The Haunted Charleville Mansion in Shimla

Deep in the Indian mountains, Charleville Mansion in Shimla is said to be so haunted with an evil poltergeist activity that even the owners had to leave it and it has since then changed hands many times.

India, with its rich culture and history, is also home to some of the most haunted places in the world like the Charleville Mansion, located in the picturesque hill station of Shimla. The city is the capital of Himachal Pradesh, a mountainous region north in India.

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

This historic mansion or dâk-bungalow, has long been the subject of chilling tales and inexplicable phenomena that continue to send shivers down the spines of those who dare to step into its shadowy past.

A Victorian Era Abode

Constructed during the colonial era in the late 1800s, Charleville Mansion stands as an architectural relic of its time. The grand facades, intricate woodwork, and sprawling gardens exemplify the opulence that defined the Victorian period. However, behind the mansion’s splendid exterior lies a history marred by a series of mysterious events that have perpetuated its eerie reputation.

Even Rudyard Kipling, the author of the Jungle Book, mentioned how he saw a ghost in his writings “My Own True Ghost Story”, a story about a charecter hearing a ghost playing pool in the room next to him when he is staying at a dâk-bungalow in India.

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The Poltergeist’s Haunting

The legend of Charleville Mansion traces back to the early 20th century when Victor Bayley, newly appointed as the Assistant Secretary of the Railway Board, arrived in Shimla with his wife in October in 1913.

Charmed by the prospect of affordable rent, the couple chose to make this stately mansion their residence. Unbeknownst to them, the mansion harbored a chilling secret. The previous owner, an army officer, had abandoned the mansion due to a malevolent poltergeist that roamed its halls.

The Sinister Upper Room

It is said that it is the ghost of a British gentleman that is haunting the house. The haunting is that of a poltergeist with breaking and crushing objects inside the house, although no one is said to have been physically hurt by it.

The heart of the mansion’s malevolence seemed to reside in one of the upper rooms, leading the owner that stayed there before the Bayleys to lock it away. The army officer that lived there before them didn’t really believe in ghosts, but wanted to test it out because of the haunted rumors.

However, to his dismay, the room lay in ruins the following morning and everything was turned upside down. Frightened and unable to rationalize these bizarre events, the owner swiftly vacated the mansion, leaving it to bear the sinister legacy of the supernatural.

When Victor Bayley and his wife moved in, they did not encounter any strange occurrences and stayed there for over a year. The unsuspecting couple lived a peaceful life in the mansion, but it was their domestic help who was in for an eerie surprise.

An Unnerving Encounter at Charleville Mansion

One evening, while the couple was attending a dinner party, their domestic help remained in the mansion. As he waited, an eerie feeling washed over him, and he was compelled to investigate a room upstairs. His blood ran cold when, to his astonishment, he witnessed a spectral figure and asked if he wanted something. The figure, looking British, didn’t answer and only passed through a closed door.

Soon after this incident the Bayleys vacated the home.

Following Victor Bayley’s departure, the mansion changed hands and underwent a significant renovation and most of the people staying in the mansion had a story or two to tell and Charleville Mansion continues to be regarded as one of India’s most haunted places, its haunting past woven into its very walls, forever shrouded in an eerie mystery.

The last British living there was an old lady called Mrs A. She sold it after India’s independence to an Indian, telling him it was a haunted place. Today it is owned by an Indian gentleman who has renovated the whole mansion. Still, the locals claim to see the ghost of the British gentleman haunting the mansion in the hills.