The Howling Ghost of Basghari:

### The Howling Ghost of Basghari: A True Incident

Basghari, a small village in the hills of Nepal, was known for its natural beauty. But this village also had a mysterious and terrifying story that created terror in the lives of the villagers. That was the story of the 'Crying Ghost of Basghari'.

Once upon a time there was an old, big house in Basghari, which everyone called 'Big Palace'. A rich landlord lived in this palace. His name was Ratna Bahadur Thapa. Ratna Bahadur's family consisted of his wife and two sons. Their life was happy. But, one day a terrible incident happened in this palace which changed everyone's life forever.

Ratna Bahadur's wife, Kamala, died mysteriously. His dead body was found in the yard. No one had seen anything, but everyone assumed something was unusual. After this incident Ratna Bahadur's life became chaotic. His sons also left the village in fear. The palace became empty, and no one ever used the palace for living.

After some time strange things started happening in the village. At night, the villagers would hear cries, which filled them with fear and dread. Some believed that the voice belonged to Kamala's ghost. Gradually, the story of the howling ghost of Basghari spread from village to village.

One night, two village youths, Ramesh and Suresh, decide to go to the palace to find out this secret. They believed that ghosts were just myths. They went to the palace with some of their friends. They thought, this ghost story is just a result of fear of the villagers.

Ramesh and Suresh entered the palace and started investigating. Going into each room of the palace, they tried to find something unusual. But after a while, they started hearing strange noises. The voice was full of sobs and cries. All the friends started shaking with fear.

Suddenly, the door to one of the rooms opened by itself. They saw that there was a black shadow inside, which was making strange noises. Ramesh and Suresh started shaking with fear. They believed that the scream was the spirit of a ghost.

Ramesh dared to ask, "Who is this? Are you the soul of Kamala?" Suddenly the shadow started screaming in a very loud voice, causing Ramesh and Suresh to run away in fear. They immediately left the palace and returned to the village.

They narrated their experiences to the villagers. All the villagers were shocked after hearing this incident. Mukhiya said, "The soul of this howling ghost may be Kamala's. His soul is seeking justice. We must all give him peace."

The villagers collectively performed pooja and havan, so that Kamala's soul would find peace. They purified the palace.

But, even after that incident, the story of Basghari's howling ghost never ended. After some time, the sound of crying started to be heard again in the night. The villagers completely abandoned the palace. They stopped approaching the area out of fear.

This story was not limited only to Basghari, but also spread to the surrounding villages. Everyone was afraid to hear this story and could never come near Basghari's palace.

Even today, that old palace of Basghari stands, secluded, silent. The story of the howling ghost continues to terrorize the villagers. Whether this ghost story of Basghari is just a myth or reality, no one knows. But whoever spent the night in that palace, they could never forget that experience.

Thus, the story of the howling ghost of Basghari lives on even today. This story is not just a mystery, it is a black page in the history of the village, which will always keep the palace alive.

by: Surendra Pun