48:
567:, suggests that Kuldhara and other neighbouring Paliwal villages (such as Khabha) were destroyed because of an earthquake. According to the authors, the ruined houses in these villages show evidence of earthquake-related destruction, such as "collapsed roofs, fallen joists, lintels and pillars". Such extensive destruction cannot be attributed to "the normal processes of weathering and erosion". The authors further state that their theory is supported by "the evidence of recent tectonic activities and the observed ground movements along several major faults in the region".
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According to this version, the lecherous minister Salim Singh was attracted to a beautiful girl from the village. He sent his guards to force the villagers to hand over the girl. The villagers asked the guards to return next morning, and abandoned the village overnight. Another version claims that 83 other villages in the area were also abandoned overnight.
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347:(1899) provides statistics about Paliwal population and households of several villages. Using the figure of 3.97 persons per household based on these statistics, and considering the number of ruined houses as 400, S. A. N. Rezavi estimated the 17th-18th century population of Kuldhara as 1,588. The British officer
351:
recorded the 1815 population of
Kuldhara as 800 (in 200 households), based on information from "the best informed natives". By this time, the Paliwals had already started deserting the village. By 1890, the population of the village had declined to 37 people; the number of houses was recorded as 117.
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By 1815, most of the wells in the village had dried up. By 1850, only the step-well and two other deep wells were functional. When S. A. N. Rezavi surveyed the village in the 1990s, the only water remaining at the site was the stagnant water at some portions of the dried-up river bed. The dwindling
364:
inscriptions at the site. These inscriptions do not mention the term "Paliwal"; they only describe the inhabitants as
Brahmin ("Vrahman" or "Vaman"). Several inscriptions mention the caste of the residents as "Kuldhar" or "Kaldhar". It appears that Kuldhara was a caste group among Paliwal Brahmins,
621:
to get the rustic look. Many tourists accused them of defacing heritage property, and subsequently, the
Rajasthan government stalled the shooting. The police booked cases against three of the crew members. The producers defended themselves blaming the episode on a misunderstanding, and stated that
595:
of Indian
Paranormal Society claimed to have observed paranormal activities at the site. The 18-member team of the Society along with 12 other people spent a night at the village. They claimed to have encountered moving shadows, haunting voices, talking spirits, and other paranormal activities.
557:
As stated earlier, the historical records suggest that the population of the village declined gradually: its estimated population was around 1,588 during 17th-18th century; around 800 in 1815; and 37 in 1890. However, a variation of the legend claims that the village was abandoned overnight.
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The local legend claims that while deserting the village, the
Paliwals imposed a curse that no one would be able to re-occupy the village. Those who tried to re-populate the village experienced paranormal activities, and therefore, the village remains uninhabited.
275:
The remains of a city wall can be seen on the north and the south sides of the site. The eastern side of the town faces the dry-river bed of the small Kakni river. The western side was protected by the back-walls of man-made structures.
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The Kakni river branches into two streams near
Kuldhara. The first branch is called "Masurdi nadi"; the second branch is now a drain. The Kakni river is a seasonal river. When it went dry, the villagers tapped groundwater using
300:, an 1899 history book written by Lakshmi Chand, states that a Paliwal Brahmin named Kadhan was the first person to settle in the Kuldhara village. He excavated a pond called Udhansar in the village.
554:. This could have forced the Paliwals to abandon Kuldhara. A local legend claims that Salim Singh, the cruel minister of Jaisalmer, levied excessive taxes on the village, leading to its decline.
241:. It was abandoned by the early 19th century for unknown reasons, possibly because of dwindling water supply, an earthquake, or as a local legend claims, because of the atrocities by the
591:, and started attracting tourists. The local residents around the area do not believe in the ghost stories, but propagate them in order to attract tourists. In the early 2010s,
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300,000 for restoring the defaced structures. After three days of restoration, the
Taliban pictures, the Urdu phrases and the cow dung were removed from the walls.
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By the 19th century, the village had been deserted for unknown reasons. Possible causes proposed in the 20th century include lack of water and the atrocities of a
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s mentioned in the inscriptions include Harjal, Harjalu, Harjaluni, Mudgal, Jisutiya, Loharthi, Lahthi, Lakhar, Saharan, Jag, Kalsar, and
Mahajalar. The
268:
city. The village was located on an 861 m x 261 m rectangular site aligned in the north-south direction. The township was centred around a temple of the
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398:(architects) named Dhanmag and Sujo Gopalna. The inscriptions indicate that the Brahmin residents married within the Brahmin community, although the
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Ruins of 410 buildings can be seen in the former village. Another 200 buildings were located in the lower township on the outskirts of the village.
