The British East India Company took control of Odisha in 1803. Odisha is filled with old houses, bungalows and buildings constructed during the British rule. The remnants of many such architectural landmarks still exist.
The haunted British bungalow in Bhubaneswar or the old Dak Bungalow located near Mahatab road in Bhubaneswar’s Old Town area, is one of the reminders of the British era.
The Old town area in Bhubaneswar is primarily known for its temples and tanks, but it also has some vestiges from the pre Independence era. These buildings are now in a dilapidated and abandoned condition due to neglect and lack of maintenance. The Old Dak Bungalow is one such neglected monument which reminds us of the imperial British rule.
Why it was named Dak Bungalow?
This Bungalow has an interesting history. As the name Dak bungalow suggests, the purpose of this bungalow was for the mail runners of the Imperial Mail Service. It was built around 1850 for British officers and sometimes even served as a makeshift courthouse for proceedings held by British officers. The Bengal Nagpur Railway officials too camped here when the railway tracks were being laid here.
This two-roomed bungalow was once surrounded by a thick growth of trees with a well and two outhouses for the cook and the security guard. Now only one huge tamarind tree remains. In the year 1899, this Dak Bungalow was renovated during the visit of Lord Curzon. People also have seen leopards resting on the verandah of this house.
Now, after so many years have passed, this bungalow remains abandoned, a silent witness to the past. Local people believe that the place is haunted with its share of strange paranormal happenings. It is believed that two British officers were buried inside the compound of this bungalow, but nothing has been found so far.
Here is What Locals Say
Locals say that the water of the well in the premises of this bungalow has curative and therapeutic properties helping heal many diseases. This was the reason that many Britishers suffering from malaria and TB came here to recover. However, some must have succumbed to the illness.
Others say that they have seen a ghostly figure of a woman and a child several times near the well. Some also claim seeing a man walking out of the bungalow during a full moon night towards the single old tamarind tree, climbing it and then disappearing in its branches.
These theories have not been proved yet, but they are enough to keep people away from this Dak Bungalow, at least after the sun sets.
