.

After a few more minutes of chit-chat, Raju bade them good night and went his way. That night around 3:00 a.m. Amrita had to use the ladies' room. As she came out of the washroom, she froze with fear of something. She saw herself sitting on the bed and smiling at her. Amrita could not believe her eyes, it felt as if she was looking at herself in the mirror. She screamed. The others who were fast asleep woke up startled. At first, they could not make out from where the screams were coming; then Chitra, who was the first to rise, knocked on everyone’s doors and informed them it was coming from Amrita’s room. Alarmed and worried for her safety all of them rushed towards her room and knocked on her door. Not getting any response they knocked harder and called out for her “Amrita………….. Amrita………. Amrita. Are you okay?”

“Amrita, open the door,” Sameer demanded.

There was still no response. With mounting tensions, they called the hotel manager who had a duplicate key. With the help of that key, they opened the door to Amrita’s room and rushed in. Here they saw that Amrita was lying on the ground crying inconsolably.

“What’s wrong Amrita?” Chitra asked.

She kept on crying and could not answer. Varun then asked “Come on Amrita, tell me what’s wrong. Why did you scream?”

“Is she still here?” Amrita asked.

“Who is here?” Prashant asked for the first time since they had entered her room.

“That girl.” She responded.

“Which girl?” Sameer now asked.

“The girl who was here just now, who looks just like me,” Amrita responded in between gasps.

“What! There is no girl here Amrita……” Prashant replied with an exasperated look on his face.

“She was here!” Amrita shouted.

“She had those terrifying eyes and she was smiling at me maliciously.” She added.

Varun and Chitra gave a stern look towards Prashant and softly said “There is no one here now sweetheart.” Chitra even hugged her tightly to reassure her that everything was okay.

Amrita was still shaken to the core from her experience and pleaded to sleep with Chitra that night.

The next day, all of them were eagerly waiting for Raju, the guide. He arrived in style and greeted them excitedly. “All set for the ride sahib?” he asked gleefully.

Sameer and Prashant just looked at him and gestured for him to get a move on. The whole day was spent touring the various sights of Vrindavan. It was around late in the day, around 1:30 p.m. when they reached the much-vaunted Nidhi Van. Here, Raju hurried through the entrance of the forest and started giving his running commentary which he had been giving throughout the day.

As soon as they entered ‘Nidhi Van’, Amrita had the beginning of an eerie sensation. Now, did I mention to you that the trees of Nidhi Van Forest are many years old and have been a star tourist attraction for the unique way in which the vines and branches are intertwined with each other; they resemble human shapes. Now let’s get back to the story.

As Raju showed them around the whole group was mesmerized by the utter scenic beauty of nature in its true form. They were also impressed by the ‘Lord Krishna Temple’ nestled right in the centre of the forest. It is said that “Lord Krishna”, along with Goddess “Radha”, and their companions visit this place every night and have fun and frolic. Afterwards, they rest in this temple. That’s why there is a bed that has been dedicated to “Lord Krishna”. Also, food and other offerings are left under the supervision of the temple priest there. Anyways, during their visit, Amrita had the feeling that someone was watching them every step of the way. She also had a feeling that someone just like in her dreams was peeking from behind one of the trees as they moved forward. She stopped and stared at one of the trees, behind which she thought she saw a very beautiful woman wearing the same clothes as in her dreams peeking at her. She gasped and kept on staring frozen with fear. Meanwhile, the group suddenly noticed that Amrita was lagging and had stopped somewhere far behind. Chitra and Prashant, who was also acting as the group photographer and videographer came rushing towards her.

“What’s wrong Amrita?” They asked.

“There is someone behind one of those trees.” She pointed straight ahead.

Prashant went and checked but there was no one around.

“You must be again hallucinating dear.” Chitra tried to soothe her and gently took her and moved forward.

Prashant, who was behind them, moved his camera around to see if anyone was there or if it was just Amrita’s imagination. He suddenly took a sharp intake of breath when he saw a very beautiful woman beckoning him from behind one of the trees. All of this he could see in his camera lens only. As he moved his vision towards the particular tree in question, there was no one there.

