Rajasthan is a land of ephemeral sand dunes, age-old mysteries and war chronicles. From the ghostly fort of Bhangarh to Asia’s second largest wall surrounding the Kumbhalgarh Fort, the land of Rajput warriors, conceals deep, dark secrets inside it. One such mystery haunts the Kiradu Temple in Barmer, Rajasthan. With unparallel architecture and a picturesque backdrop, this ancient temple is rightfully termed as the ‘Khujrao of Rajasthan’. To our surprise, the beautifully tempting temple is an unfortunate victim to a 900-year old curse that turns people into life-size statues. That is why the travellers don’t stay back in the temple after the sunset. Moreover, it’s not just the temple that’s haunted, but the entire city, which is locked down from sunset to sunrise.
Here’s how this gorgeous travel destination turned into a desolate ground overnight.
Why do People Turn into Stones at Kiradu Temple?
A few kilometres away from Barmer, lies the city of Kiradu that was built in 11th century by the Parmaar kings of Rajasthan. The entire village along with the temple was renowned for its architectural excellence and impressive construction. Legend says that a learned sage visited the temple 900 years ago. He was accompanied by his troop of followers and students.
The sage dropped them off at the temple before setting out for a tour in the neighbouring districts. Prior to his trip, he requested the villagers to take care of his followers. All villagers, except the village potter’s wife forgot about the sage’s instructions and got busy in their everyday life.
Only the potter’s wife fed the followers regularly. Upon returning to the village, when the sage saw the condition of his followers, he was agitated. Hurt by the insensitivity of the villagers, he called them stones. Before cursing the village for an eternity, he requested the potter’s wife to leave the village before dusk.
The sage specifically told her not to return. After she left the village, the sage’s curse turned all the villagers into stone statues. Meanwhile the potter’s wife was curious so she turned back in the direction of her village. Within a flash of second, she too, was turned into a life-size stone statue since she didn’t pay attention to his words.
While rational people may brush it off as a baseless rumour, the statue of potter’s wife present in the neighbouring village of Sihdi confirms this tale. Soon the tale spread like a forest fire to the neighbouring districts and Kiradu village turned into a tourist hotspot. Although tourists do visit the mysterious temple, no one dares to stay back for a night, fearing that they too would turn into a stone.
None of the researchers or explorers have been able to unveil the mystery surrounding Kiradu village. Only the temple looming over the village is a silent witness to what has happened about a millennium ago! Believe it or not, mysteries do exist and Rajasthan’s Kiradu Temple is a realistic example of dark curses and deep secrets that haunt human civilizations, even today.
