If you follow me regularly, you must be knowing that I visited Jaisalmer in Jan 2017. That was the time when I visited Kuldhara, a cursed & abandoned village in Rajasthan.
Set 200 years ago, the tale about Kuldhara, a village near Jaisalmer, Rajasthan would definitely leave you intrigued. The gates of this ruined village were opened by the locals of a neighboring village. Currently owned and maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India, the village of Kuldhara looked uncanny in appearance. Just the surroundings and the unearthly feel of it all left me in chills. The village has a desolated look all over it.
As I headed to this abandoned village there was no soul in sight. After wandering in the village a little, I spotted two shepherd boys. I called out to them and asked them to share with me the eerie tale of Kuldhara which everyone was so fascinated about.
And then it began, a tale of the 18th century when the Paliwal Brahmins resided in this, once flourishing village. The local Samant or Diwan of Jaisalmer, Salim Singh imposed heavy taxes on the villagers which they managed to pay. But one gloomy day he set his eyes on the daughter of the Chief of the village. He demanded to have her and the people were given no choice in the matter. Left with no other choice, flooded with desperation, the villagers fled overnight. Thousands of Paliwals left their homes and left this jinxed town behind.
Legend has it they cursed the Samant and Kuldhara that no one would be able to live in this cursed village happily ever after. Not a living soul is certain as to where the Paliwals resettled. Some say they went ahead t live in Pali but then again, no one is sure. The village till date is barren and left as it was. Only a temple amidst the cluster of uninhabited houses stands renovated.
The village of Kuldhara had a desolated look all over it. Over the years the locals surrounding this doomed village came to believe that it is haunted by the ghosts of Kuldhara. Some say that mysterious killings have occurred. The locals definitely have come up with a lot of intriguing tales about the village to keep themselves and the travellers entertained.
But the village definitely had an unsettling silence about it, which is sure to leave anyone fascinated. While the village stood uninhabited and ravaged upon, it’s on you which tale to believe in.
I couldn’t take pictures from my camera as the battery suddenly drained the moment we stepped out of our car. But anyway, if you find yourself near Jaisalmer, take a detour and definitely visit this mystique town.
Special thanks to Club Mahindra for this unique experience!
