Kuldhaara

12th April 2024

19/12/23: Aditya and Ananya arrive at Jodhpur by train at 7.30 am. From there, they have their car bookings made to do a camp stay at Jaisalmer at Sand Dunes. They have their breakfast near the railway station and start driving at 9.15 am. They take their first halt at 11 am in an abandoned area to answer nature's call. The newly married couple chose Rajasthan as their honeymoon destination. It was 12.15 pm and Ananya was getting hungry. She started checking for lunch options on the way with the help of the internet. They halted at a decent place named Marudhar for lunch. An Australian family who was already having their meal recommended Paneer Bhurji and Dal Tadka, the couple ended up ordering the same.

While they had the food at their pace, the waiter indicated to hurry. "Is it closing time?" Ananya asked out of curiosity.

"Nahi Madamji", said the waiter, "Kuldhaara 5 se pehle paar kar lena, bus!" He served another round of rotis and left.



Aditya picked up the phone to see the route ahead on the map. He also thought of knowing more about Kuldhara, just in case. The internet read, "Kuldhara is a ghost village about 17 kilometers west of Jaisalmer. Three centuries ago it was a prosperous town, but today it is an abandoned village shrouded in mystery. The village was established in 1291 by the Paliwal Brahmins and was a rather prosperous community thanks to their ability to grow bumper crops in the arid desert. But one night, in 1825, all the people in Kuldhara and the nearby 83 villages vanished in the dark. Legend says that Salim Singh, the evil prime minister, set his eyes upon the daughter of the village head and declared he would marry her, with or without her consent. He threatened the villagers with dire consequences if they did not comply with his wishes. Rather than give in to his demands, the council of the villagers decide to leave their ancestral homes overnight. But before leaving they cursed Kuldhara so that no one would ever be able to settle there. True to the curse, the village remains abandoned. Nobody has been able to spend even a night in the village. The ruins of Kuldhara are a fine example of the architectural excellence of that era and draw photographers and movie-makers to their narrow lanes. Today, the village is a protected monument under the State Archaeology Department."

There was a different story on another website, Aditya read that too; Hoping and praying that they pass that area without any obstacles.

This post is a part of the #BlogchatterAtoZ challenge.