We often hear about ghost towns and villages, but what exactly earns a place a reputation like that? For the most part, a ghost town is essentially one where once-thriving communities have either dwindled over the decades or some have vanished over time moving to newer places, but the towns they leave behind continue to stand in ruins and fragments, allowing a glimpse into what these now-abandoned places once were. No matter what the initial reason might have been, in most cases due to hearsay and fear-mongering these places earn the reputation of being haunted.
Such is the case of this ghost village of Rajasthan, Kuldhara. Located around 18 km south-west of Jaisalmer, the village that was abandoned in the 19th century is notoriously known for being inhabited by ghosts. According to the legend, the village was once home to a family of rich Paliwal Brahmins who fled the area along with many others mainly due to the atrocities being committed by Salim Singh — the powerful minister of Jaisalmer.
In an interview with NDTV, Suma Ram, an elderly man who lived near the entrance to the village had narrated, “Salim Singh liked a girl from this village and to protect their honour, all residents migrated to some other place in just one night. They just disappeared. God knows where they went.”
According to the popularly believed notion, the family cursed the village while leaving and since then it has been haunted. For over two centuries now the village has remained abandoned in the dessert like surroundings with dilapidated buildings and ruins left over from what was once fully inhabited. In the midst of it stands a revamped temple that serves as a tourist attraction.
For those living around the region, the tale of ghosts in this abandoned village is nothing but a myth, they can’t seem to wrap their heads around why the place would be considered haunted. They claim to have never seen a ghost in the area.
But that’s the thing about ghosts and ghost towns, you never know what to believe and some reputations last longer than the truth behind them.
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