The Haunted Palace Rabindranath Tagore's 1895 Bengali short story, 'Hungry Stones,' revolves around a tax collector named Srijud who is sent to stay at an old palace believed to be haunted. Each night, he becomes increasingly consumed by the spirits of its former Mughal inhabitants and a beautiful Indian woman.
Inspiration from Real Life 'Hungry Stones' was inspired by Tagore’s own experience staying in Shah Jahan's Moti Shahi Mahal near the Sabarmati River. In his story, this location transforms into the fictional Schuster River where Srijud encounters supernatural occurrences.
Meeting on a Train While returning from Calcutta with relatives after their Pooja trip, they meet an extraordinary man on a train who captivates them with his confident discourse on various subjects including science and Persian poetry. This encounter sets up for recounting strange experiences related to unseen forces at work.
First Encounter With Spirits Srijud initially dismisses warnings about staying overnight in the deserted palace but soon feels it exerting an eerie fascination over him. He begins experiencing vivid hallucinations of joyous maidens bathing in the river as if transported back 250 years ago during Mughal times.
Nightly Visions Intensify As nights pass, Srijud finds himself more deeply entangled within these ghostly visions—he hears music and laughter echo through empty halls while catching glimpses of ethereal figures like fair damsels dressed in ancient attire that vanish before him leaving behind only scents or sounds reminiscent of another era.