God and Satan, the fight is old but as much as God likes to stay in heaven, the devil resides within the humans and is believed to be residing in abandoned and unholy places on earth which are believed to be gateways to hell. As astonishing and creepy as it sounds, there are around 20 places on earth which are believed to be gateways to hell.
Fengdu, China
Nearly 2000-year-old, this city of ghosts is based in Chongqing municipality. The place is believed to be a place where the dead makes a stop before moving into the afterlife. More, the place has numerous Buddhist and Taoist temples and is surrounded by immortal spirits that torment the soul of the dead. It is believed that a freshly dead soul has to cross the bridge of helplessness where it is judged for its virtue and if failed is tormented by the immortal spirits.
Alepotrypa
Alepotrypa in Greek means “foxhole”. The area is steeped in legend and is believed to have served as the origins for the myth of Hades or hell. The entire location is a huge underground cave system that had been lost for centuries where till 600 years ago, people performed rituals and burials. The cave was rediscovered recently during a foxhunt which also yielded several artifacts that served as evidence of the burials and rituals. 170 bodies were also recovered from the caves.
Mount Hekla
In the rare corner of the world, Iceland developed a reputation for its Mount Hekla after a series of 1104 continuous eruptions in the 12th century. In a poem titled as Voyage of St. Brendan of an Anglo-norman origin claimed that the volcano is the prison of Judas. The reputation later turned into a strong belief after the volcano 1341’s eruption as some claimed that there were birds flying amidst from the fire further signifying as swarming of souls. Adding more to the horror, the place is also believed to be a meeting point for witches and the devil.
Cave of the Sibyl
Located in Phlegræan Fields of Naples, Italy- a barren and an ashed place just a walk away from Mount Vesuvius, is the holy site of Tiburtine Sibyl who was also known as the doomsday forecaster. The cave is an underworld guide, also the home of Sybil is believed to be directing the followers to River Styx, which is the main path to Hades (god of the dead). Scientifically the cave is full of sulphur fumes and can easily suffocate or choke anyone who spends awfully longer time inside. It is believed that the cave in a perfect wasteland is a direct roadway to hell.
Houska Castle
The 13th-century gothic mansion build over Czech countryside has a bizarre and disturbing reputation. Local legends say that the castle has a bottomless pit beneath its structure which is a direct doorway to hell. People around the place claim that they have experienced strange sightings at night and some fear to go around the castle during grave hours as a local belief of demons walking on road haunts majority of them. Some believe that during 1253 AD the castle was built to keep demons at bay and since then the castle acts as a portal in between humans and demons. The castle has no practical use and people refrain from entering the place even at daytime.
Mount Osore
Floating clouds of sulphur over a dormant volcano and a poisonous lake, Mount Osore brilliantly conjures a vision of hell enough to give goosebumps to any onlooker. Located near a sacred Buddhist temple near remote Shimokita Peninsula of Japan, the translation of Mount Osore is Mountain Horror. The popular mythology behind Mount Osore is one plain belief recognized as the gateway to hell. According to Japanese Buddhists, every soul must pass through Mount Osore before entering into the afterlife, hence the title, gateway to hell.
St. Patrick's Purgatory
The gateway to Purgatory is known as the place where souls are punished before being sent to heaven. Legend says that Christ directed Patrick to a cave in station island. During his stay in the cave, Patrick had also received visions of the torments of Hell in order to create justice. With it’s reputation as a place used to curse or punish unworthy souls, the place later became a pilgrimage spot which was then shut down due to increasing untimely incidents.
Pluto's Gate
Pluto’s gate is a recently discovered entry to hell as claimed by a team of archaeologists. The place came into light after reports of several bird deaths surfaced due to its mysterious and consistent emission of poisonous gases. Located in Turkey, gate has an urban legend attached to it. The legend says that in the past many animals and birds were brought to the cave for a sacrifice to God Pluto. If you wish to visit the gate to hell then this one will surely ask for a commitment and adverse sacrifice.
Cape Matapan
Known as the first gateway to classical hell, the Cape Matapan caves located in the southernmost tip of Greece is believed to be the entrance to the Hades cave. Another theory of Hercules digging out the caves to enter the underworld is a popular belief amongst the residents of Greece. The God of the dead aka Hades has a major linkage with the beliefs related to Cape Matapan.
Acheron
Acheron flowing through the northwest part of Greece has a strong mythology attached to it. It is noted in ancient books of Greek mythology that Circe had directed Odysseus to the underworld by telling him that there is a point where the Acheron coincides with the Pyriphlegethon and of a branch of Styx. More, it is believed that there is a ferryman named Charon who is supposed to carry the freshly dead souls through the river into the afterlife. Taking reference from Dante’s poem Inferno it is said that the souls of the uncommitted who chose neither hell or heaven are punished to stay at the banks of Acheron. Considering it only as a piece of Greek mythology, Acheron is believed to be a gateway to hell.
