Not only cine stars but also politicians, bureaucrats, social figures and who’s who have come and stayed at this lodge since 1966, when this private property, according to sources, started functioning as a tourist guest house. But here is an irony. While many cine stars have praised the tourism property for their pleasant stay, it is primarily the films that have largely contributed to its notorious reputation of being haunted.

The films shot on its premises add to the mystique of Morgan House. Horror or suspense-thrillers such as Patal Lok, Bhooter Bhobishyot (shot in a separate wing but in the same compound), Tarokar Mrityu and so on have all used Morgan House as their backdrop. The staff members believe that the eerie atmosphere created by these films has largely fuelled the common notion that the house is haunted.

The floors and stairs are made of wood, so it’s natural to hear the echoes of footsteps all over the house located in such an isolated area

According to sources, Morgan House, a textbook example of British colonial architecture, was built by George Morgan, a jute merchant, in the 1930s. The two-storey bungalow, primarily made of stone and wood, is situated on an estate of 16 acres at the hilltop of Durpindara in Kalimpong district.

Baseless rumours

After Morgan died in the early 1960s, his wife, “Mrs Morgan”, continued to live here until she died of natural causes at Darjeeling District Hospital in 1964. As the couple didn’t have any heir, the tourism department took the property’s possession in 1965. Ten years later, it was handed over to the West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation.

Much later, stories began to circulate about the “ghost” of “Mrs Morgan” roaming in and around the house as if “to ensure that everything is in order” and “whether the guests have a pleasant stay”.

Nothing eerie about it

Chunku Lama, assistant manager of Morgan House, consistently dismisses the ghostly rumours. “These are baseless. Tourists would often question the creaking sounds heard at night and attribute those to supernatural activities. While in reality, the on-duty staff members would make their rounds to close the windows, turn off the corridor lights and ensure that the property is secure at night,” says Lama. “The floors and stairs are made of wood, so it’s natural to hear the echoes of footsteps all over the house located in such an isolated area,” she says.

Reel encounter

Morgan House is secluded, located on the Kalimpong cantonment premises, with no nearby markets or habitation. Many believe that this desolation, coupled with an eerie silence of the surroundings, would lead people to imagine “ghosts” while staying there.

Once you step into the grand foyer, a chill might creep up your spine — but for no tangible reasons. The opulent interiors are not at all covered in thick dust, though they might whisper secrets of the past. Be assured that no cobwebs would cling to the chandeliers and no flickering light dancing across the faded floors — as this is a well-maintained tourism property. The air might be heavy, but only with the forgotten memories. The silence might feel oppressive, but there is nothing for one to uncover any “dark secrets”.

“Actually, the set-up plays tricks on the mind. It’s all about misperceptions or the play of light and shadow at night. The ‘spectral figures’ or ‘ghost sightings’ are all products of imagination. While in reality, someone must have spotted one of the staff members standing or doing some chores here and there in the property,” says Subhankar Sarkar, guest attendant at this hotel.

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On top of it, there is the social media. Sources said tourists would come here, have their faces and hands painted in eerie colours and record Reels. Such videos and vlogs would go viral, further exaggerating and misinterpreting Morgan House’s narrative.
On a lighter tone and according to popular belief or misbelief, humans tend to turn into ghosts only if their deaths are unnatural, accidental or suicidal. “In any way, this cannot be the case with Morgan House. Mrs Morgan died a natural death, that too, in a hospital and not here,” smiles the assistant manager.

But folklore does not always go by the cause and effect theory. Vikash Lama, a driver who has ferried tourists to and from Morgan House several times, says: “Though I have never ‘seen’ her, many locals believe that she still lives there. But don’t you worry. She would never harm any tourists. Only those, who try to trespass into the property or get there to do some notorious activities, especially at night, would face ‘Mrs Morgan’. She is actually the primary guardian of the house.”

But then again, a former employee of the tourist lodge, who had served here between 1983 and 1987 and again from 2003 to 2008, never had any spooky experience. “It’s the best tourist lodge in Bengal. And I believe that tourists should focus more on this architectural marvel, its old-age charm rather than such rumours. During night shifts, I used to sleep there alone on many occasions. No spirits ever came to say ‘Hello’ to me,” he says.

Morgan House, a testament to the hill’s colonial past, stands as a reminder of how legends can assume a life of their own. Ghosts or no ghosts — the echoes of history are definitely there, amplified by the imagination.