Khaba Fort

Khaba Fort in Jaisalmer is ruined citadel situated amidst the scorching heat of the Thar Desert. The history of this barren, eerie, and mystic village, dates back to the 13th century. The architecture once belonged to the Paliwal Brahmins of the Kuldhara village who fled the town in the 19th century leaving behind a ghost town. The stairs at the fort entrance lead to the focal point of the entire village and the surrounding countryside. You can also walk through the ramparts and the quiet streets of the fort to the mystical Kuldhara village that stretches from the base of the fort for a spooky experience.

The turreted towers, intricate latticeworks, and the beautiful windows add elegance to the structure. Its charm is enhanced by a muster of peacocks. It also houses a small museum with ancient artifacts and various kinds of rock fossils. The Shiva temple, mud huts are the other remnants of the place. The staircases that lead to the underground is home to 80 deserted sandstone abodes. Here is something uncanny- before anyone leaves the fort, its former residents cast a spell to prevent anyone from settling in the village ever again. Till date, the fort is nothing but ruins of what was left behind 200 years ago.

History of Khaba Fort
Almost 200 years ago Khaba Fort and its surroundings was populated by Paliwal Brahmins, a community of Rajasthan. But suddenly one night in the year 1825, due to some mysterious reason they vacated the village. Some say it was overnight desertion of the fort and its surroundings. There were around 80 families then in these regions. No research on this has yielded any fact about how this sudden disappearance took place or where they went. There are unverified rumors that they moved on to Jodhpur and settled in some place beyond that. There are stories of how the Paliwal Brahmins before leaving the village cursed the place saying no one would ever be able to inhabit the villages. And to this date there are just ruins, not a sign of life as far as the eye can see. Paliwal Brahmins since 1291 were prosperous residents of Kuldhara village of Jaisalmer. Till date it is a mystery that why after residing there for 7 centuries they vacated the place overnight.

Structure of the Khaba Fort
The village was based around an ancient temple surrounded by a cluster of houses. All of these houses strangely enough, do not have a roof. The entire space is deserted, crumpled and in a dilapidated state giving it a look of an eerie horror site. There are ramparts and broken fortifications and lately an effort has been made for the restoration of the same. It is believed that the traders coming from the Silk Route stayed at the fort for the night and had to pay taxes, after which they were allowed inside the city.