Imagine an entire town vanishing quietly in the dark of the night to preserve the honour of its women from a scrupulous brutal man with ill intentions!

Kuldhara is an abandoned city mostly in ruins now, formed of 84 villages. As the folklore goes, the beautiful daughter of the village head caught the fancy of a high ranking officer in king’s court. The minister wanted to possess the young girl for his pleasure, and declared his intentions in plain words. All village heads already fed up of the tyrant’s evil ways, decided enough was enough and abandoned their villages at night to prevent detection. The villagers left all material possessions in their homes never to return.

Considered to be haunted ruins, the temple, various sizes of houses and the layout of roads and streets are indication of a highly developed society with detailed knowledge of town planning and sanitation methods.

A walk through the abandoned village gives the glimpse of the simple yet organised village life. The houses complete with a central courtyards and place to park carts are amazing example of design principles.