Putulbari: Kolkata's Haunted House of Dolls

The expansive mansion Putulbari is situated near the Shobhabazar jetty and next to the Circular Railway track at 22 Hara Chandra Mullick Lane. It was constructed in the eighteenth century by Manohar Das, a prosperous merchant from Bengal. Putulbari is the name of the house, which originally held an extensive collection of over a thousand dolls.

Bimala, the daughter of Manohar Das, was rumored to be completely enamored with the dolls. With her dolls all around her, Bimala would play and converse with them for hours on end in her room. There are even those who claim she thought the dolls were magically alive.

Putulbari experienced tragedy in the early 1900s. When Bimala passed away at a young age, her distraught father closed the house and left the dolls to collect dust in the shadows. Putulbari has been the subject of mystery and rumors ever since.

Individuals began to report odd things happening at the house. Even though the house was empty, they would occasionally hear laughter and whispers coming from within. Some insisted they saw moving shadows in the windows, while others insisted they saw the dolls themselves, their limbs twitching like they were about to come alive and their eyes glowing in the dark.

Putulbari quickly gained popularity as a haunted house and attracted thrill-seekers and ghost hunters. Individuals would travel from all over Kolkata in an attempt to see the spectral dolls or hear the whispers in the night.

Putulbari's stories have been made into films, books, and even a well-known song in Bengali. The house has become a symbol of Kolkata's enigmatic and sinister side and a pop culture icon.

The reason Putulbari is haunted is the subject of numerous theories. Some people think that Bimala's ghost is stuck in the house, playing with her dolls all the time. Some claim that the dolls are cursed and possess a sinister magic that makes them torment the living.

For better or worse, Putulbari is still one of Kolkata's most intriguing and eerie locations. The house serves as a reminder of both the dark and rich past of the city. It's a place where the boundaries between reality and fantasy become more hazy and where the past uncannily comes to life.

Why then is Putulbari well-known?

* With a long history of eerie tales and unexplained happenings, it's one of Kolkata's most haunted locations.

* To add to the creep factor, there used to be a sizable collection of dolls housed there.

* The tragic element added to the legend of the house is the story of Bimala, the heartbroken daughter who passed away at a young age.

* Putulbari is a pop culture icon, having appeared in songs, movies, and books.

* Ghost hunters and thrill-seekers will find the house to be an atmospheric and unsettling location.

Putulbari is a must-see place in Kolkata should you find yourself there. But you might want to pass on it if you're not very brave!