Banyan Tree

Year - 2003

Place - village [population - about 500], state- Maharashtra

Alleged haunted place - approx. 1.5 km from village, between highway and main route to village.

Every year, I used to visit my maternal grandparents during Diwali vacations [winter vacations]. It used to be full of fun spending vacations there with aunts, cousins, uncles, grandparents and family-like neighbourhood.

Almost every day during my visit at my grandparents I used to visit nearby places - let it be someone's farm, big old temples, mountains, cowsheds, stables etc with at least one elder person from family or neighbourhood.

There was 1 place I only heard creepy stories about but never visited until 2003 was the haunted banyan tree in old British colony area approx 500 meters left from main road to village. Among all neighbours, I was very fond of Asma Dee [dee=elder sister] who accompanied me and my cousins to many such small one-day trips. She was like my elder sis, very loving and kind, who used to give me candies, sweets more than my other cousins.

This paranormal incident happened with me and Asma Dee when I was 10 years old and Asma was about 16. During that time, daily, Asma Dee had to give tiffin to her father and uncle working across the highway for the well constructions.

So, that day we [me, my 2 cousins and Asma Dee] decided to have lunch at uncle's site, then spend time in nearby farm and return home by evening with all. So we packed our stuff, left home in morning by 10am to visit Asma Dee's father and uncle. It was approx 3 km distance from my grandpa's home to construction site. The well was being constructed in the joint farm area of two families. The farm was really big and had lot of fruit-trees alongside.

After lunch, we enjoyed sugarcane and played in the farm. Then I decided to visit the Banyan tree without letting anybody know. When I saw elders went to continue construction work and cousins got busy playing with chickens of farm owners, I quietly slip to highway. Within 10 minute of rapid walk, I reached to main route heading to village. After walk of another few minutes I finally reached to the old, empty British Colony area with infamous banyan tree.

I clearly remember after reaching there I felt so weak as if something has drained all my energy. Even after drinking all water from my backpack, I did not feel better. In fact, I started feeling dizziness. I have had lot of mountaineering with 5-7 KM walk per day but never felt such dizziness before.

Thinking this is due to heat and walk after lunch I decided to sit somewhere nearby and observe the place. The place was weird as in spite of huge green banyan tree there were no birds on it. While I could see some crows, pigeons on other trees across the road which were not as green and spread like the banyan tree in front of me. The British colony further behind the banyan tree was a group of 4-5 spacious empty and rather burnt houses in very bad condition, without doors but too dark in spite of broken roof and clean noon time. Since there was not enough shadow to relax, I started walking to one of the houses to sit in porch area.

Suddenly I heard Asma Dee calling me from behind. To my surprise she said that she was shouting/calling me lot before I started walking to old houses. She came running from highway and was in dilemma. Don't remember exactly how but to relax her, I held her hand and we sat below banyan tree for some time. It was regular cold feeling when you sit in tree shadow in hot sunny day.

All this time, I did not feel fright or any chillings but weak. However, Asma Dee was so frightened looking upward in tree and she started being unconscious. At that moment I got frightened for the first time and started running to highway to call others; but being felt so weak, due to dizziness and low winds my speed was so slow that until we all came to Asma Dee it was evening - around 6pm and she was fully unconscious. Her uncle took her and put in bullock cart while we were coming from different cart. One thing disturbed me lot during this - noise of iron skeletons of doors and windows of houses slamming continuously - that I closed my ears.

Later, Asma Dee and me were taken to clinic as somehow I caught very high fever and Dee was unconscious all the time. When Asma Dee started gaining consciousness she started screaming, crying, murmuring, laughing.

One weird thing happened on same night is that somehow I woke up in middle of night only to see Asma Dee standing in backyard, staring at me through door. My grandparents and so as the other villagers used to have small attached homes and hence their backyards, galleries, porches were shared until split by roads. I screamed to wake up others and her family members took her in. I felt much better next day due to medicines and my granny's prayers. We all prayed for Asma Dee too, her family did some rituals but to our dismay weirdness of Asma Dee continued. I remember her words were like "Should not have...", "...mistake...", "... No no... No...", "...penalty". I was never allowed to wander by myself.

My aunt told me the family moved to different district within 4-5 months of this incident. Asma Dee was still not cured. One reason why Asma Dee was so badly affected given by my aunt is that she was having her periods that time and that she stayed close to tree during sunset time. I did not find her contact on social media or anywhere. I feel guilty many times as somewhere I am responsible for her situation. I can never ever forget her face when she was looking in horror up in Banyan tree and when staring at me in night.

Later, My grandparents moved to other city due to my uncle's job.

Uncle said village has grown but the tree and British colony area is still intact.

My questions are

- is it true that ladies during their period time exposed to/attract other entities?

- what are time-slots during which other entities are more powerful? Why its usually after sun-set, night times?

Spare my English.

Thanks for reading.