- Throughout history, supernatural theories have suggested
that certain places are epicenters for paranormal activity.
Haunted houses, castles, and forests
are foreboding examples of these.
However, there is nowhere more frightening
in all of paranormal research than places of worship
which may have been corrupted with malevolence
of supernatural evil.
(spooky music)
Here are 10 mysterious cursed temples.
Number 10 is the Kiradu temples.
The Kiradu temples in the western Indian state of Rajasthan
are five temples dating back to the 12th century.
But despite being over 800 years old,
they are still affected by an ancient curse.
The Kiradu temples have beautiful stone carvings,
and it's been said that kings used to worship there.
However, legend tells of a wise sage
who watched the people who came to the temples
and was horrified to see that,
despite pretending to follow ethical Hindu practices,
those same people had no mercy for the poor and unfortunate.
The sage then placed a curse on the temple
so that anyone who visits it
after the sun sets is turned into stone,
and many still believe this curse to be active.
It has turned some tourists off from visiting,
and those who are brave enough
to walk between Kiradu's stone pillar carvings
rush out of the temples before the sun dips
beneath the horizon.
Number nine is the Wat Khao Kaew.
Located in central Thailand, the Wat Khao Kaew temple
is a fascinating place surrounded in myth and legend.
But as recently as August 2012,
Buddhist practitioners there have encountered
one of the most fearsome ghosts in all of folklore.
Known as preta, or hungry ghost,
this frightening apparition was seen
at the temple by visitors, Buddhist nuns,
and even resulted in police reports being filed.
Local police attempted to scare the creature away,
but it seems hellbent on haunting this temple.
Why it's there no one knows for sure,
but there are numerous rumors
that the preta itself is cursed.
Ancient Buddhist texts explain how preta ghosts
are the product of humans who live corrupt lives.
As a punishment, this entity is cured to haunt the temple,
never able to touch what it desires most: human life.
Number eight is Ness of Brodgar.
The Ness of Brodgar is an ancient collection of structures
found in the Orkney islands north of the Scottish mainland.
Originally excavated in 2003, the site soon revealed
huge stone slabs, walls, and a large building
which many now suspect is an ancient neolithic temple.
The structures themselves date back
to more than 5,000 years ago.
Some believe that the Ness of Brodgar temple
was deliberately dismantled and then covered over
for some unknown reason 2,000 years ago.
A theory for why it was abandoned, however,
may have become known to those living in the area.
Stories persist of strange footsteps, ethereal lights
on the nearby waters, and clawing sounds beneath the dirt.
It has been suggested that something terrible
happened there long ago, and that the temple
remains cursed by those events forever.
Number seven is the Vaidyeshvara temple.
The temple of Vaidyeshvara can be found
in the desert town of Talakadu in India.
Legend has it that the temple and surrounding town
have both been cursed since at least the 17th century,
and that this curse was uttered by a powerful woman
as the town was about to be conquered by its enemies.
The reason for the invasion was that the temple contained
a number of precious and magical jewels
which a powerful maharaja desired above all else.
The woman took the jewels, then cursed the town
so that it would be submerged in sand
and that the maharaja would bear no children.
Then, she leapt into the murky waters
of a river and vanished.
The temple was lost in the sands for some time.
And even now, those who maintain it
must continually remove large amounts
because the curse remains as powerful as ever.
Number six is the Mahendipur Balaji temple.
Many in India, where the Mahendipur Balaji temple
can be found, believe that the temple
is both divine and cursed.
The reason for this strange contradiction
is that this temple is the only place in India
where live exorcisms take place.
If someone is believed to have been possessed by demons
or other malevolent entities, they are taken to this temple,
where rituals are carried out to rid them of these spirits.
Unfortunately, accounts now exist
where those same evil entities have been released
into the temple and have cursed it.
With each passing exorcism, the spirits increase in number
and so too does their power.
Many visitors say that they now feel
an oppressive energy in and around the temple,
and that it feels as though these spirits are amassing
in order to finally unleash their terrors into the world.
Number five is the Ajanta Cave temples.
The Ajanta Caves, in the Maharashtra state of India
include 30 incredible monuments cut out of rock.
Surrounding each monument are intricate carvings
and paintings, but the beauty of this Buddhist temple
is equaled by the unnerving stories which surrounds it.
The caves were built across the last 2,000 years
and contain many halls and passages
linking the monuments together.
Stories persist that the inspiration
for the many decorations and sculptures
which adorn the cavern walls
came from strange beings from the sky.
These are seen as either extraterrestrial beings
or inter-dimensional entities,
but while some imparted knowledge,
others were filled with hate for humanity.
It's believed by some that the structures
were cursed by these beings,
as the caves and halls have sustained
numerous accidents throughout their existence.
Number four is Tanah Lot.
Many believe that an ancient curse
emanates from a temple in Bali.
The temple is known as Tanah Lot.
It's surrounded by beautiful scenery,
but locals say it has ruined the lives of many visitors.
The curse was placed on the temple by a princess.
She and her soon-to-be husband visited the Tanah Lot temple.
There, they were intimate before they were married,
and after, the prince left the princess without warning.
Brokenhearted and consumed by bitterness,
the princess cursed the island on which Tanah Lot sat.
It is now said that any unmarried couple
that visits Tanah Lot temple will attract
a negative presence into the relationship.
This evil will twist their hearts and minds,
turning them against each other
until the relationship withers into a bleak nothingness.
Number three is the Temple of Amidaji.
Hoichi the Earless is one of the most famous
ghost legends of all time.
What makes the story so frightening
is that many believe this tale is true
and that the events told in the story
resulted in the Temple of Amidaji in Japan
being cursed forever.
It's said the Hoichi was a great storyteller
and his stories retelling great battles were so incredible
that everyone wanted to hear him tell them.
But Hoichi was also blind, and each night
a great samurai warrior would come to Hoichi
and lead him to his lord, who wanted to hear the stories.
As it turned out, Hoichi was being led to the temple
where the dead had risen to hear his tales.
When Hoichi was rescued from the apparitions,
it's said that they grew angry
that they had been robbed of their great storyteller,
and that the dead cursed the living
for interfering in their business.
Number two is Wat Samian Nari.
This temple can be found near Bang Son Station in Bangkok.
It was established in 1857
and is renowned for its striking appearance.
However, it's what walks there unseen
which is most fascinating.
Local legend states that the Wat Samian Nari is cursed
and that it acts as a magnet for dark and dangerous forces.
This has resulted in a number of terrible things
happening there and is the reason
that it's considered haunted.
One account about this temple claims that it's stalked
by the apparitions of two terrifying sisters
who beckon passersby into the temple at night,
hoping to drain them of their life.
Others have seen phantom cars pass straight through
the temple as though they were made of air.
For this reason, most locals refuse to go there at night,
and any who do are not expected to come home unchanged.
And number one is Stonehenge.
Stonehenge in England is one of the most
mysterious structures ever discovered.
It is thousands of years old, and to this day,
no one is certain how the ancients
were able to construct the henge with such massive stones.
Numerous theories persist about its purpose,
but some believe that the entire Stonehenge site
was a huge temple structure.
Many insist that this temple was used for human sacrifice
and that the land around it has been
long cursed by a macabre practice.
Others believe that those who originally created Stonehenge
for arcane purposes are not happy
that it it now a hive of tourist activity.
And because of that, a number of people who have visited it
have had misfortune visit them.
And for those who are especially disrespectful
and touch or vandalize the standing stones,
a far darker fate awaits.
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