One way of attracting visitors to a certain place is through its legends and history. If there’s a curse or a haunting plot in a place or a village, it’s still a sure way to steal the visitor’s attention.
In this article, you are going to be amazed with a village but it is not filled with lights. Instead, this place is full of stories, mysteries, and wonders.
Kuldhara is a village in India that was entirely abandoned overnight under the cover of darkness. This occurred in the 19th century and no one knows why; few theories came up in an attempt to fill reason of the wonder.
Its first structures were built sometime in the 13th century. It was believed to have been cursed and why? – Well a 200-year old history attached to it.
Kuldhara was said to be once a prosperous town but is now an abandoned ghost village shrouded in mystery which was forgotten and then rediscovered after almost 2 centuries.
Most people say that it is a story of love and curse.
It is located approximately 10 miles west of the city of Jaisalmer in Rajasthan. During the 12th century, the town of Kuldhara was formerly inhabited by the Paliwal Brahmins, natives of village Pali; they then migrated to Kuldhara for survival.
The village had actually about 84 villages around it comprising the community. The village became a prosperous land and was known for their extensive understanding of agriculture. They have the ability to grow mammoth crops in the barren land with harsh, dry conditions of the Thar Desert. They did it by identifying areas that stored gypsum rock, a soft mineral made up of 20 percent water, beneath the surface.
They also utilized their trading skills to help the community prosper, expanding over time, and living among one another for six centuries
The village was a well-planned township with straight roads and had 600 double storeyed, well-designed houses. Unfortunately, one night in 1825, the inhabitants of Kuldhara and the nearby 84 villages simply vanished in the dark, taking with them only what they could carry on their backs.
How and why would such a prosperous community just vanish overnight?
One theory suggests that the ever-deteriorating water supply forced the villagers to hunt for new resources in a different place. But if this is the case, why would 84 villages flee in darkness? It remains unclear. This has led some to doubt the truthfulness of this assumption.
Another source claims that the there were invaders who poisoned the communal wells with animal carcasses, making it unpotable. Invading the community during the celebration of the Hindu holiday Raksha Bandhan, these forces allegedly martyred several Paliwals before doing so, forcing them to seek a new, safe space to call home.
Another analysis, which is the most widely acknowledged, implies that the inhabitants left to evade tyranny from a c***l and unfair local ruler.
Legend has it that the then Diwan, Salim Singh, was collecting large sums of money from the inhabitants of Kuldhara in form of heavy taxes. When he set his sights on the daughter of a local chief, he demanded her hand in marriage with or without anyone’s consent.
He warned the villagers that they would face the consequences if they tried to come in his way and would be met with even higher taxes should anyone consider attempting to interfere with his plan. Known for his evil dispositions, the villagers were aware that they couldn’t stand a chance against the Diwan. At the same time, they didn’t want to give up on their self-respect as well. He gave the villagers only one day to accept his proposal.
Out of loyalty and respect for their friend, the chief, and father of the woman who had caught Singh’s eye, the entire community unanimously decided to leave before the 24-hour deadline was up.
They disappeared into the night forever and leaving all that they had worked for six centuries behind.
It is said that before leaving the Kuldhara village, they had placed the entire area under a curse such that no one can ever dwell on its grounds again. Anyone who defied the hex would be met with d***h, so no one has dared to call the place home since then.
This curse remains true till date as the village is abandoned from settlement.
Nobody has been able to spend a peaceful night at this village.
The mysterious part is, no one had seen thousands of people leave their village, no one knows where they had re-settled or what had actually happened to them. The only thing that is known is that they cursed the town before they left; that no one would ever be able to settle in Kuldhara again. There is a small temple at the starting of the village and as the sun sets; the gates of Kuldhara are shut by the neighboring villagers.
Today, some recognize the ruins as a “hotspot” for paranormal activity. This attracts occasional tourists, even if no one has officially lived there for over 200 years.
The walls of the sandstone gates, and homes and lanes made of brick once used by the Paliwals still stand in Kuldhara today; including a temple that rests in the center of the ruins. To the east lies the dried bed of the Kakni River, an additional reminder that the village of Kuldhara is not to sustain human life.
In 2015, a team of 18 people from Delhi’s Paranormal Society stayed in this village for 12 hours. They reported strange incidents in this village from moving shadows to haunting voices. In addition to that,they also reported a sudden temperature drop of 41 degrees Celsius to a staggering 30 degrees in few streets of the village.
This place is under Archaeological Surveillance of India now, where it is recognized as a heritage site and no one is allowed to stay overnight.
‘Til today, no one knows as to where all the inhabitants of Kuldhara went or what had happened to them on that mysterious night. The key grounds remain strange and the mystery is still out there.
