The Haunted South Park Street Cemetery in Kolkata

Historical Insights of the Cemetery

The origins of this hauntingly beautiful cemetery trace back to 1767 when it was established, and a new road leading to it, known as the Burial Ground Road, was built with over 1600 tombs today over 8 acres.

**Gothic Cemetery:** The cemetery is filled with Gothic styled graves from the time India was a British Colony.// Source

The gothic cemetery and road were later renamed Park Street in honor of a private deer park founded by Sir Elijah Impey. By 1785, the burial ground had extended northward of Park Street. While a plaque at the cemetery gate claims it was opened in 1767 and closed in 1790, burials continued into the 1830s until a new cemetery was established east of the Lower Circular Road.

Read more: Check out more ghost stories from cemeteries around the world

After India gained independence, funding for colonial civil cemeteries was withdrawn, leading to a decision to level the Park Street cemeteries. This move faced opposition from the Anglo-Indian community in Calcutta. In 1953, the North Park Street Cemetery was slated for demolition, and the income generated by leasing the land was intended to maintain the South Park Street Cemetery. In the late 1970s, the cemetery came under the care of the Association for the Preservation of Historical Cemeteries in India (APHCI) and the Christian Burial Board.

In 1984, an attempt to demolish the cemetery for an arts center was halted by a Calcutta High Court intervention, but significant damage had already occurred, with the grave of Charles Stuart being destroyed and later restored. The restoration project initiated in the early 2000s aimed to conserve the cemetery’s heritage and prevent further deterioration.

The Haunting of South Park Street Cemetery

This Gothic cemetery, which was laid to rest itself in the 18th century, now serves as a mysterious and intriguing destination for the living. Thousands visit each year, many of whom believe the cemetery is haunted. In fact, it has earned the title of the most haunted place in Kolkata, attracting dark tourism enthusiasts.

There are some strange graves though. Like with the pyramid shaped tombstone that is called the bleeding tomb as it is said it oozes what looks like blood during monsoons. It belongs to a whole family called Dennison who died within a couple of weeks, although the reason is not said.

**Haunted Cemetery**: The Cemetery is slowly getting overgrown and the haunted legends around the South Park Cemetery are growing with it.// Source

Although said to be one of the most haunted, not many specific details are mentioned in the ghost stories from the cemetery, not even specific graves. Nonetheless there are common threads that people claim are happening.

Many claim to have experienced dizziness and seen strange visions after visiting the cemetery. Cameras have gotten strange things in their pictures that some claim must be ghosts or some other sort of paranormal thing. Worst of all is perhaps even the healthiest people have claimed to have experienced breathing problems.

Whether it is true that something paranormal is happening at the cemetery or visitors just get caught up in the gothic vibe of it is left unanswered.