The Eerie Town of Kuldhara, Rajasthan

Abandoned Village of KuldharaKuldhara was a bustling settlement of the Paliwal Brahmins 3 centuries ago but today, all that remains are crumbling walls of homes, desolate streets and abandoned wells. Known as a ghost town, and that too, a haunted one, Kuldhara is one of those offbeat places, near Jaisalmer that has an interesting tale to it. As the popular version of the story goes, a minister by the name- Salim Singh had an eye on the young daughter of a village chieftain in Kuldhara. He sent out an ultimatum for the villagers to hand-over the girl to him or face dire consequences. The village chiefs congregated and decided to protect their honor. Overnight, 83 of these villages were abandoned. No one knows for sure, where the Paliwal Brahmins went and what happened to them.

Ruins of KuldharaImagine a bustling village that was emptied of life, but was never in-habited again? Those homes that must have been their shelter and haven - all deserted and left behind by its inhabitants.

One main reason for it still being deserted is that while leaving, the villagers are said to have cursed the place such that no one would ever be able to live in it. What remains today are broken walls of erstwhile homes and overgrown shrubs. As you enter the town and walk through the rubble, you wonder what would have these structures been, how would the rooms have looked and which house belonged to whom?

Re-constructed houses in KuldharaSome possible answers to these questions lie in the re-constructed houses – an attempt to re-create the layout from the past and to aid your imagination of what Kuldhara might have been. You can tour these houses, walk around the layouts and get a glimpse of the lovely architecture that possibly was.

Architectural details of the re-constructed houses in KuldharaBesides the dilapidated layouts and a small umbrella like structure, you can walk down the dusty, desolate roads to visit the deep Step well within the village. While it is not advisable for you to climb down into the well, you can definitely see how the deep the well is with its steep staircase leading down. Around the same area, you will notice many other wells at regular intervals – some open and some closed.

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Well at KuldharaThe presence of multiple wells in the village give a feeling that there seemed to be one well for a set of residents. Curiously around each well, is a pillar with numerous deities sculpted on them.

Pillar near the wells in KuldharaOne face has a sculpture of Ganesha while the other seems to be that of a goddess. While the significance of these pillars is not known, they add to the intrigue of the place. On the whole, when you visit the abandoned village of Kuldhara and explore the place, you are bound to feel curious about its past, about how the villagers disappeared without a trace and that too, without drawing any attention to their evacuation and more importantly, what happened to them.

With its eerie silence, no crowd, lonely streets and rumors of a curse, Kuldhara is definitely an interesting place to visit – especially, if you like mystery, suspense and history.Here are some tips that can help you with your trip to Kuldhara:- Kuldhara is accessible only by Road and private vehicles or cabs from Jaisalmer. It is 18kms from Jaisalmer enroute to Sam Desert.- Entry to Kuldhara is only allowed during daylight. After 6pm, the gates to the village are closed.