As people celebrated World Tourism Day on September 27, mid-day.com decided to travel off the beaten path into the lesser-known territory to explore ‘dark tourism’. While speaking to Indians who have visited or would like to dabble with it, experts also tell us why people are fascinated by it, but not without a word of caution
Cellular Jail in Port Blair (now Sri Vijaya Puram) is regarded as one of the places for 'Dark Tourism'. Photo Courtesy: Gopinath
- `Dark Tourism` is the practice of visiting places associated with death or tragedy
- In February, the film `Manjummel Boys` led many film buffs to explore Guna Caves
- Mental health experts say this can lead to many emotions, but must approach with caution
Chennai-based Gopinath visited Guna Caves in Kodaikanal in the early 2000s as a child. It was long before the 2024 Malayalam film ‘Manjummel Boys’ was released, but also definitely after the Kamal Hassan film, ‘Gunaa’ was released in 1991. However, Gopinath was an unsuspecting child, who had only gone there sightseeing with his family and expected nothing more. He shares, “At that point, I wasn’t aware of its dangerous history or the 16 recorded and multiple unrecorded disappearances in connection with the cave. However, I remember how petrifying the place looked and given the cold Kodaikanal weather, the chills were quite literal.”
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