High in a Village

Women Washing Clothes in front of their houses

Women Carrying Bricks on their head all day long

Ancient Step Pool, still used

Silver Smith weighing out purchase to figure cost

Maharaja and Maharina

Our Guide, Ahktar

On a ride, Devi Ghar in Background

Returning to Devi Ghar

Cathy in Private Dining Room

Entrance to room with butterfly made of flowers

We thought we would spend our day in quite luxury in this incredible palace. Instead it turned out to be a wonderfully busy day as we experienced village life in India. We have always read about the villages and how people return to them from the city, because of family and deep sense of community; but today we really experienced it.

The day started with a breakfast, where I had poha (shaved rice with spices and herbs). I love it. We then met our guide to the village: Akhtar. He is a Muslim, who was born in the village. The village is outside of the palace walls. The population is small, and has lived here for generations. The contrast between the palace and the village is immense. The palace has wifi everywhere, there is no internet at all in the village. They have recently received running water, now they don't have to go to the well. The people live in what we would assume to be poverty, and yet are very happy.

There are about 2000 people who live in the village. 40% are Jain (an Indian religion, that is virtually unknown in the US), 30% are Hindu and 20% are Muslim. They all get along together. In fact at one intersection of paths there is a Jain Temple, a Hindu Mosque and a Hindu Temple all facing each other. The caste system is alive and well in the village. For example, this is wedding season. Tonight there are 4 weddings happening simultaneously. All 2000 villagers will be invited to all of the weddings. A low caste person would go to any of the weddings, but a high caste person would not attend a lower caste wedding. It is all very rigid.

Our guide, Akhtar, is a wonderful guide. He knows everyone in the village. Yet he is a victim of the society. He comes from a large Muslim family, and he had to stop his education to get work. This is very common with large families. Luckily he has lots of drive and personality, and the guests at the Palace have assisted him, recommending the Palace to hire him as a guide. Yet his chances of achieving more than his parents will be difficult. He married young, has a child and lives in a joint family. He is very strict in making sure his wife attends to his aged parents, and he will expect his children to look after him. It is difficult to fathom how a guide from a village can relate with a tourist who has every advantage. Akhtar for example has no email address, because there is no internet. It is hard in the west to comprehend the isolation these people live in.

The local diversion in the village is smoking marijuana. Lots of the men smoke it all the time. Village life isn’t all bad! This is wedding season in India, and there are several weddings going on each day. Marching Bands, parading women and men dancing down the street, bride and groom on horseback, loud music and fireworks at night, all add to the sense of festivities and vibrancy of the village.

Here comes the Bride!

We visited a school full of cute young children who greeted us in English, a kitchen where they were preparing a wedding feast for 2000 (we sampled the bread and it was delicious), and a goldsmith who made a ring for Cathy out of copper wiring, and then sold us a wonderful ankle bracelet. They invited us into their house for Tea, and delighted in dressing us up like a Maharani and Maharaja. The entire village is a joy. I can’t begin to image what they think as they encounter what to them must be incredibly rich and lucky tourists, while they live in deprivation next to a luxury palace. I can only tell you they all were wonderful. They loved getting their picture taken, smiled and were fun to be with. This wasn’t a Disney movie, this was the real Indian Village.

We took a horse ride into the countryside, seeing all kinds of wildlife, and asking many question to our guide about village life. After another massage followed by bottle of wine, watching the sunset, we had a most spectacular dinner.

We arranged a private dinner for just the two of us, in a small-mirrored complex high up in the palace overlooking the village. We talked to the chef ahead of time and we composed a fantastic dinner. Appetizers of Chicken and Vegetable patties, Lentil-Coconut soup, Butter Chicken, Gobi Masala, etc. It was fantastic The rooms of our private dining area were decorated with rose petals and lit by candle light. We had our own butler / waiter, and musician who played for us. Down below the weddings were in full swing with fireworks and music. It was like a dream in this magical setting. It was a very memorable night.

We worried we wouldn’t have enough to do in this remote palace, but it has been non-stop. Devi Ghar is definitely a destination you should put on your itinerary!