Khesh saree

I have posted this saree earlier here. At that time I had not painted it. I had also paired it with a different blouse during winters. Today it is in a different avatar with a painted blouse and pallu. Also, read a lot of information about how khesh sarees are woven here.
Khesh weaving is practised in the Birbhum district of West Bengal. Khesh Saree is an addition in the bucket of traditional saris of Bengal. It is a must during festivals. Khesh Cotton Sarees are the true gift from Bengal that comes in a pretty range of colours, patterns and designs to beautify your ethnic wardrobe. The khesh weaving process is simple. The warp is with new yarn and the weft is with strips of thin cloth obtained by tearing old sarees lengthwise. The Khesh sarees are handcrafted using fresh weaves as well as recycled old sarees. Khesh weaving is an ingenious recycling technique.

Assam saree with Tribal motifs

My paternal uncle used to stay in Namrup in Assam. Every time he would come, he would bring beautiful Assamese sarees for my grandmother and my mom. Some of them even in Muga silk. Sadly, we do not have a single piece left from that collection. In 2012, when I was actively dealing with weavers and selling sarees online, I remember selling Muga silk saree for only Rs. 10,000/- See the blog post here. Recently, I was on a lookout for Assamese sarees. I prefer searching in government emporiums where they cost less than half the price of what the online sellers sell it for. Also, I get more authentic sarees there. I was surprised to find that even in government emporium, good muga silk saree with a traditional gold colour and red motifs and palla or multicolor motifs and palla was no less than Rs.50,000/- My heart yearned for the sarees which my uncle used to bring at that time and no one took special care to preserve them. Sarees are a woman's longest companion. They need to be taken care of. They can outlive you. Their warp and weft have stories woven in them. They are certainly the owner's pride who unknowingly leaves behind a legacy for the next generation. It is certainly worth investing in them. Let your wardrobe be rich with handloom stories. Today muga silk sarees are costing a bomb. You have to pay a lot if the price for a muga saree, which you cannot even wear on a very formal occasion. I had to settle to buy an Assamese cotton saree. 

A Conventional handloom Assam cotton saree has all over small butti design on the base with a red border and gorgeous pallu. Its beautiful patterns give a different look and set it apart from any other handloom design. This saree is pretty, soft and very lightweight to carry. It has an elegant look and soft fall. They wrap you in like a gleeful girlfriend. I paired it with a khun blouse.

Bhangarh fort in Rajasthan

I went for a weekend trip to Jaipur. Below are the pictures of the hotel I stayed in- Le Meridian. You can see me also on Instagram.

On our way back, we took a detour and visited the most haunted place in India. Read about it below and see the pictures. The place certainly had an eerie feel to it.

I am wearing Arupukottai handloom cotton saree. I just cannot explain how soft and comfortable this saree is. In scorching heat, I should also call it an airconditioner saree.  These sarees are from Tamil Nadu.

The uniqueness of aruppukottai mercerised cotton sarees are the heavy look and striking colour combination used to hand weave the stripes, checks and colour contrast with broad borders. The plain saree body is designed with a traditional border stripe. 

Bhangarh Fort ranks 1st in the list of haunted places in India and is one of the main tourist attractions for people visiting Rajasthan.

Located at the border of the Sariska Tiger Reserve in the Alwar district of Rajasthan, Bhangarh Fort is a 17th-century fort, infamous all over India for being the “Most haunted place in India“. Because of the numerous ghostly experiences and happenings in the fort premises, villages have sprung up far away from the fort, due to the fear of what lies within. Even the Archaeological Survey of India or the ASI has forbidden the locals and tourists from entering the fort at night. This completely ruined, haunted fort of Bhangarh does have a very eerie, negative aura to it. Several legends have attested to the paranormal happenings inside the fort.

Bhangarh Fort History

The history of the fort dates back to centuries. Built in the 17th Century in Rajasthan, the Bhangarh fort is an ancient specimen. It was believed to have been erected by Man Singh I, one of the Navratnas of Akbar’s court for his son Madho Singh I.

