Ghost village of Jaisalmer

-

Image credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/gofootloose/8339610120

Kuldhara, a deserted village near Jaisalmer was abandoned within a night some 200 years ago. Here’s what the story says about the reason for such sudden abandonment:  https://www.thebetterindia.com/48562/abandoned-cursed-200-year-old-village-kuldhara-rajasthan/

As one drives out to the city of Jaisalmer, Rajasthan to enjoy the sunset at Sam dunes, Thar dessert, one may find tucked at the sideways, some 18 kilometers away from the city, a desserted village, Kuldhara, the Ghost Village of Jaisalmer.  

The eriee air, whirrling dessert sand and the ancient ruins are testiment to the bizarre incident of 1825, when all the residents of Kuldhara, along with those of 83 nearby villages abandoned their houses within a night. The settlement was once said to be inhabitated by prosperous Paliwal Brahmins. According to legends, the Diwan of Jaisalmer, Salim Singh, wanted to marry the daughter of the village’s chieftain and threatened to levy heavy taxes on the villagers if they did not comply with his orders. The villagers chose not to surrender to the Diwan’s demands and instead left the place after cursing it.

Ajay, a local taxi driver says, “It is believed that while leaving the village, the Paliwals cut a bit of their finger tips and cursed their houses with their blood - that no one would ever be able to settle in the village. The curse spooks people out and though many have attempted to build houses besides the ruins, they eventually leave the place.”

However, that does not deter many Bollywood movies to be shot at the backdrop of these mysterious ruins. Movies like Reshma Aur Shera, Kachche Dhaage, Rudaali and the recent Agent Vinod had this ‘Ghost village’ as backdrop.

As one passes by the deserted place, the errie silance and the sad nothingness of its past, makes one wonder about the sacrifice done by the entire village to safegaurd the honour of a woman. Maybe, it’s time we all should learn something from history yet again.



Comments

  1. Weekends in MaineApril 9, 2020 at 4:54 AM

    Ghost towns really do have a strange eeriness about them. Interesting story. Weekends In Maine

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ashaApril 9, 2020 at 8:34 PM

      Very true... anything unknown and supernatural has its own pull I guess...

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Apology is just saying ‘I am sorry!’

-
Image
Apologizing is not an art. And, come to think of it, it is not even a science. It is just an expression of admitting to that stupidly dumb thing you had done, which could have been otherwise avoided. Then, why is it so hard to apologize? There could be multiple reasons, but the prime one is you know you have screwed up, you don’t want to face the ramifications, there could be explosives at the other end, and you don’t want to basically face the music. But that’s the escapist route. I think the best way to apologize is to apologize the moment you know you have done something wrong. Don’t linger it. Because not only you are prolonging someone’s pain, but you are also pushing your luck too far! Next comes the question, how? That’s simple too. Just tell the person that you are sorry. There isn’t any need for prolonged explanations, bouquets of flowers, boxes of chocolates or expensive gifts. A simple and sincere ‘I am sorry’ is enough to let the other person know that you had
Read more

Badrinath Ki Dulhania…A great movie on clichés

-
Image
Brides in India are supposed to bring loads and loads and loads of dowry. That’s the truth of the entire country – be it the hinterland Bharat or the upwardly mobile India. A girl is still a liability, and boy an asset. And yes, we don’t believe in family planning, unless we are lucky enough to have sons during the first few attempts. To hell with Beti Bachao Beti Padhao! We are here to raise a generation of girls who are taught to remain in their ‘ maryada ’ and boys trained to become MCPs. Now imagine such a heavy dosage theme turned into an entertaining movie. Did I hear impossible? With Badrinath Ki Dulhania, that’s exactly what newbie director Shashank Khaitan made possible. In its outer packaging, this rom-com looks fun and entertaining, but the deeper themes of dowry, gender inequality, women emancipation, sexism, interweaved in the movie portray the condition of the society we still live in. It is in this very ‘progressive’ India the protagonist Vaidehi (another
Read more

Questions

-
Image
Let me ask some questions today, some uncomfortable questions that we bury deep within us as we don't want to face them. And no, I am not providing any answers. 1. What will you do if you lose someone - to death - whom you loved the most in your life? 2. Will you become bitter or accept it and move on with your life, realizing death is really not the end? 3. Will that impact your other relationships in the future? 4. How will you cope up with that immense lose that created so much darkness in your life that only with the return of that particular sunshine could you see a path ahead? 5. How long would you mourn for that person? 6. Would you hate God for what He did to you? 7. Will it make the situation all the more difficult if that person had sacrificed his/her life for you? 8. Would that make you look at love with contempt? 9. Or would you embark on a journey to find that lost love? 10. What will you do if you find that person again?
Read more