Things to Do
BAROG’S HAUNTED TUNNEL HIKE
Some believe the unfinished old tunnel in Barog is haunted. It had made its creator — Colonel Barog — kill himself on the very rail track he was supposed to complete…
There is an unfinished tunnel that lies hidden away in the forests of Barog. Some believe that this tunnel is haunted as it had made its creator kill himself.
The man who had got the tunnel built was Colonel Barog, an engineer, after whom Barog has been named.
The unfinished tunnel and a suicide
In the early 20th century when the work on the Kalka-Shimla rail line was in progress, Colonel Barog had ordered workers to dig a tunnel in Barog from both ends. He had done so to speed up the tunnel work. However, it turned out to be a blunder.
Barog had miscalculated and it started becoming clear that both the ends of the tunnel would not align with each other. The work was stopped and the tunnel remained unfinished.
It is said that as an exemplary punishment, the British government at that time had fined Colonel Barog Rs 1. Unable to take the humiliation, Colonel Barog had soon afterwards shot himself on the same track he was supposed to complete.
The tunnel work was later overseen by another British chief engineer H S Harrington. According to various accounts, Harrington had taken help from a local ascetic, called Bhalku Baba, in laying tracks and digging tunnels.
The Barog tunnel or Tunnel Number 33 that Harrington got finally built is the longest tunnel on the Kalka Shimla track. It is 1143 meters long.
Over the years, this tunnel has acquired a cult status of sorts. Drawn by its ghostly charm, visitors to Barog make a point to come here. Some even claim to have seen the ghost of colonel Barog around the unfinished tunnel.
The hike
The hike to the unfinished tunnel, also known as the old Barog tunnel, starts from the Barog railway station. It’s around two kilometres from the Barog station and takes about an hour to reach here.
It’s a nice hike in a pine forest. After crossing an initial steep patch, you mostly walk on an even ground to reach the North end of the old Barog tunnel.
There are sign boards that lead you to the tunnel. Some trees on the way have also been marked in red that lead you to the tunnel.
A door to the dark
The face of the tunnel is beneath the ground level. It is not visible from a distance and only when you reach next to it that you come to see it.
It appears that after the blunder by Col Barog, a great part of the face of the unfinished tunnel was covered with a stone wall. Later, a door was also built and the tunnel was locked.
Inside the tunnel, ample seepage water remains stored and is transported and used by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
And the ghosts? Well, when we reached the tunnel, we were the only one there. It went all fine till the tunnel door was opened. It was pitch dark inside. The only sound that could be heard was that of leaking water drops. We hurriedly closed the door.
Yes, it was kind of a little spooky but we did not see Mr Barog. Thankfully!
I dared to go to the N side of tunnel through very thick thorny bushes way back in mid 80s, from the highway side. There was an iron grill, and it’s opening was covered by wild vegetation. However, no one so far could exactly tell me where the other end of tunnel was, and how to get there. It would be amazing if some pictures of other end are also posted.