“Arrey, Main bhi pagal ho gaya hoon, kya soch raha hoon.” Prashant mused and went ahead to join the group.

The tour ended around 6:30 p.m. when it was announced that all tourists had to leave the premises. It was then that Prashant and Varun made their move. They asked Raju if he could help them somehow stay back in the forest unnoticed.

“Arrey nahin sahib……….” Raju jumped back with fear.

“Yahan pe raat pe rukna mana hai aur khatro se khaali nahi hain.” He added further.

Prashant said that they were very well aware of the rules but still, they wanted to stay. When Raju showed his fear and unwillingness, they acquiesced and asked whether he could help them find a reliable taxi for the night. He said that he would be at their service only if he is not asked to accompany them.

They agreed and went back to their hotel. All of this transpired without the knowledge of Amrita. That night, back at the hotel Sameer, Prashant and Varun had a tough time convincing Amrita to agree to come along for the ride. Eventually, Amrita had to acquiesce to their requests. So, at around 9:00 p.m. all of them boarded Raju’s vehicle and went to the rear wall of the Nidhi Van Forest. From there, they entered the environs of the forest without the security knowing about it.

“Sahib, koi light mat use karna, sirf mobile light and camera light hi use karna. Nahi toh security guards ko pata chal jaayega.” Raju warned them

“Okay.” All of them replied in unison.

From the beginning, it was pitch-black in the forest. There was not even moonlight peering through the dense foliage. Prashant had already switched on his camera and they moved ahead very carefully. One thing which seemed odd to all of them was there no sign of life; and yet, the forest seemed alive. The same eerie sensation had returned, and Amrita was feeling very uncomfortable.

As they moved forward by the light of mobile flashlights and camera lights, all of them could feel that it got blacker and creepier with every step. Suddenly, this time, Chitra saw a shadow peering out behind one of the trees. She gave out a scream.

As others turned towards her “wahan koi hai.” It was all she could say pointing sideways at one of the trees. Everyone looked in that direction but could not see anything.

“Ab tereko bhi kya Amrita waala bukhar chad gaya hain.” Sameer joked.

Everyone had a nervous laugh and moved ahead.

Prashant, however, stayed back and checked but could not find anything, so he rushed to join the others. After a few minutes, it was now Varun’s turn to be a recordist and videographer, and he was lagging. Just in front of were Chitra and Amrita walking close by. “Yaar, Varun jaldi kar.” They said in unison. But there was no response. They turned back and saw Varun was not there.

“Varun…. Varun kahan hain.” Amrita asked. Still no response.

“Agar yeh mazaak hain to achcha nahi hoga Varun,” Chitra warned.

Still, there was no response. Usually, Varun would have responded by now, as he also liked to play pranks on the group sometimes. However, after repeated calling, when Varun did not respond then Amrita and Chitra cried out in alarm “Guys, Varun is missing.”

Sameer and Prashant who were a bit ahead stopped in their tracks and turned back.

“Kahi pe ruk gaya hoga , nature call ke liye. You know him.” Sameer explained.

“No, woh respond nahi kar raha, that is very unusual of him,” Amrita exclaimed.

“Arrey, who hoga idhar udhar, dhoondte hain usko.” Prashant said irritably.

So they split up into two groups. One group comprised Sameer and Chitra and the other of Prashant and Amrita, and they started searching in different directions.

“Varun………… Varun………. Where are you?” They called out.

“If it’s a prank, be prepared for the consequences,” Prashant warned.

Still, there was no response from Varun. Now the situation started taking a serious turn. It was over an hour and they still could not find Varun. When Suddenly Amrita saw Varun standing near one of the trees looking straight ahead and not moving a muscle.

“Varun…. Where have you been? We have been looking all over the forest for you.” Amrita screamed.

“Abbey, wahan kyun khara hain?” Prashant asked.

Varun just looked at them. Both of them were taken aback at looking at Varun’s eyes. They glowed extraordinarily. He just smiled at them and ran off into the pitch-black forest. Amrita and Prashant were shaken and then Prashant said “Wait here and I will get him.” He ran off after Varun.