Stull Cemetery
The Kansas Stull cemetery is a popular haunted graveyard in America. The place is infamous for its earned title “Doorway to Hell” by local legends and people who have visited the place. Legends around the place include stories like demonic presence, witchcraft, satanic rituals, sacrifices and other notorious grave hours events. The place is believed to be a fantastical place of unimaginable evil. The place has gained a strong presence online since past one decade.
Lake Avernus, Italy
Lake Avernus in Italy was always considered by ancient Romans as an entrance to hell. The lake is located in the beautiful Campania area of Southern Italy near Naples. It consists of a volcanic crater lake and its name has found its way into many mythical works and poems like Dante’s Inferno, the Aeneid, The Odyssey and the Fabulae as references to hell. It is also believed that the brimstone smell emanating from the lake is poisonous which is why birds don’t fly over it. The name “Avernus” also literally translates to “without birds”. In fact, a cave exists under the lake that was regarded by the ancients as the entrance to the underworld known as the Devil’s lair. The hidden location was once raided in 2010 to find Italian Mafia in hiding.
The Plutonian, Turkey
The Plutonian is an ancient Greco-Roman temple in Turkey’s tourist area of Pamukkale. The temple was built over a cave and underground thermal spring. The surface is popular for its waterfalls and hot springs. Strabo, the ancient Greek geographer described the inside as an entrance to a steep descent filled with dark vapor where animals entering died instantly. Sparrows thrown in immediately became lifeless and so it was regarded as a gateway to hell.
Lake Pergusa
Ancient Greek mythology narrates how Persephone daughter of the harvest goddess Ceres was playing by the Lake Pergusa when she was kidnapped by Hades the god of the underworld. Ceres was angry and never allowed anything to grow till an agreement was reached that Persephone would spend six months above the surface of Earth which began to be known as spring and summer. Persephone rises up to the earth from Lake Pergusa which is one of the entrances to Hades.
Darwaza crater, door to hell
This is truly a gateway to hell as it burns with fire permanently all year through. The crate in Turkmenistan is a burning pit called the Darwaza (Doorway) crater believed to have been formed when Russian scientists accidentally set fire to a borehole that was releasing noxious gas. It has remained burning ever since. Weirdly though, spiders keep crawling into the pit.
Necromanteion of Ephyra
This is regarded as one of the most famous gateways to hell in Greek Mythology. The Ephyra is an ancient Greek temple of necromancy (practice of spirit communication) and is dedicated to the god of the underworld, Hades. It is located besides the three rives part of the five rivers belonging to Hades, The Cocytus (wailing river), The Pyriphlegethon (The fire river) and the Acheron (river of woe). The rivers can be crossed by the ghost ferryman Charon who would transport souls across the rivers to the Ephyra where their living relatives could communicate with them.
Masaya volcano
Named The La Boca del Inferno by Spanish conquistadors or the mouth of hell, The Masaya volcano is located in Nicaragua. The Spanish also planted a cross across its rim as a sign of exorcism to keep the devil within. In ancient times, human and child sacrifices were common to appease the devil and to end drought.
Seven gates of hell, Pennsylvania
This is an eerie place even without its name. The area is located in York County, Pennsylvania and is described by two legends as being the gateways to hell. The seven gateways to hell exist in a wooded area of the location and anyone crossing all gateways will have a direct route to Hades himself. The area is in the wood near Hellam Town which was founded in 1793. One of the legends say that lunatics form a nearby asylum escaped and entered the gates and never returned. Legends also speak about the fifth gate from which no one has ever returned.
French catacombs
Lying beneath Paris are almost 200 catacombs located along the Seine River and many believe they are the gateways to hell. Overcrowded cemeteries led to the dead being buried in the catacombs which were old abandoned ancient mines and tunnels of Paris. An excavation involving decades led to six million exhumed bodies which are now stacked in an organized manner in the hellish labyrinth. You aren’t supposed to wander around without guides and if you get lost and found, there is a fine of $83. There is no fine for getting lost as it would be presumed you’re ending up in hell itself.
Actun Tunichil Muknal
This is an ancient Mayan location believed to be the entrance to the underworld called Xibalba. Human sacrifice was repeatedly performed in this area where the skulls of victims would be cracked open when they fell. To reach the area, one has to cross deep waters that flow into the cave depositing rich minerals throughout it. The mineral deposits leave a dazzling effect where victim’s skeletons take on the appearance of crystals after being bound to the cave floor. One is a well-known figure called the crystal maiden.
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