I live in a tiny village on the top of a mountain with just one building, I’ve been here for 13 years on my own
THE only resident of a tiny village on the top of a mountain has lived alone for 13 years.
When a census was carried out in 2011, Gyan Das was revealed to be the only registered inhabitant of Shyam Pandia, India.
Gyan doesn’t have to deal with neighbour rows or loud townspeople as he is the only person in his entire village.
There are no schools, shops, or other residential buildings in the remote area located in Churu District of Rajasthan State.
The town’s single edifice is a temple that sits atop a 300-foot-high hill where Gyan serves as a priest.
He picked up the baton for the sacred place after the previous priest, Rajesh Giri, sadly passed away.
Gyan has been caring for the temple under the governance of local body, Nethwa Gram Panchayat, ever since.
The priest has to regularly fetch grains and other foods from the nearby villages 1.5-miles away.
But Gyan isn’t left on his own all year round.
The village bustles with life once every full moon of the Bhadra Civil Month, which is the sixth month of the Hindu calendar.
During August and September, hundreds of visitors flock to the village – named after warrior Shyam Pandiya – for the festival.
Pandiya was a hero of the Kurukshetra War, as described in the Hindu epic poem Mahabharata.
The temple honours his courageous actions with statues of his likeness displayed all around the site.
Tourists are also welcome to pay a visit to the temple any time of the year.
The local authorities are working to encourage more visitors to travel to the site.
In a bid to attract more people, the government has been improving the roads and the temple appearance.
Gyan isn’t the only lonely soul who opted to live in solitude.
Pablo Novak could challenge his claim for the world’s loneliest man as he is the only inhabitant of a mysterious ghost town that disappeared underwater for 25 years.
The desolated town of Epecuen re-emerged in 2009, some 300 miles southwest of Buenos Aires, Argentina‘s capital, when the water it was submerged in finally evaporated due to dry weather conditions.
Another lone wolf, Chris ‘Cam’ Cameron lives on the ‘world’s loneliest island’ with only birds, whales and seals for company.
The 53-year-old is staying on an isolated granite islet called Rockall that stands about 70ft above sea level and is around 300ft in circumference.
Meanwhile, the UK’s loneliest street only has one resident who refuses to budge.
Nick Wisniewski, 66, is the only homeowner left in a block of 128 flats after his 200-odd neighbours shifted out due to demolition plans.