You can find numerous unique and mind-boggling stories or legends within each and every corner of India.
So, today we will be diving into some of the most famous Indian Urban Legends that are sure to leave you wonder-stricken AND scared throughout the article, you might even loose some sleep over them!
1) THE MONKEY MAN OF NEW DELHI
The First and the most famous story comes from the capital city, New Delhi. The year 2001 began with the most freakish rumor the city’s people had ever come up against.
Literally, every single one of the citizens talked about this dreadful creature that supposedly attacks humans during the dead of night.
Eyewitnesses say that this creature looked like a Monkey or an Ape. It had long, thick black hairs all over its body with glowing red-colored eyes, had long deadly metal claws, wore a metal helmet, was almost 4 feet to 8 feet tall, and jumped from one roof to another.
The creature was then popularly known as ‘The Monkey Man.’
The Monkey Man used to kill people while jumping over the roofs at night when people slept on the roof, which eventually made it easier for the creature to slay its prey.
The condition of the city, affected by this hoax, worsened so much that the people started criticizing Monkey man for literally every accident or untoward occurrence happening in the town, like for example, a simple robbery.
Over the period, people began to forget about the existence of this absurd hoax. Now we say that this was definitely a classic example of Mass Hysteria.
2)MUHNOCHWA
In 2002, just one year after the renowned ‘Monkey man’ hysteria, the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh was gripped by a panicked frenzy.
People had reported encountering the Muhnochwa which roughly translates to- face scratcher.
It would supposedly emerge through the air of intense darkness at night, like a UFO, emitting red and green beams of light. Anyone close to it would get their face slashed with steel claws, leaving deep scratches that burnt and bled, leaving the prey to end up in extreme fatal death.
Eventually, as the panic continued, the theories started popping up. Some said it was an angry spirit or an elemental creature. Even the Intelligence Agency of Pakistan chipped in to suggest a “chemically engineered insect.”
Whatever this creature was, people were so terrified to the extent that they held special ceremonies at the local temples to ward off the ‘Face Scratcher’ or ‘Muhnochwa.’
Though the time has passed and there has been no sole evidence to this day to prove the existence of this deadly creature.
however, many believe it may return.
3) WOLVES OF PAVAGADA
In 1983 several young girls younger than 5 went missing at night in the village of Pavagada. They were taken a right under their parents’ noses, but nobody saw who or what did it.
On one occasion, villagers found a pool of blood and the clothes of the missing children, and more strangely, the footprints of an animal were visible too.
The Police Dog trackers who traced the scents from the bodies to find the killer were led to a cave blocked by a wall of bricks. The police claimed these were the man-eating wolves behind the gruesome deaths taking place around the village.
Others were confused. Why would all the targets be particularly girls, if it was wolves? And all of them were the only daughters of their parents. Why were they always taken from their sleeping parents? And why were there no drag marks on the ground?
One father even reported that the wolves threw stones at him. This led some locals to believe that the children were taken by a Cult of Black Magic practitioners, who used them as a human sacrifice to the goddess Kali.
To this day, the case remains a mystery.
4) JHALAK DIKHLA JA – A Cursed Song
‘Jhalak Dikhla Ja’ is a popular song in India, released in 2006 by the famous musician Himesh Reshammiya. It dominated the music charts for weeks, but there were some darker stories attached among all the hype.
Some people alleged that the song was attracting evil spirits!
In a small village of Bhalej, locals claimed that one of the lyrics, “Ek Baar Aaja Aaja Aaja Aaja aa ja,” was acting as a call for spirits.
They said the people who played or listened to the music were becoming possessed by the evil spirits, and they were going to the local priest for the cure.
It was also claimed that listening to the song in the local graveyard was practically inviting possession.
In the end, the fear of the song grew so much that the village banned the song. Nobody was allowed to play. Presumably, the possessions stopped.
What do you think? Was the song cursed?
I have listened to and enjoyed that song so many times already. So does that mean, am invulnerable to possessions, or was I vibing along with the ghost this whole time?
Sounds creepy, isn’t it?
5) MANDE BURUNG
The Mande Burung is an ape-like creature said to inhabit the subtropical forests in Meghalaya. It’s been described as a large, hairy bipedal hominid.
For many people, it’s the Indian equivalent of the North American ‘Bigfoot.’
The locals call him ‘The Man of the Jungle,’ and some say they’ve seen it for generations. More often, though, they hear the strange, fearsome growling echoing out across the rice paddies.
The beast is said to have a height of 10 feet and weighs over 270 kgs!
In 2008,
a group of yeti hunters gave two hairs they found to a renowned British primatologist. After examining them, Ian Redmond said they most closely resembled human, chimp, gorilla, or other so-called Yeti hair samples.
To this day, the legend still lives on. Believers in the mythical monster insist it exists and has even launched a society to promote “mind-blowing tours” across the demon’s domain. Sounds interesting…
What would be chased by an enormous monster across the rainforests, waterfalls, and unending stalactite caves look like? Not going to lie. It seems to have the potential to be a reference story for a hit Hollywood movie starring Dwayne Johnson!
Well that was it, our list of 5 spine chilling indian urban legends to keep you up at night!
Hope you enjoyed it! You can check out other scary legends here!
Interesting. Lots of love.