Tordi
For an authentic look into the lives of most Indian’s and at the real Rajasthan, head out to the village of Tordi. We departed Delhi very early in the morning and took the train to Jaipur. From here it was only a 2 hour drive to the village.
The drive there was part of the experience, through gypsy villages and small towns, passing trucks piled high with people and tractors carrying bags of hay wider than the road, into the heart of Rajasthan.
We arrived at the Tordi Garh Heritage Hotel, a 16th century palace which has been converted into a hotel. During the 16th century Tordi village was a fiefdom belonging to Thakur Akhey Singh Ji of the Khangarot Clan-an of the Kushwaha dynasty. Today the Singh Ji family still lives on this property and welcome you into their palace. We were greeted with a tilak mark on our foreheads and shown to our rooms. It’s a beautiful property with intricate archways, turrets and verandas. All rooms are nicely furnished in traditional style and equipped with an ensuite and air conditioning. There is no wifi.
After lunch at the palace we hopped in the jeeps and set out to explore the area. Our first stop was at a 300 year old step well. We walked from here to a nearby farm where the locals showed us their crops of fennel, tomatoes, chick peas, chillis, cabbage, garlic, etc.
We also visited a small nearby village. We met the locals and learnt about their way of life, while narrowly avoiding rogue buffalo running through the streets.
Then it was back into the jeeps to head to the Tordi Sagar Dam. Completely dry in March, we watched as 3 women made their way across the massive fields balancing buckets on their heads. We finished our day with a climb up the sand dunes, where our guides served us masala chai with biscuits while we watched the sunset, before returning to the palace for dinner and plenty of drinks.
After a far too early breakfast the following morning we took a walk through Tordi Village. Women herded goats and pigs, kids were getting ready to go to school, men prepared for the day brushing their teeth in the streets and bulls roamed freely. We paid a visit to a small temple where our guide gave us a lesson on the similarities between Vishnu’s incarnations and Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution.
The local potter showed how to make pots, before I put on my concentration face and gave it a go myself.
Then it was time to head back to Jaipur. If you’re visiting Northern India don’t miss Tordi Garh. It’s a great insight into how millions of people are living and an opportunity to better understand other ways of life, while getting an authentic and traditional Indian experience.
