This is one of those incidents that you remember not for days but for a lifetime! It was a July afternoon when my rented vehicle slowly crossed the deserted gates of the notorious Kuldhara village, located just a few minutes drive away from Jaisalmer Railway Station in Rajasthan. The sun was high in the sky and the desert heat was just too much. But there was an unsettling silence in the air as mine was the only vehicle there in the afternoon. Noted as Asia’s most haunted village, Kuldhara has long captured the attention of scientists, paranormal enthusiasts, history enthusiasts, photographers and curious travellers like me.
Before planning my trip to Jaisalmer, I had read countless stories and watched several videos about mysterious happenings in Kuldhara village. However, nothing actually prepares you for the experience of being inside a place that has been abandoned for over two centuries.
The chilling tale of Kuldhara
Kuldhara ruins/Canva
As per folklore, Kuldhara used to be a beautiful and happy village. But then what made villagers leave the place suddenly and abandon it in the early 19th century? There are some stories that suggest a cruel king who wanted to marry a village girl without her consent. Therefore, residents left the village overnight. But before leaving, it is believed they put a curse on Kuldhara, declaring that no one would ever be able to settle here again. Fact or folklore, the village still remains empty!
Meeting the viral gatekeepers
Gatekeeper Sumar Ram Bheel/Priya Srivastava - TOI Travel
As soon as I stepped out of my car, the air felt different. There were two people sitting on the gate Arjun (or Sumar Ram Bheel), an over 80 year elderly man and his son, a young man in his 30s. I had seen the gatekeeper in many videos and had read about him in articles about his wait for a lost love from Australia. I paid a nominal fee and started speaking with the gatekeepers to understand their experience.
“Bhoot voot kuch nahi hota hai beta. Asli bhoot to insaan hai, ye mare huye log kisi ka kya bigaad lenge.” The elderly man said. While I was lost in his deep voice, big eyes and long white beard, my driver asked me to move ahead before evening arrived. And we drove inside a preserved heritage site, a former ghost village managed by authorities now, not just one man.
What I could see was kilometers of ruins of mud houses, a roofless temple and walls that were falling apart, all frozen in time. There was no sound of humans, just our car. I saw some sheep though but no birds. The silence was eerie, it felt unnatural, almost like the village itself was holding its breath!
When my gadgets shut down automatically…
As much as I was drawn towards the mysterious place, I wanted to keep videos and pictures of the place as a record of my visit. I took my phone out to take a video and I realised that the battery of my phone was drained to the point that it was about to switch off. But I clearly remembered recharging my phone before leaving.
I took my DSLR out of the bag to click pictures but the device was acting weird. It was the most unsettling part of my visit as all my electronic devices suddenly stopped working without much explanation.
It was surprising because my phone and DSLR cameras were functioning perfectly until minutes earlier. But now they refuse to turn on! My phone screen went dark, and even after multiple attempts, it wouldn’t respond. I kept blaming the July heat of Rajasthan for the fiasco. But then my driver bhaiya, who is a local, told me that his phone battery had drained too unusually fast inside the village. And that’s when I felt a chill run down my spine!
Maybe it was just a coincidence, but in a place like Kuldhara, every strange incident feels like a personal attack from the ‘unknowns’.
A well-planned village
Kuldhara ruins from a roof/Canva
As I went inside the village, I discovered that it was a well-planned place with homes aligned neatly, and the drainage system in view. It was surprisingly advanced for its time and that’s why the sudden abandonment is even more puzzling.
The question arises, why would a prosperous community leave behind everything without a trace? No signs of struggle, no remains of violence, just silence!
Stories of haunting
Locals and guides warn visitors not to stay after sunset because people have heard inexplicable noises, footsteps and whispers at night. Though I explored the village during the day, there were moments when I felt like I was being watched or followed. Standing inside a roofless house, surrounded by ancient walls, I did experience a strange emptiness. I was not scared exactly, but was overwhelmed and suddenly I wanted to get out of the place. I must have spent just an hour inside Kuldhara but now I wanted to be as far away as possible.
Another shocker came when my phone and DSLR started working the moment we crossed the land. As if nothing had happened. I don’t have any logical explanation, till now. Just memories.
So, is Kuldhara haunted really? Well, I can’t answer that but what I can say is that it is one of the most unsettling places I’ve ever been to. If you plan a trip, go with an open mind and respect the place and its history.
Disclaimer: The above account is based on the author’s personal experience, and The Times of India does not endorse or verify these views.
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