According to local legend, the entire stretch of National Highway 66, formerly known as NH17 in India, is haunted. Travelers are warned not to carry meat as it is said to attract bloodthirsty witches.
Travelers beware: The NH17 Mumbai-Goa highway is more than just a scenic drive; it is a stretch of road shrouded in obscure legends and eerie encounters. This infamous highway stretches 1,640 kilometers from Mumbai along the coast through five states to Goa. Today it goes by the name
National Highway 66, as it is known today, cuts through the lush landscapes of western India and, if legends are to be believed, is rumored to be haunted by a coven of witches with an insatiable hunger for meat.
It is said that when the sun sets and tropical darkness covers the road, these ghostly creatures emerge, prowling State Highway 66 in search of their next victim.
Praying flesh witches
So where did this strange legend come from? It's not often you hear about witches congregating along highways, although there seem to be plenty of roads in India that are considered haunted. What kind of witches are not often defined. Are they ghosts or even people?
Local tradition advises against carrying non-vegetarian food items while traveling on NH17, especially after midnight. The presence of meat is believed to attract witches, triggering a series of terrifying events. Witnesses recount how their vehicles, otherwise in perfect condition, inexplicably stalled or spun out of control as they passed through some of the highway's most haunted stretches.
A couple legend on the way
The most widespread legend tells of a couple who were traveling to Goa after midnight when something went wrong. Their headlights started working, flickering, and the car was making strange noises because there was something wrong with it.
They pulled over and got out of the car to check. When they got out of the car, the door closed automatically behind them, and try as they might, they couldn't get back inside.
Black smoke started pouring from the car and the doors opened on their own. When they checked the car, all the food was gone. That's when the woman screamed, and when the man went to check on her, she had scratches on her face.
They quickly jumped into the car and drove away. First, when they got there and told what happened, they understood what had happened. They carried meat, something that attracted the witches.
State Route 66 and the haunting
But where exactly is this happening, because it's a very long stretch of road through five states. The witch story is said to have occurred specifically around Kashedi Ghat, a mountain pass along National Highway 66 near Poladpur with a deadly bend, perhaps the worst in Maharashtra, a state neighboring Goa.
This particular section is every driver's nightmare, full of twists and turns. There are many stories about people who saw apparitions on National Road No. 66 and thought they were trapped in a loop that resulted in them passing through the same place multiple times. Even the traffic police have reported strange things allegedly happening on this road.
These stories have been told for decades and it seems some locals still think it's best to err on the side of caution, as the witches are clearly going nowhere. Travelers, be careful: if you must follow this path, leave the meat behind, lest you become the next victim of the night's witch hunt.
Reference:
Most haunted: Find flesh-eating witches on National Highway 17 in Goa
National Highway 66 (India) – Wikipedia
Kashedi Ghat, one of the most haunted stretches of the Mumbai-Goa highway | India travel times
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