Delhi to launch ‘haunted walk’ tomorrow; first trip to Malcha Mahal

The Tughlaq-era hunting lodge was lying abandoned for centuries before it came to limelight for serving as home to a mysterious family, claiming to be descendants of the Nawab of Awadh, whose last member died in 2017. Locals believe that spirit of the matriarch of the family who died by suicide three decades ago still lives here, giving it a haunted aura.

The Tughlaq-era hunting lodge was lying abandoned for centuries before it came to limelight for serving as home to a mysterious family, claiming to be descendants of the Nawab of Awadh, whose last member died in 2017

The ‘haunted walk’ which is an extension of the already existing ‘Heritage Walk’ programme will start from 5.30 pm to 7 pm.

The ‘Heritage Walk’ has been launched ahead of the G20 summit and covers places like Hauz Khas, Connaught Place, and Old Delhi (Shahjahanabad).

Officials said that the walks will be conducted every Saturday and Sunday on demand. The duration will be one-and-a-half hours.

“This will be a good initiative for tourists as well as for the department as it will boost revenue. Ever since the heritage walks were launched, a lot of queries have been coming in from people about haunted places. So, the department is exploring the idea of haunted or ghost walks,” said an official from the tourism department.

Situated 1.5 km away from the main road and nestled deep inside a forest area in posh Chanakyapuri, Malcha Mahal has, for long, been a subject of fascination.

According to the department, the walks will be “a chilling experience” as they are conducted after sunset. “As it is situated inside a forest area, away from the main road, the rooms inside the monument, the terrace and the steps leading to it look quite scary. There are also deers, monkeys, bats and owls and their sounds are frightening… So, this is going to be an interesting and unique experience for tourists,” said an officer.

Officials said that they will extend this walk to other monuments such as Bhuli Bhatiyari, located in the centre of Ridge area, Feroz Shah Kotla and Tughlaqabad Fort.

The walks will be conducted in six batches with 20 members each. People can book their walks at delhitourism.gov.in or ‘Dekho Meri Dilli’ Mobile app. For each walk, each visitor will be charged Rs 1,000, which will include the fees for the conductor/guide and a kit. The kit will have a torch, stick, jute bag, cap, badge, band, water bottle, juice, seasonal fruit and muffin.