Case file · Folklore / legend
Ashwatthama, the wandering immortal
In the Mahabharata, the warrior Ashwatthama is cursed by Krishna to wander the earth for 3,000 years, suffering, after a night massacre; folk stories say he still roams forests and fort ruins in India.
400 BCE · 21.47, 76.29 · status: legend
The account
He is one of the seven chiranjivi, beings said to live until the end of the age. Local tradition at Asirgarh Fort in Madhya Pradesh says he comes before dawn to offer flowers at its Shiva temple, and similar sightings are told elsewhere.
The sceptical view
A figure of epic poetry; the modern sightings are local legends with no documentation.