Today, join us as we explore a mysterious ruins, and try to unravel the baffling secret that led people living for five centuries in 82 villages to just pack up and leave overnight! Enter the world of the unknown at Kuldhara in Rajasthan. Shrouded in enigma and surrounded by myths, this is a place that lights up the darkest recesses of our imagination!
Stories abound. One says that Salum Singh, the prime minister of the King of Jaisalmer, was so envious of the prosperity of the Paliwals that he levied taxes so atrocious that they became the last straw on the Paliwal camel’s back. Another one says that all Paliwal women were stunningly beautiful, but the beauty of the chieftain’s daughter had to be seen to be believed. And the Rajput King of Jaisalmer was so smitten by her that he decided to kidnap her in the thick of night and forcibly marry her.
Be that as it may, the heads of all the 84 villages decided to leave their homes overnight with every single occupant of the village. In fact, some families had four generations moving out together. But before they left, they buried their treasures, cursing that those who attempt to make these villages their homes will drop down dead instantaneously. And the story goes on that once in many years skeletons of human bodies are found scattered in the by-lanes of this ghostly village!
On my way out, I saw the Cactus Park near the main gate of Kuldhara village. And I wondered. Is the cactus symbolic of the survival spirit of the Paliwals who thrived in the harshest of living conditions? Or is the thorn on the cactus symbolic of the harsh treatment meted out to them by the rulers of Jaisalmer? Maybe for all you know, it’s both.
The most heartening thing about this enchanting village is that a local conservation committee, with generous help from the nearby villages, takes great pains to keep this amazing piece of history intact. The deserted village lanes are broomed every day, and mindless picnickers are prevented from scrawling on these hallowed walls!
All Photographs by Gangadharan Menon
After 28 years in advertising as a writer and creative director, Gangadharan Menon quit the profession to take up his first and second love: teaching and travel. He has over 90 published articles that recount the joy of travelling in this amazing country. A member of Bombay Natural History Society, he is an avid wildlife photographer too. He can be contacted on wildganges[at]gmail.com
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