Legend of 'ghost village' frozen in time after locals fled due to mysterious demands of 'all-seeing' leader
A terrifying village thought to be haunted by ghosts has been frozen in time after locals fled an 'all-seeing' leader and his mysterious demands.
Kuldhara is a creepy, abandoned village India and has been lying untouched in the desert since the early 19th century.
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Once home to the wealthy and powerful Paliwal Brahmins migrants, the apparently 'bewitched“village was a thriving community in the 13th century.
But according to Indian folklore, the original inhabitants of Kuldhara placed a chilling curse on the village, meaning no one could ever stay there again.
It is believed that around 1,500 people lived in the village during its peak, but by 1890 only 37 remained.
Most of the Paliwal Brahmins in the ghost village were farmers, traders or bankers.
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These are useful and smart jobs allowed the locals to turn the deserted land into a beautiful and prosperous country oasis of life.
But now the village is just one shell of its former glory as the old, crumbling houses and temples are left to rot in the blazing sun, surrounded by an eerie silence of the evil curse.
THE CURSE OF KULDHARA
If we are to believe the legends, the village soon came to a gruesome end.
In the 18th century, a tyrant leader named Salim Singh came to Kuldhara and wreaked havoc.
Singh, also known as the 'Monster of Jaisalmer', is said to have committed a number of gruesome atrocities that caused residents to disappear overnight.
Legend has it that the evil Singh, who was the all-powerful Prime Minister of the area, decided that he wanted to marry a young girl from the village.
However, the feeling was not mutual and an irritated Singh had decided that no was not an answer he would accept.
He threatened the village with dire consequences if they didn't give him what he wanted.
But the brave people of Kuldhara stuck to their morals, repelled the criminal ruler and refused to yield.
It is believed that the Paliwals then formed a council of 85 villages and made the group choice to leave their ancestral homes and disappear forever.
They leave the village empty and their whereabouts completely unknown.
But this was not the end of the chilling saga, as just before they left, the villagers placed a curse on Kuldhara that would ensure that no one would ever be allowed to live in the village again.
To this day, the village remains barren and untouched, with the only reminders of life being the battered houses and fallen temples of centuries ago.
The rumor of this terrifying curse has only been fueled by reports of people trying to stay in the village for a night, only to be chased away by strange paranormal phenomena.
OTHER STATEMENTS
However, for those who don't believe the supernatural curse, a more plausible explanation is that Salim Singh increased taxes in the area.
It was thought that taxes had risen so much that locals decided they could no longer live a happy life and felt forced to move.
Others believe that the village was simply abandoned because living conditions were simply too poor to continue population growth.
Today, the eerie and empty site has been uncovered with only 410 crumbling buildings left – something some believe could have been expected by locals, hence the quick evacuation.
Kuldhara is now an archaeological site and during the day it is a popular tourist spot for thousands of people to soak up the eerie atmosphere.
The village next one Door is now in charge of Kuldhara and to prevent crazy night curses from coming to life, they close the entrance gates at 6pm and forbid anyone from staying overnight without permission.
Although there are many ruins in the village, a few houses have been renovated to give visitors an idea of what the houses are like.
The site is today a protected monument and is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
Together with the government of Rajasthan, the ASI has started investing heavily in the infamous ghost village since 2015.
A café, lounge, folk dance performance area, cottages and shops have all been added in addition to the redesign of several temples, stairs, walkways and guard posts.
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