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641:. The plan includes establishment of visitor facilities such as a cafe, a lounge, a folk-dance performance area, night-stay cottages and shops.
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1204:"Deserted nineteenth century Paliwal villages around Jaisalmer, western Rajasthan, India: historical evidence of palaeoseismicity"
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In 2015, the
Rajasthan government decided to actively develop the village as a tourist spot. The project is being undertaken as a
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For agricultural purposes, the villagers used the water from the Kakni river and several wells. They also tapped the water using
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In 2006, the government set up a "Jurassic Cactus Park" at the site for botanical studies. In 2011, some scenes of the movie
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water supply would have greatly reduced agricultural productivity, without a corresponding reduction in tax demands from the
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The villagers were mostly agricultural traders, bankers and farmers. They used ornamented pottery made of fine clay.
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were shot at the site. The film's crew raised new structures for their set. They painted the ruined walls with
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392:(family lineage) of a Brahmin as Gonali. Apart from the Paliwal Brahmins, the inscriptions also mention two
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s are considered as representatives of the contemporary fashion, it appears that the men of
Kuldhara wore
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1226:"Kuldhara in Jaisalmer State — Social and Economic Implications of the remains of Medieval Settlement"
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272:. It had three longitudinal roads, which were cut through by a number of latitudinal narrow lanes.
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they believed they had the necessary permissions. The Archaeological department imposed a fine of
522:. A pillar inscription states that Tejpal, a Kuldhara Brahmin, commissioned the step-well in 1815
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starting in 623 CE), and record the deaths of two residents in 1235 CE and 1238 CE respectively.
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234:, India. Established around the 13th century, it was once a prosperous village inhabited by
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s mentioned include Asamar, Sutdhana, Gargvi and Gago. One inscription also mentions the
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467:(a type of waist belt). They generally sported a beard, wore a necklace and carried a
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words for their shooting requirements. They also covered some of the walls with
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999:"Jaisalmer's 'haunted' village to be developed and opened for tourists"
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to Jaisalmer region. These migrants originating from Pali were called
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The former village site is located about 18 km south-west of the
1049:"The 'haunted' ruins of Kuldhara, where ghost stories mean big bucks"
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inscriptions. These inscriptions are dated in the Bhattik Samvat (a
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The ruins of the village include 3 cremation grounds, with several
1159:"FIRST LOOK: INDIA'S FIRST CREATURE FILM: KAALO, THE DESERT WITCH"
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1202:
A. B. Roy; Harsh Bhu; Pankaj Sharma; Kishan Vaishnav (2017).
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In 2010, a Hindi language feature film was released titled
1063:"Revealed: Mystery behind the haunted village of Kuldhara"
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100,000 on the producers, and also asked them to deposit
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Proceedings of the Indian History Congress, 56th Session
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Over the years, Kuldhara has acquired a reputation as a
892:
Jaisalmer: The City of Golden Sands and Strange Spirits
435:. Most of the inscriptions start with an invocation to
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decided to develop it as a tourist spot in the 2010s.
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Inscription on a pillar inside the temple of Kuldhara
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427:. The main temple of the village had sculptures of
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653:. The film was based on folktales of the village.
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1031:"Kuldhara, India is a cursed 'village of death'"
587:Gradually, the village acquired reputation as a
1076:PB Chandra and Kunal M Shah (29 October 2011).
605:& In 2017 climax scenes of the Tamil Movie
561:A 2017 study by A. B. Roy et al., published in
546:(official) named Salim Singh (or Zalim Singh).
494:evaporated, it left soil conducive for growing
284:The Kuldhara village was originally settled by
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680:List of reportedly haunted locations in India
8:
365:and the village was named after this caste.
1116:"Game for night out at 'haunted' Kuldhara?"
20:
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969:
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997:Samonway Duttagupta (18 December 2015).
945:"The Eerie Town of Kuldhara, Rajasthan"
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510:was situated to the south of Kuldhara.
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922:. New Holland Publishers. p. 42.
1247:Reportedly haunted locations in India
380:(clan) of the residents. The various
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1097:"Ancient glory returns to Kuldhara"
475:, and some of them wore necklaces.
471:(dagger). The women wore tunics or
368:Some inscriptions also mention the
579:Kuldhara Heritage Resort signboard
423:The residents of the village were
14:
1033:. news.com.au. 22 September 2014.
