Shimla is famous for colonial buildings, deodar forests and the toy train. It is also known for ghost stories, many of them dating from the years it served as the summer capital of British India. This guide covers the six haunted places in Shimla people talk about most, separates recorded history from folklore, and tells you which places you can visit, which you can only see from outside and which you should leave alone.

Quick answer

The best-known haunted places in Shimla are Tunnel 33 at Barog, Charleville Mansion, the Convent of Jesus and Mary (Chelsea), Indira Gandhi Medical College, Dukhani House and the Chudail Baudi stretch of road near Chhota Shimla. None of the hauntings has been documented, and local writers note that no one in living memory is known to have been harmed by Shimla’s “ghosts”. Only Barog is a genuine visitor spot. The rest are a private home, a working school, a working hospital, an unconfirmed house and a public road.

Why Shimla has so many ghost stories

Shimla was the British government’s summer capital from 1864, and many of its stories are about English officers, wives and travellers. Writers have collected these tales for more than a century, from Rudyard Kipling and Ruskin Bond to local author Minakshi Chaudhry, whose Ghost Stories of Shimla Hills gathers accounts from residents.

Chaudhry has said she cannot say whether ghosts exist. She found that many legends have a grain of real history but no archived documentation behind the haunting itself. Keep that in mind as you read: the history below is recorded; the hauntings are folklore.

The 6 haunted places in Shimla

1. Tunnel 33 (Barog Tunnel), Kalka–Shimla Railway

Tunnel 33 is the most famous haunted place linked to Shimla, but it is not in Shimla town. It sits at Barog in Solan district, roughly halfway along the toy-train line and about 65 km before Shimla.

What history records. The Kalka–Shimla Railway is a 96 km narrow-gauge line that is part of UNESCO’s Mountain Railways of India World Heritage site. It opened in 1903 and runs through more than 100 tunnels. Tunnel 33 is the longest, at about 1,144 metres. An engineer remembered locally as Colonel Barog was in charge of the first attempt. He had workers dig from both sides of the hill, but the two ends did not meet. Local accounts say he was fined one rupee and, unable to bear the humiliation, died by suicide near the unfinished tunnel. Chief engineer H.S. Harrington then completed a new tunnel about a kilometre away, helped by a local man, Baba Bhalku, who is credited with finding the alignment.

What the legend says. People claim Barog’s spirit lingers near the old, abandoned tunnel, sometimes appearing as a friendly figure who chats with strangers. Some versions add a woman seen on the tracks who vanishes. These are stories, not records.

Visiting tip. The tunnel the toy train uses today is not the abandoned one. You pass through the working tunnel on the train, and Barog station sits right at its mouth. The old tunnel lies in the forest about a kilometre away; travel writers describe it as roughly an hour’s walk from the station. Go in daylight, wear proper shoes, and never walk inside the working railway tunnel.

2. Charleville Mansion

Charleville Mansion is a colonial-era house in Shimla linked to one of the town’s best-known poltergeist (noisy, object-moving ghost) stories.

What history records. In October 1913, Victor Bayley, newly appointed Assistant Secretary to the Railway Board, rented the house with his wife for the summer season. When the building was constructed is not well documented.

What the legend says. Bayley had heard the house was haunted and locked an upstairs room as a test. The next morning, the story goes, the room had been torn apart. The couple left soon afterwards, although some accounts point out the season was ending anyway.

Visiting tip. The mansion has passed into Indian private ownership and has reportedly been renovated. It is a private home and not open to the public, so do not try to enter the grounds.

3. Convent of Jesus and Mary, Chelsea

The Convent of Jesus and Mary, known locally as “Chelsea” after the estate it stands on, is a girls’ school founded in 1864 and one of Shimla’s oldest institutions.

What the legend says. The best-known tale is of a headless horseman, in some versions a prince searching for his lost love, who leaves a rose for a girl. Other rumours claim the playground was once a burial ground. None of these claims is documented.

Visiting tip. This is a working school with children on site. It is not a tourist attraction, and trying to visit for ghost stories would be intrusive.

4. Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC)

IGMC is one of Himachal Pradesh’s main government hospitals and medical colleges, which is why its stories travel widely.

What the legend says. Patients, relatives and staff are said to report odd noises and lifts that move on their own, and some believe the spirits of people who died there remain. As in most hospitals, these are anecdotes rather than evidence.

Visiting tip. Please do not treat a hospital as a ghost-hunting stop. People there are ill, grieving or working long shifts.

5. Dukhani House

Dukhani House is described as a hilltop British-era house haunted by an elderly former owner.

What the legend says. In the usual telling, the owner died by suicide in the house, and his spirit is seen wandering in old clothes. Some versions name him or the guests who saw him; the details change from retelling to retelling.

Visiting tip. We could not find a reliable public source confirming where the house is or who owns it now. Treat it as a story, and avoid searching out or photographing private homes.

6. Chudail Baudi

Chudail Baudi is a stretch of Carter Road between Chhota Shimla and St Bede’s College at Navbahar. Chudail is the word for a female spirit in north Indian folklore.

What the legend says. Vehicles supposedly slow down here by themselves, and an old woman with backward-turned feet asks drivers for a lift. If they refuse, she appears in the car anyway.

What locals say. A long-time vendor in Chhota Shimla told Outlook India in 2022 that he had heard the stories but no first-hand account in three decades. We found no verified record of accidents caused by anything other than ordinary hill-road conditions.

Visiting tip. This is a normal public road. Drive slowly, watch for sharp bends and fog after dark, and never stop on the road for photos or videos.

How to enjoy Shimla’s ghost stories responsibly

• Pick places that welcome visitors. Barog and the toy train are the easiest way to experience a haunted legend while also seeing a UNESCO-listed railway.
• Respect private and working buildings. Homes, schools and hospitals are not attractions. View heritage buildings only from public roads.
• Go by day. Forest paths and hill roads are the real hazards. Carry a torch and tell someone where you are walking.
• Stay off railway tracks and tunnels. Trains run through Barog’s working tunnel, and there is little room to step aside.
• Read the stories instead. Local bookshops on the Mall usually stock Shimla ghost-story collections, which tell the legends far better than any night-time visit.

If you are building a longer itinerary, our guide to the 25 best places to visit in Shimla covers the Ridge, Jakhu, Kufri and the toy-train journey.

A note on wellbeing: two of these legends involve deaths by suicide. If the topic is difficult for you, or you are struggling, India’s free 24/7 Tele-MANAS mental health helpline is available on 14416 or 1-800-891-4416.

The bottom line

Shimla’s haunted places are best enjoyed as stories with a thread of real history, not as sites to sneak into. Ride the toy train through Barog, admire the town’s colonial buildings from the road, and leave homes, schools and hospitals in peace. For more trip ideas, browse our travel guides.