Agrasen ki Baoli
A few minutes from Connaught Place, a stone stepwell drops a hundred steps into the dark, and people say it pulls at you.
What was reported
Agrasen ki Baoli is a long, narrow stepwell of about 108 steps, protected by the Archaeological Survey of India. Who built it is uncertain; tradition credits the legendary King Agrasen, but the present structure is usually dated to the Tughlaq or Lodi period.
It has a reputation as one of Delhi's eeriest places. Visitors describe the air growing colder and the city noise falling away as they go down, the feeling of being watched near the bottom, and a story that the well once held black water that drew people towards it.
Explanations offered
The stepwell is dry now, and the effects people describe fit the space itself: thick stone walls that block traffic noise, cool air pooling at the bottom, deep shade, echoing pigeon and bat calls. There are no records behind the stories about the water. Its reputation grew in the 2010s, helped by films shot there.
- When
- Stepwell from the 14th century or earlier
- Where
- Hailey Road, New Delhi, India
- Witnesses
- Visitors and Delhi residents
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.