There are always two sides to the story of the Bhangarh Fort, haunted for generations. Let me relate the story first. The two sides can wait for some time.

Bhangarh Fort Haunted Stories

Coming back to the dual facets- there are two stories still surviving in the form of legends, which have tried to give a meaning to the eerie atmosphere which surrounds the haunted fort of Bhangarh.

Haunted Story 1: A Place Lost in the Shade

The first legend claims that a king named Madho Singh raised the Bhangarh fort after obtaining due permission from an ascetic named Bala Nath who lived there; having agreed to a condition which said that the shadow of the fort must never fall upon the home of the ascetic. But as fate would have it, one of the ambitious successors of Madho Singh added to the fortifications vertically, thereby causing its ominous shadow to engulf the abode of the ascetic. Lo and Behold, once it came to pass, the fort was doomed within no time. The alleged prophecy stood fulfilled, and the Bhangarh Fort became haunted.

Haunted Story 1: A Place Caught in a Limbo

A second legend behind the Bhangarh Fort haunted, more popular than the first one, claims that Princess Ratnavati of Bhangarh was responsible for the apocalyptic situation which befell the fort. A local black magician fell in love with her (the princess is believed to have been very beautiful) and once tried to bewitch a cosmetic she was supposed to use, to make her fall in love with him. The princess smelled suspicion and foiled the entire conspiracy of the black magician by pouring the bewitched cosmetic over a massive stone boulder, which then supposedly crushed the ‘tantrik’ to death. Before the magician breathed his last, he placed a curse upon the entire landscape that no soul would ever be able to live in peace there. The entire landscape around the Bhangarh Fort has been haunted since.

The Bhangarh Fort haunted is like other forts in Rajasthan, and is surprisingly well preserved. Its ramparts and fortifications stand amidst the ruins of the ghost town by the same name. Legends have it that the fort and the surrounding establishments around it once buzzed with life. Then something happened along with a chain of other unfortunate incidents which led to the doom of the place within a very short span of time.

Bhangarh Fort at Night

No one is allowed to enter the fort after sunset or before sunrise. The entire landscape is subsumed by a pall of gloom and a chilling hollowness once the last ray of sunlight bids adieu until its arrival the next morning. There are many local tales about the paranormal activities in the fort. It totally depends on a person whether he would believe it or not. It is said that the spirits roam in Bhangarh fort at night and various strange noises are heard. Also as it is said, anyone who enters the fort at night would not be able to return in the morning.

One constantly feels as if their movements are being watched, and the air is charged with a dizzying heaviness. A board put up by the Archaeological Survey of India cautions the visitors not to venture within the premises of the fort during the dark hours.

The haunted fort of Bhangarh has had several stories associated with it. Believing on of them is akin to believing that the fort indeed is haunted, and this is a tale that has been in circulation for years. There is evidence to support the claim of those who say that those tried their luck either went missing or weren’t able to explain anything coherently. You might say that the entire episodes were mere figments of imagination by ruminating minds, but the fact remains a fact.

The Brighter Side

The fort is situated at the edge of a lusciously green expanse of Sariska Tiger Reserve between Alwar and Jaipur and is not very far away from Delhi either. The fort was clearly modelled upon the medieval city of Shahjahanabad, with four massive wooden gates in every direction. The precincts of the fort have ornately carved a miniature waterfall and temples which lend an air of tranquillity to the place during the better part of the day. The remnants of some palaces within the fort are clear indicators of the fort’s prosperity during its heydey. The fort would have been a tourist hotspot for its serene atmosphere during the day and the architectural marvel that the fort is, and as a matter of fact, it is. It is a tourist attraction and it does attract hordes of tourists during the day, but for all the wrong reasons. Local folks would have you believe that no one dares to build a house with a roof in the vicinity of the fort. The roof collapses shortly after being built.

How To Reach

Bhangarh Fort From Alwar

The nearest town to Bhangarh is Alwar in Rajasthan. The distance from Alwar to Bhangarh is about 90 Km, for which taxis and buses are available from Alwar.