Kuldhara is an abandoned medieval village in the desert of Rajasthan.
The story unfolds in the medieval period when an entire village comes together and decides to abandon their homes overnight.
The reason was the atrocities and unfair demands by a local chieftain over taxes and other troubles to the womenfolk of the village.
Unlike the rumors, there are no paranormal activities here, except that it has been an abandoned village for several centuries.
Hence the atmosphere here is a bit eerie and deserted.
Lanes after lanes and well-built homes everything was left behind by the villagers and they escaped in the moonlight never to return back.
Here’s one of the houses from several centuries ago in a dire state but surviving to tell the tale.
The roof is gone but the walls and staircase survive to this day.
The doors were adorned with cusped arches revealing that the dwellers loved their houses and took great efforts to build them.
Unfortunately, they had to leave it all behind one fine day.
It is heart-wrenching to see that they also left their cart behind in the garage.
This is a central yard within a home and the womenfolk must have used it to cook, socialize, and do other routine chores like cleaning the grain from the fields, and stitching clothes while the kids played around, everything has gone now.
This is very soul saddening.
Here’s another better house with a double row of columns which means this was probably a richer family and a joint family where several people stayed together.
It must have been a very painful experience to leave this behind and not turn back to see what they have lost.
The exterior of homes was nicely decorated with animal figures made in mud that survive to this day due to the arid and dry climate of the region.
Here’s the view from the terrace of one of the houses that I climbed on a sunny December afternoon which shows that the village was a properly settled and designed flourishing place with several lanes crisscrossing at right angles with houses and shops along the way.
Everything was left behind by righteous people who would not tolerate an unfair treatment by a more powerful person.
Here’s a 2-storey mansion of a rich person in the village who had amazing cusped-arched Jharokha windows on the top floor that facilitated flow of air and facilitated viewing the activities on the outside.
Here is the village well where people mostly the women folk would draw water for daily use.
It was abandoned too and now it is kept covered by the archeological department.
There are plenty of direction boards and information plaques carved in stone.
The premise is well maintained, and the access road is also in tip-top condition.
Note however that there are no restaurants around except a small cart that sells water bottles, snacks, and biscuits.
Accessibility
The best part is that the entire village is accessible to the differently abled.
Entrance Ticket
The ticket is INR 25 for the Palace though the entry to the fort is free.
Where to Stay
I stayed in the Sagar Guest House inside the Jaisalmer Fort.
This place also has a rooftop restaurant with an amazing view of the city, the palace, and the desert.
Other Attractions in Jaisalmer
Patwa Haveli Museum - A Periscope into the Past Glory
The Golden Fort of Jaisalmer - Sonar Kila
The Locks and Keys Museum in Jaisalmer Rajasthan
The Royal Gadisar Lake in Jaisalmer Rajasthan
The Longewala War Memorial - Museum on the Battlefield