One of the most famous hunters, author and wildlife conservationist was Jim Corbett. The records of his tiger-hunting trips are well-known among children and adults. In fact, many grow up on his adventurous stories. However, he also describes certain strange incidents that he faced while on a hunting mission. This time, we take a look at some of his otherworldly encounters.
Drawing from the pages of his accounts, we spell out five interestingly uncanny experiences that Jim Corbett shares.
Twinkly lights
Once when Jim Corbett was on the lookout for the Tall Des man-eater and was resting his limbs at night around the Sarada Gorge in 1929, he could see flashes of lights on the other side of the gorge. In a while, a few more lights appeared and some seemed to merge into the other. Corbett thought these might be the embers of forest fire or maybe people searching for something with fire torches until he saw the next morning that the position of the lights was right around a perpendicular rock where no one could reach unless suspended from above. It was then that a local explained that according to a legend a Goddess had been angered by a sadhu and was thrown off the edges of the gorge. These lights were the sadhus penance. Needless to say, Corbett and his men never camped near the gorge again.
Sound of the dead
In the year 1938 when Jim Corbett was waiting to catch his prey the Tigress of Thak which lead the villagers of an entire village flee in terror, he experienced something blood curdling. Corbett heard a sound, a sheer cry of despair, beyond imagination. It was so shocking that one could have easily mistaken it for hallucination out of fatigue or an illusion of the semi-conscious mind. But it was not so because Corbett, who was a keen observer of the surroundings, also noticed that the ambiance had grown still and silent. The Sambhars were nowhere to be seen and the kakar had stopped their barks. When he asked the village headman, he was told that the tigress’ last kill was still alive and cried in mortal agony as she dragged him with her. Corbett asked the headman to mimic the cry and although milder, it was similar to what he had heard the night before.
The Silence of horror
Sometimes experiences are so strange and beyond the rationale that one hesitates to even recall them. One such strange experience with Corbett occurred in 1907 at the Champawat forest Bungalow. Probably known till date as his strangest experience with the unnatural, no one really knows what exactly transpired with him that night. He was in his chambers while his men could hear loud noises as if he was talking to himself very loudly. When he finally emerged out of the room, he was sweaty and shirtless, breathing heavily, and announced that he would prefer to stay with his men rather than his chambers. The tehsildar was supposed to spend the night but he decided to leave, alone, weaponless, trotting along the darkness. Could this have induced a panic attack or there was something more sinister that the world is yet to know?
The curious case of Chudail Spotting
Stories of the Chudail or the wailing banshee, sometimes described with long open hair in front of their faces, or legs turned the wrong way, or ladies in white flowy clothes are very common, specially in the hills and mountains. It is mostly said that to avoid falling under the gaze and hypnotism of a chudail one should not make eye contact with her at any cost. It is said that Jim Corbett encountered these screaming banshees quite a few times in his life. Once right after a meal with his sister, he heard the call outside his verandah. He followed the noise with his binoculars and described what he say as a never before seen bird or owl.
Silent Hauntings
Silence is way more powerful than one can decipher it to be. Silence doesn’t mean defeat or powerless, in fact, it can be perceived in so many ways beyond imagination. When Jim Corbett went to hunt the Chowgarh tigers, the uncanny silence of the forest struck him the most. With not even the murmur of the leaves, there was always a psychological instinct of being followed, or danger lurking nearby. In fact, villagers would see this silence as an omen and associate supernatural or folklore beliefs to it. According to the most popular one as described by Corbett, the villagers thought the Tigress to be possessed by evil powers. Just like when ghosts or evil comes near, there is absolute silence; similarly, the unsettling silence of the forest was associated with the ghostly presence of the tigress.
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