The Haunted Guest House at Sach Pass

A few days ago I received an email enquiring about the hauntings related to Sach Pass. Now this got me interested immediately because of two reasons. First, Sach Pass has been on my to-do list for several years now but each year, including 2014, due to one or another reason I always end up postponing my plan for another time. Second, Sach Pass is considered a task in itself due to its rough and challenging terrain, at least that is what I always heard or read about. Numerous people I know have crossed this mighty pass but not one mentioned of a possible haunted site so I decided to do a little digging and here is what I found. The stories are all related to a haunted guest house at Sach Pass, actually located in one of the villages on the route to be precise.

Cheri is a small village located on the Chamba –Sach Pass – Keylong stretch. Several people attempting Sach Pass prefer to halt for the night at Cheri. 13 kms further from Cheri, located amidst dense forest and almost completely off-road, is another small village called Purthi. This village is at a very scenic location and as I have been told, probably the most scenic site on this route. There is a guest house located in Purthi, 2 kms away from the main road, which I believe is the only option to spend the night here. This small forest rest house is what the local legend is related to. As per the lore, It was built in 1851 by an Englishman named Mr. Tudd who lived here with his wife. There are several versions of the legend. One version is that Mr. Tudd murdered his wife after he caught her cheating on him and now the ghost of the dead woman haunts this place. Some people believe that the wife committed suicide out of guilt while some say that she accidentally fell off a cliff in the Chandrabhaga river. Whatever the reason for death, her spirit is still bound to the guest house and she is reported to have been seen by several locals in the forest around the guest house.

Another version of the story however is that it is the ghost of Mr. Tudd himself that haunts the guest house. It is said that he died after slipping on snow and now his spirits haunts the rest house. Another version is that his death occurred after he slipped and fell in the river during a forest inspection. Interesting part here is that people claim to have seen him coming out of the chimney at night and some claim that they have several times come face to face with the spirit in the surrounding forests.

This rest house was earlier a nursery and later converted into a rest house by the forest department after some renovation. The ghost that haunts this place is believed to be a peaceful one and has never harmed anyone. Some say that the name of the English gentleman was Mr. Tude and the guest house was in fact built in 1805 which makes it over 200 years old. Whatever the legend is, for me it just added another reason to visit Sach Pass ASAP. Earlier I may have stayed at Cheri but I would definitely go the extra 13 kms and halt for the night in the haunted guest house of Purthi. I couldn’t find any more details than this so I guess thenext thing to do is go there myself and see what is the fuss all about and if there is indeed a ghost or not.

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