We paused briefly on our way to start the Camel Safari, to visit one of about 83 abandoned villages.
It is undergoing some restoration work by folk from another village and from time to time is borrowed as part of a movie set.
Kuldhara was once the home to a wealthy man, a trader on the silk route and the father of a very beautiful girl. The visiting Maharaja had eyes for her and a plan to make her his 5th wife. However, her family was several castes above that of the Maharaja and her father said no…resulting in, of course, much resentment from the Maharaja. He used his power to punish the businessman, affecting his business and that of another 82 villages in this desert area. The villagers all chose to move away, in support of (or perhaps out of reliance on) the businessman and his beautiful daughter. They went elsewhere to resume their lives and trades.
To this day these villages, for the most part, remain uninhabited… and in various states of disrepair.
Using the well water they mix mud and paints.
Me with my scarf tied by our guide, desert style!
It kept the sun off my face and staying in place all day.
The floor is a mixture of local dirt, cow dung and water. The women spread it by hand and when it dries they have a hard, durable floor for the houses.
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