Ghosts of Tagore House – Jorasanko Thakur Bari

In the old house of a famed Bengali poet and philosopher, the ghosts of Tagore House or Jorasanko Thakur Bari are said to linger. Throughout the years, the family of Rabindranath Tagore have told about the haunting said to have happened inside of the mansion.

North in Kolkata lies Tagore House, an anglicized way of saying Jorasanko Thakur Bari, a grand mansion that once served as the residence of the illustrious Tagore family built in 1785. The stately home of high ceilings, black and white marble floor and arched doorways is today a nod to just how powerful the ancestral home of the Tagore family was. They were one of the leading families in Kolkata and key players in the Bengali Renaissance.

Read more: Check out all of the ghost stories from India

This sprawling palace stands as a testament to the legacy of Rabindranath Tagore, the Nobel laureate poet and polymath who called it home. In 1913 he became the first non European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. Now his ancestral home operates as a house museum and has, according to his family, always been haunted.

In the old house of a famed Bengali poet and philosopher, the ghosts of Tagore House or Jorasanko Thakur Bari are said to linger. Throughout the years, the family of Rabindranath Tagore have told about the haunting said to have happened inside of the mansion. — **Jorasanko Thakur Bari**: The Tagore House is the formal house of the nobel prize writer Rabindranath Tagore and his family for generations and also thought to have been or is haunted by his family. // Source

Rabindranath Tagore and his Life of Ghosts and Spirits

Several eerie tales shroud Tagore House in an aura of mystique, adding to its allure as a haunted abode which is said to come to life at night. When he was alive, Rabindranath Tagore had a keen interest in the supernatural as well and had often planchette sessions inside of the building after his father, Debendranath died.

Even in his writings, like the tale found in Mastermoshai there are haunting tales happening. And one particularly story about a student drive his teacher to suicide is said to have been inspired by something that happened at Jorasanko Thakur Bari, and most ghost stories comes from his era.

Rabindranath Tagore (রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর) was born in Jorasanko Thakur Bari in 1861 and his poetry and writing have been called both spiritual and magical.

Among the most chilling accounts are those of phantom footsteps echoing through empty corridors and the haunting sound of anklets tinkling in deserted rooms and other strange occurrences inside of the Jorasanko Thakur Bari building.

These spine-tingling tales have been meticulously documented and shared from the Tagore family over the years, finding their way into writings like ‘Thakurbarir Bhooter Golpo’ (Ghost Stories from Thakurbari), a collection that chronicles the chilling legends of Tagore House.

Hauntings of Jorasanko Thakur Bari

One of the stories you will find written down is from when Rama, who was Tagore’s granddaughter died. The family was distraught by her death and didn’t want to send the body away. Instead they put her downstairs that evening and waited and grieved.

Amita Thakur was one of the women in the family who sat in the room next door that evening and told about what happened next. Suddenly the lanterns in the room went off one by one in the row they hung in. Everyone in the room freaked out, not daring to light the lights again. And when a cold breeze started coming from nowhere, they knew that there was a spirit with them.

The Ghost Walking in Tagore House

Another story told from the Tagore House was when Tagore’s nephew, Nitish died. In the period right after his death the family claimed that Nitish was seen almost every evening as he was walking down his favorite corridor. Which also says something about just how big this house was.

There would also be stories about the relatives living in Jorasanko Thakur Bari waking up and seeing a ghostly figure standing and watching them.

The Dead Wife in the Picture

From the book detailing the haunting of the mansion they also discuss one of the mysterious pictures taken of the family that sparked a debate that yet again a ghost in the family lingered in the Tagore House.

Mrinalini Devi, the wife of Rabindranarth Tagore, was also a translator and described as a woman with a great personality as they described her. She died in 1902 after a serious illness the doctors never managed to diagnose. She was only 28 and according to legend, her ghosts have shown up from time to time.

In 1904, the family gathered for a family picture, and as a shadow behind her husband, it is said she sat in the picture, two years after her death. Was this the final haunting from her side? Some say that she is still haunting the place.

The Haunted Jorasanko Thakur Bari House

As dusk descends and the shadows lengthen, Tagore House takes on a hauntingly beautiful aspect, its majestic facade concealing secrets that defy rational explanation.

Whether fueled by imagination or rooted in reality, the haunted rumors surrounding this historic palace continue to captivate the imaginations of those who dare to delve into its shadowy depths. A story just as good as the fictional stories that were written in the Tagore House.