It remains a mystery and a great irony, as to why such a peaceful and a silent place, which seemed like eternity to me is known as the haunted village of Rajasthan.
Kuldhara is a village around 17 km west of Jaisalmer. A perfect place for those wishing to spend some quite time in the middle of the desert, away the from the huge tourist crowds who flock the famous Sam Desert of Rajasthan.
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| At Pataya Haveli on the way to Kuldhara |
It was the month of December. We reached Jaisalmer by train, had lunch and were looking for 'not very costly' options to stay on the internet and stumbled upon a place 'Dreamland Bunglows' in some Kuldhara village. After lots of discussions, it was the decided to give it a try.We called them up, and in 15 mins, we had a jeep. The dusty and sandy route, appeared as if no one had visited this place in years. And about half an hour later, we realised it was the best decision of the trip. As suggested by the name, it was really a dream land, a place to be. There was no one around, in a radius of many-many miles. Only the distant sounds of bleating of the goats could be heard, and sometimes, from somewhere afar, a faint yet strong voice of the a shephard directing his goat could be heard. The Pakistan border too remains not too far away.
Around 12 bungalow huts, in an arc shape with a small area in the center for bonfire (which even has a covering so that the rare rainfall in the desert doesn't interuppt your party), a traditional dining room, a small kitchen with the old kind of stove An handing swing adds to the charm. The place seemed royal enough for a wedding and at the same time, peaceful and thrilling enough for a backpacker. The huts have a traditional Indian chair and a cot, perfectly positioned under the shade of leaves. It was a beautiful nature's setting.
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| The Dreamland Bungalows |
We had a simple yet a delicious lunch, cooked on a coal stove. The late afternoon and the evening were spent singing, celebrating and doing long walks in the seemingly endless desert. And now, it was time for the sunset. A beautiful sunset, the huge image of the sun, fading down in matter of a few minutes behind the huts.
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| Sunset at Kuldhara |
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| Sunset at Sam Desert |
A sumptuous dinner was followed by an hour of melodious Bansuri by a local. So relaxing and hypnotizing was the Bansuri, most of us dozed off to sleep there itself.
If you an astronomy fan or a night sky enthusiast, you simply can't miss the night sky of Kuldhara. The night, the stars, temperature nearing to 0 degrees Celcius, and 'Comfortably numb'. We were lying on a cot under the countless stars,with the stars shooting every few seconds. Shivering in the cold and talking our hearts out, we had the time of our life.
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| Leaving for Jaisalmer in the morning |
If you are planning a trip to Jaisalmer or Rajasthan, don't miss this peaceful little village, but a little tip : be strong, you might need to be. There's no one around for miles, and it is famous as an haunted village, but there's nothing as such. It's all in the mind. It will one of your best desert experiences.
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