Amrita again begged Prashant not to leave her alone but by the time Prashant had already made a run to chase after Varun in the darkness. Amrita was terrified to be alone. She could feel that trees were coming alive and taking the shape of the same humans in her dreams. She started running calling out for Sameer and Chitra.

Sameer and Chitra were, however, oblivious to this latest development. They were still calling out for Varun. By this time a slight breeze had also started blowing in the forest. Sameer and Chitra were still looking for Varun they suddenly noticed a small pond. It took them by surprise in the morning they had not found any pond in the whole of the forest.

“Now where did this come from?” Chitra exclaimed.

Sameer was just behind her looking at the pond when it felt to Chitra that Sameer suddenly stood frozen to the spot, not moving a muscle or uttering a sound. All of a sudden, he started shaking as if something or someone had seized him. Chitra could not believe her eyes. She went to Sameer and took hold of him and asked, “What’s wrong Sameer?” Chitra could feel that Sameer was burning up as his body temperature started rising. Chitra now panicked and once more asked “Sameer……. Kya hua? Aise kyun kar raha hain?” Sameer looked at her and Chitra got the biggest scare of her life by just looking at his eyes. They had turned white. The pupils had turned inwards and his eyes looked completely wild. She jumped back utterly terrified and screamed. Sameer ignored her and ran over towards the pond. Before Chitra could understand or try to stop him, Sameer jumped into the pond. Chitra again screamed “Sameer……………………………….” Sameer did not come up. She started crying and after a few seconds gasped in terror and screamed for the last time “A hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…………”

Meanwhile, Raju, who was waiting outside was oblivious to all of this. He glanced at his watch nervously. It showed around 2:30 a.m. “Abhi tak to unhe aa jaana chahiye tha.” He thought.

Amrita, on the other hand, was all alone and was unaware of this latest development. She called out for her friends “Sameer, Prashant…. Varun…... Chitra……. Where are you all?” “Please come back as I am here all alone and terrified.” There was no response from any one of them. A strange mist and fog had also started forming in the forest and it was a bit strange for Amrita, as it was the middle of the summer season and there was no valid reason for a fog or a mist to develop right then and there. This heightened her nervousness and fear manyfold. The breeze had also grown strong by now when Amrita could see from far that glow coming into shape and rushing towards her. She was petrified by all of this and started running. She could sense that there was someone following her. She kept on running for eternity. The strange thing was that wherever she ran; it turned up in the same place. It seemed that she was running in circles. At last, Amrita saw something that terrified her and she fell unconscious to the ground.

By this time, it was around 6: 30 a.m. and Raju was nervous as the group had not returned and the security guards were preparing to make their rounds. He was in a dilemma when the guards noticed and asked him “ yahan pe kya jar rahe ho?” Raju knew he could not lie as his reputation was on the line. He came up clean and confessed everything to the guard supervisor. The supervisor was furious and wanted to take him to the police but Raju pleaded with them to look for the group. They relented and started searching for the five friends, Amrita, Sameer, Chitra, Varun and Prashant. After a long time, they found Amrita lying unconscious near one of the trees. They picked her up and brought her back to consciousness. The first thing they asked was, “Where are your friends?” She calmly replied, “They are all gone and they left me here all by myself.” Saying that she again fell unconscious. She was immediately taken to the hospital. Here the doctors noticed strange welt marks all over her body. It reminded them of a similar case a few years ago. After a couple of days, she was released from the hospital. Back in her hotel room, Amrita took a shower. While showering, all of a sudden, she started shaking uncontrollably for a few seconds. It lasted for a few minutes and then she seemed normal. It seemed she was not Amrita at all. When she looked in the mirror, the reflection was that of a different person altogether. Though the face and physical characteristics were that of Amrita; her eyelids had turned upwards and the white of the eyes could only be seen. She gave a crooked smile and then everything turned back to normal.

“It’s going to be a new beginning,” Amrita said to herself and checked out of the hotel.

T