Manipal as we know it now didn’t really exist a century back. It was all jungles, even some stories of bandits that “haunted” here have made the rounds. So, with all the crazy things that happens in Manipal every year, one would expect Manipal to have some horror stories as well, right? If you are expecting such stuff, Manipal will certainly not disappoint. Over the years, students from all over have put forth their supernatural stories all across Manipal. Be it the haunting in the hostel or the food court, Manipal has plenty of supernatural rumors that can make Marshall from How I met your Mother wanna come to Manipal. However, please do note that most of these are rumors or poorly (or maybe extremely well crafted) pranks that have passed on in Manipal for generations, so there is not much to be afraid of during your stay in Manipal!
#1 – Mystery of the Midnight Macabre Hollers
Much less fancy than it sounds, this happened right after I joined Manipal in 2019. The nights were disturbed by relentless rains and powercuts that would last for a few minutes. Those few minutes managed to disturb all the students in Block 16 and 17, as the screams of a distressed girl could be heard every few minutes from near the clearing of Food Court 2. The Article on this first came out on the launch day of Manipal Digest, August 15th, 2019. It became one of the most popular articles across campus and more and more people got involved with this story, with videos and recordings of the screams being circulated everywhere. Till date, no exact perpetrator has been found, however it is believed that the seniors from block 9 or 10 were involved in this, as they had a significantly longer perm time than the first years and the screams usually occurred between the 10 pm to 11 pm gap. However, it’s all speculation, right?
Arya Sharma writes on Quora “You really want to listen to my horror story. Well you got it…..so it was any normal night at our campus and everyone was sleeping…..some were studying late night and then at around 3 am the weirdest thing happened….the block 17 and 16 which face directly to the food court 2 heard a noise of a girl screaming…..some were shocked others ignored it….then 2 minutes later the scream came again and this time continued for long. Some guys ran to the rooms of others while others made videos of the scene the a third scream came and the lights of the upper floor of the food court went out…..then some saw 2 men coming out the food court and get on a bike and drove away….after that their was dead silence…..
1 hour later everyone in block 16 and 17 were freaked out and the campus patrol was on scene….that was a long night for some…” So, regardless of what really happened, that will go down in Manipal history as one the the spookiest incidents.
#2 Block 1 being haunted (From Quora)
It might be hard to imagine but MIT did not always have such a high intake of students. And 1st/2nd block were Men’s hostels. Someone committed suicide in one of the basement of the hostel. People refused to live in the hostel room and probably that led to the belief that the room is haunted. Then apparently, the room was sealed off for a while and even after that people reported that they saw lights going on and off in the particular room. The spookiness factor increases as you realise that this is one of the oldest blocks in Manipal.
#3 Haunted 3rd/4th Block at MIT (Speculated)
A few years back, a girl reported to the hostel authorities (not sure if 3rd/4th) that someone knocks on her doors and windows at night. This led to increase in security in her room (speculated) and nothing much was established after that. I suppose she was watching too many Aahat re-runs. However, this is something that does happen in the boys’ hostels as well as a form of prank (I still low key hate the nights when that happened)
#4 The senseless haunted 8th floor of KMC
Kasturba Medical College is how it all started in Manipal. Under the leadership of TMA Pai, it grew and gave shape to the Manipal that we see today. From the legacy of the place, rumors grew as well, one of the most promiment ones being how the eighth floor of KMC is haunted. However, this particular story can easily be called false without even bothering about it, since KMC doesn’t even have an 8th floor!
#5 The Psycho of End Point (By Shyam Srinivasraghavan from Quora)
End Point is one of the most popular spots in Manipal, for a lot of reasons. Be it the beautiful, lush green scenery one can enjoy from there, the great games of football one can play in the grounds or as a spot for a quick romantic getaway for the always busy Manipalites, End Point has it all. But here is something that also came up, from a Quora User. “Apparently, in 70s, there was a cannibal named “Psycho” who used to kidnap and eat children. The road behind valley flats leading to end point has a small hut which used to be his home.” How true this is cannot be verified, however this still does give the chills, doesn’t it? If the leopards at End Point isn’t enough to make to stick to travelling in groups there, this should certainly do the trick!
All in all, you can get the rough idea about the spooky stories of Manipal, right? It is easy for most to decipher most of them to be nothing but rumors. However, will Manipal still have the same charm without the mystique? That’s a question which can only be answered by you once you are in Manipal for a while!
Good information
During the time i did masters around 2010, we were shifted to Sonia Block. These were recently rennovated single rooms with attached bathrooms. My room was facing towards the malaysian hostel corridor. one night i woke up to the wispering of my own name, it was so loud and clear, i got out of my bed and looked through the window, thinking maybe my frens were calling or pranking but there were nobody around. Knocking at the door was common to all of us in the rooms of that corridor, but this was something new. when i looked at my watch i was even more scared. that was not the first time. it repeated many times at night. I dont know how i survived in that hostel, how i managed to pass in distinction in my masters but throughout my stay in that hostel i used to dread the night time.