We wanted to see the cultural galore of Rajasthan in midst of sand dunes. That’s what took us to Sam dunes for the finale of desert festival – an annual cultural event organized by Government of Rajasthan.
Our guest house at Jaisalmer had arranged for a jeep to take us (along with few other guests) for a day excursion to Sam Dunes.
We both were excited as this was our first trip into the desert. A drive on a metaled road through the stark, vast desert that will take us to the colorful finale venue; the very thought appeared ‘Picture Perfect’.
The day turned out to be even more splendid than what we’ve imagined – ride on jeep’s roof top through the dunes; visit to 200 year old haunted village, surreal sunset, and dazzling folk performances from Rajasthan. While I was trying to click some pictures sitting in back seat of the jeep, our guide recommended – “Photo chaiye to chat par chadh jao (if you want to click photographs, get onto the roof of jeep). I thought he was kidding, and asked him if he’s serious; he nodded and there I got on the roof in the blink of an eye. That feeling was indescribable; sitting on a roof of a jeep running at a speed of 50 kmph in the vast desert, it was one roller coaster ride that too without a safety belt I loved it completely.
It was 4:00 PM, we finally reached Sam Dunes. The finale celebrations were on; we could see number of flying kites adorning the clear blue sky.
While I was trying to catch the festive mood in my camera, Rachit tried his hands with kite flying.
After soaking ourselves in the vibrant colors of Rajasthan, we headed back to our guest house in the city. Fostered by the striking dunes, we have already started working on the plan to fulfill our long cherished dream to go on a long road trip to Rajasthan.
On the way our guide Anil told us about the haunted village Kuldhara. The place sounded exciting to us and we told him to take us there. A small detour from the main road (to sam dunes) leads to Kuldhara Village.
Known as a haunted village, this was abandoned over 200 years back. The place has a history of how 84 villages of Paliwal Brahmins vanished overnight to protect their self-respect and honor, when malevolent dewan (right hand of the ruler) demanded to forcefully marry the daughter of the chieftain of the community.
Known as a haunted village, this was abandoned over 200 years back. The place has a history of how 84 villages of Paliwal Brahmins vanished overnight to protect their self-respect and honor, when malevolent dewan (right hand of the ruler) demanded to forcefully marry the daughter of the chieftain of the community.
Few kilometers ahead from Kuldhara lies another village called Khaba. Anil suggested us to take a quick look at the fort as we had enough time in hand.
This village is one of the 84 villages which were abandoned along with Kuldhara. The inhabitants of these villages were Paliwals Brahmins; who were known for being smart farmers and traders, who contributed a substantial amount to the Jaisalmer kingdom’s exchequer.
After spending half an hour clicking photographs and checking out the fort and ruins, we headed straight to Sam dunes.
