✦ Turtuk, one India’s most northernmost villages on the Ladakh-Pakistan border, is home to a rougher, music-driven version of polo, a game locals believe originated in the Baltistan region.
✦ After decades of decline following the end of royal patronage, the sport is being revived through local hotels, clubs and families.
✦ Boutique hotel owner Rashidullah Khan founded the Virsa polo team in 2024 and is opening a community stable to widen access, since not every family can afford a horse.
✦ Tournaments now run beyond the traditional Nawroz (spring equinox) season into July and August, with free matches open to a growing number of tourists visiting this once-closed border village.