1252:Former populated places in India
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1114:Rachna Singh (8 February 2016).
1095:Vimal Bhatia (1 November 2011).
1047:Deepika Mahendra (19 May 2014).
695:Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls School
443:and a local horse-riding deity.
402:s or sub-castes were exogamous.
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226:is an abandoned village in the
1257:Villages in Jaisalmer district
895:. HarperCollins. p. 136.
667:The Eken: Ruddhaswas Rajasthan
1:
1224:S. Ali Nadeem Rezavi (1995).
1065:. Dainik Bhaskar. 7 May 2013.
1013:"Agent Vinod's shoot stalled"
703:sand dune safaris and resorts
1078:"Agent Vinod flouts the law"
943:Ami Bhat (7 December 2015).
18:Village in Rajasthan, India
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670:was shot in this village.
635:public-private partnership
463:(tunic-like garment) with
877:S. Ali Nadeem Rezavi 1995
862:S. Ali Nadeem Rezavi 1995
850:S. Ali Nadeem Rezavi 1995
838:S. Ali Nadeem Rezavi 1995
823:S. Ali Nadeem Rezavi 1995
808:S. Ali Nadeem Rezavi 1995
793:S. Ali Nadeem Rezavi 1995
778:S. Ali Nadeem Rezavi 1995
763:S. Ali Nadeem Rezavi 1995
751:S. Ali Nadeem Rezavi 1995
739:S. Ali Nadeem Rezavi 1995
727:S. Ali Nadeem Rezavi 1995
245:'s minister Salim Singh.
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889:Bindu Manchanda (2001).
651:Kaalo - The Desert Witch
607:Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru
360:There are several other
200:266 m (873 ft)
84:Location of Kuldhara in
52:Ruins of Kuldhara houses
254:Government of Rajasthan
1262:Medieval Indian cities
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307:s (memorial stones or
288:who had migrated from
1163:www.filmfestivals.com
1138:www.filmfestivals.com
685:Akal Wood Fossil Park
578:
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153:26.87000°N 70.78500°E
91:Show map of Rajasthan
916:Kayita Rani (2007).
690:Desert National Park
451:If the idols on the
345:Tawarikh-i-Jaisalmer
298:Tawarikh-i-Jaisalmer
852:, pp. 321–322.
765:, pp. 313–314.
459:-style turbans and
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1120:The Times of India
1101:The Times of India
1019:. 29 October 2011.
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645:In popular culture
639:Jindal Steel Works
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228:Jaisalmer district
158:26.87000; 70.78500
538:Ruins of Kuldhara
506:. A 2.5 km.
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1001:. India Today.
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1166:. Retrieved
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602:Agent Vinod
526:(1757 CE).
331:A cartwheel
156: /
1241:Categories
1232:: 312–338.
1134:"Kulbhata"
1051:. News 18.
708:References
520:step-wells
395:sutradhars
336:Population
252:, and the
144:70°47′06″E
141:26°52′12″N
41:Ghost town
662:detective
660:language
656:The 2023
465:kamarband
349:James Tod
309:cenotaphs
266:Jaisalmer
260:Geography
232:Rajasthan
206:Time zone
197:Elevation
191:Jaisalmer
181:Rajasthan
86:Rajasthan
697:at Kanoi
674:See also
619:cow dung
473:lehengas
419:Religion
294:Paliwals
286:Brahmins
239:Brahmins
224:Kuldhara
211:UTC+5:30
187:District
115:Kuldhara
78:Kuldhara
25:Kuldhara
1168:14 July
1143:14 July
658:Bengali
611:Taliban
571:Tourism
530:Decline
508:khareen
492:khareen
488:khareen
479:Economy
469:khanjar
447:Fashion
437:Ganesha
406:Culture
236:Paliwal
169:Country
88:, India
35:Village
28:Kuldhar
926:
899:
518:and a
457:Mughal
453:devali
429:Vishnu
362:devali
313:devali
305:devali
1207:(PDF)
664:film
637:with
544:Diwan
516:wells
500:wheat
496:jowar
461:jamas
386:gotra
377:gotra
177:State
172:India
1219:(2).
1170:2023
1145:2023
924:ISBN
897:ISBN
615:Urdu
504:gram
502:and
441:bull
431:and
400:jati
390:kula
382:jati
371:jati
290:Pali
1217:112
701:Sam
230:of
215:IST
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989:^
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715:^
524:VS
498:,
296:.
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932:.
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628:₹
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217:)
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