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A visit to Kuldhara village, an abandoned village in Rajasthan
“Is this place haunted too?” This was the first question that arose in my mind as I approached the abandoned village Kuldhara, in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. When I posed this to a few residents of neighbouring villages, emerging from Kuldhara, to my solace, they replied in the negative. But I was still not convinced. The reason being that it was late evening when I reached the place, believed by most Indians to be an odd time to visit any abandoned or haunted place. The village, now managed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), was about to shut down for the day any time soon, and visitors were rushing out. Many of them were bound for the sand dunes to experience sunset, a lifetime experience to see sun inching down behind the hillocks of sand. Accompanied by my wife and three-year-old daughter, I had come to Jaisalmer the day before. I was in the last lot of visitors entering Kuldhara village to look at what lay in store for us. Located 17 kilometres west of the desert city of Jaisalmer, Kuldhara has been lying uninhabited for more than 300 years. Once inhabited by Paliwal Brahmins, the village was prosperous and flourishing, just like any other village in Rajasthan or in the country. Legend has it that the entire village was abandoned overnight by its residents. How is this possible? To know more about the baffling story, we entered the village.
Inside the village
From a distance, it looks like entering any fort or monument in Rajasthan as the houses at the entrance are made of golden sandstone. With the light of the setting sun falling on them, the houses gleamed like gold, inviting tourists to come and explore. As we entered the village, crossing many long stairs, we were left awestruck at the beauty of the village. Its streets are wide and clean. Its mud houses that are now lying in ruins have a kitchen, long courtyard and stairs leading to the attic or roof. The village has everything but inhabitants. How could anyone leave such a beautiful village or their ancestral home.
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Why Kuldhara village was abandoned
The board just outside the main entrance reads that according to folklore, villagers had to abandon it almost overnight due to various causes, ranging from persecution by Salim Singh, a powerful minister of Jaisalmer state, to drought and earthquake. The village remained abandoned since the early 19th century. But locals blame Salim Singh, the prime minister of Jaisalmer for the plight of the villagers. They say Salim Singh fell in love with the daughter of one of the villagers and wanted to marry her by force. But the villagers were not ready as he belongs to a different caste. This angered Salim Singh, and he threatened the villagers of dire consequences. The same night, the Paliwal community of 85 villages left their ancestral homes forever.
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Scary moment
As my wife and I were discussing these stories, we found our carefree three-year-old daughter was inspecting the village ~ trying to climb the stairs or walking down the street. And like any parents, we started capturing her moments in our camera. During all these activities, we suddenly noticed there was no one but us in the entire village. Staying alone in the middle of the abandoned or cursed village gave us goosebumps. My wife felt she heard some footsteps and opening of door latches. She even joked whether the villagers had come back. However, I rubbished her claims but tried to get out of the village as quickly as possible. I picked up my daughter and started walking on a deserted street towards the exit point. Thankfully, at the gate we could find a few people. Throughout our journey back to our hotel in Jaisalmer we thought pitifully of these poor Paliwal families. At the same time, our experience at the village gave the feeling that these poor villagers still want to return to their ancestral home. Or can I dare say, they come to visit their village once the sun sets?
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Important information:
How to reach: Kuldhara Village is located around 20 kilometres from Jaisalmer. One can drive down or also hire private taxies.
Visiting Time: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Entry fee: Rs. 10 and Rs. 50 for car
Staying option: As Jaisalmer is touristic city, one can find plenty of staying options. We stayed at Sairafort Sarovar Portico, Jaisalmer.
What I like about hotel: Loved its services and food