Kuldhara Village (Jaisalmer), History, Legend, Mystery, Timings

Kuldhara Village, Jaisalmer Overview

Kuldhara Village, located around 20 kilometres from the Golden City Jaisalmer is one of the most interesting and intriguing attraction sites that you should absolutely include in your itinerary. The village, rich with its fair share of legends and myths, is said to be a spooky and haunted village. The abandoned and eerily beautiful appearance of it, standing solitary amidst the vast stretches of desert, lives up to its reputation. There have been stories of ghostly and paranormal activities in and around the village, but like always no one could provide any solid proof of it. Visit it, if you wish to be surrounded by an air of mystery.

Legend says that the residents of the entire area left the place overnight altogether to save their honour and lives from the hands of the tyrannical minister. Thus, the entire area is calm but eerily silent! There is nothing to do as such, but the experience itself makes up for all of it. The government with the help of some private construction companies are setting up cafes, restaurants and even lodges for the night stay to turn the place into a full-fledged tourist place.

History of Kuldhara Village

Kuldhara village was originally inhabited by Brahmins who had migrated from the Pali region to Jaisalmer and settled down in the Kuldhara Village. The books and literary accounts on this village state that a Brahmin from Pali called Kadhan had first made his home in this place and also dug up a pond and named it Udhansar. The Pali Brahmins were called Paliwal and from there comes the name of the clan.

There are inscriptions and carvings that were later found and studied, many of which mentioned Kuldhara as the caste of the Brahman residents of the village.

Legend of Kuldhara Abandoned Village

According to the popular myth, way back in the 1800s, the village was a jagir or state under Minister Salim Singh, who was treacherous in his ways of tax collection. The taxes levied on the villagers were already too high. Over and above this, Salim Singh took a liking for the beautiful daughter of the village chief and threatened the villagers that if they try to oppose or stand in his way or don't turn over the maiden to him without any protest, he would levy even higher taxes on them. To save the life of his villagers as well as the honour of his daughter, the chief along with the entire village escaped overnight, leaving the village deserted and migrated to some faraway place. The folklore says that the villagers while leaving, cursed the village that no one ever will be able to live here in all the days to come!

Sightseeing at Kuldhara Village

Kuldhara Village is a historical site now maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India, so tourists can visit the place and look around to have a glimpse of how the ancient village used to be during its time. The entire Kuldhara region stretches for a vast area, including about 85 smaller hamlets. All the huts and cottages of the villages are broken and in ruins. There is also the ruin of an old temple of some goddess, presumably Mother Nature, which now stands empty and vacant. Inside the temple, there are inscriptions which have helped archaeologists to gather information about the village and its ancient residents.

The village of Kuldhara is a treasure trove for those who are always on the lookout for an out-of-the-box experience while travelling.

Kuldhara Village Timing and Entry Fees

They village gates remain open every day of the week from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Because the place is known to be haunted, the locals close the gates after sunset.

The entry fee for Kuldhara Village is INR 10 per person and INR 50 if you are going in by car.

Best Time To Visit Kuldhara Village

Rajasthan, for obvious reasons, remains extremely hot during one half of the year. So the ideal time to visit Kuldhara would be from October to March when the heat is a little bit less, and you can enjoy walking around in the desert without getting tortured by the sun.

How To Reach Kuldhara Village

The village of Kuldhara is around 18-20 kilometres from the main city of Jaisalmer. So while travelling in Rajasthan, when you reach Jaisalmer, you can take a cab from the city or hire rental care which will take you to the entrance gates of the haunted village. This site falls on the way to yet another famous attraction in Jaisalmer - the Sam Sand Dunes.