Bhubaneswar, Sept 17: History is often described as something unseen yet deeply felt much like the air around us. And when history becomes intertwined with fear, folklore can survive for generations.

One such story lives around an ancient well located inside a Shiva temple near Lingaraj Station in Bhubaneswar. For years, the well was believed to be haunted, with locals once avoiding the area after sunset.

According to local accounts, the well was dug around 150 years ago by a descendant of the local Nandi zamindar family to provide drinking water to travellers. Filled with clean, sweet water, the well reportedly had a traditional water-drawing arrangement and was used by devotees visiting the Lingaraj Temple.

But over the years, the area around the well allegedly became a hideout for notorious dacoits. Local folklore says the criminals would wait near the well for travellers, rob them and, in cases where victims resisted, kill them. Their bodies were reportedly thrown into the well.

With the passage of time, the well became associated not with drinking water but with death and fear. After police action brought an end to the alleged dacoit activities, stories began circulating that the well had become a dwelling place for spirits.

Elders in the locality claim that cries could sometimes be heard from the well on lonely nights. The fear surrounding it reportedly intensified further in 1983, when the Lingaraj Passenger Halt was constructed nearby.

During that period, the old well was reportedly restored for use by passengers and the general public. However, while removing mud and silt from inside, workers allegedly discovered large quantities of human bones and skeletons, along with some rusted weapons.

According to local accounts, the remains were quietly buried elsewhere because authorities feared that people would refuse to use water from the well after learning about the discovery.

However, people who witnessed the incident reportedly spread the news throughout the locality. The discovery further strengthened the existing belief that the well was haunted.

Today, the well stands inside the premises of a Shiva temple near Lingaraj Station. Its opening has been covered with an iron grill, keeping the inside largely hidden from public view.

Whether the stories surrounding the well are fact, folklore or a mixture of both remains part of the mystery. But for generations of locals, this forgotten well continues to carry a story of crime, death, fear and the supernatural.