Karma Sutra
Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh, India
December 30, 2014
We did not have to rush this morning, so we woke up early, watched some TV, showered, packed and then went down for the buffet. Bill's appetite has definitely returned and he enjoyed the apple pancakes that the chefs were serving.
Our airport guide called and advised us that our 12:30 flight to Khajuraho is delayed, so we stayed in our room and finished watching Angels and Demons. An hour later we checked out and picked up.
We had previously observed that the traffic in Nepal was a little crazy, but it seemed to have some basic operating principles. That did not hold true in Varanasi, there are no rules of the road and that was clearly illustrated today Wow!!.
Our driver had to jam on the brakes to avoid hitting an SUV in front of us. The motorbike behind us was not able to stop on time and hit us. Our guide asked the driver what happened, the driver explained that it was a motorbike and I could see two guys laying on the ground behind our rear wheel. And then we silently drove off. We were not asked if we were OK and they certainly did not see if the guys from the motorbike were OK.
When we next stopped, a few miles later, our driver calmly went to inspect the damage, picked out a piece of the motorcycle that had become lodged in the bumper, and then began jumping on and kicking the bumped to try to put it back in place. In all of our travels, that is one of the most bizarre things I have ever experienced.
On the way we saw 4 bodies being carried on the roof racks of vehicles to be taken to the river - 3 of which were undoubtedly due to traffic accidents The Temples are Covered in Carved Scenes.
We arrived "safely" at the airport 15 minutes later and our guide advised us that we were allowed 30 kilos total for our luggage and the cost will be $6 for every additional kilo. Bill figures that this will cost us $40. So, we started to rearrange our checked baggage and our carry on baggage. Our porter went and weighed our bags, but we were still 5 kilos over. So, Bill started pulling things out of his bag and jamming them into his already hefty carry on. We managed to get it down to 1.3 kilos over and the lady checking us in did not charge us extra. In the meantime, I am wearing a shirt, a sweater, a hoodie, a scarf and a jacket. Bill is wearing a shirt, his zip-up and a sport coat. We look like we just went shopping in the States for the day.
We shared a grilled cheese sandwich at Zesto and were still waiting for our flight at 1:15 Sexy!. We finally boarded and took off at 2:45 and landed 45 minutes later in Khajuraho. The corn, cheese and tomato sandwich that was served on the plane was surprising edible; not surprisingly, Bill did not try it.
Upon our arrival we were driven to the Western temple by Mohan and a guide Asho. At the temple we were greeted by Sing who showed us the sites. In our guide book the temples are described as a unique gift to the world, representing every human expression, from life, to love to joy. I felt this was an accurate description of these beautiful temples.
The temples at the Western site were built in the 10th through to the 12th centuries in the same style as Angkor Wat (Khmer). Originally there were 85 granite and sandstone temples built by the Chandela Rajputs, and 22 are still in existence today.
The outside walls of the temples have beautiful carving and reliefs of Karma (Love) Sutra (Making), court life and battles Cheeky Elephant. There were also pictures of Shardool who was a mythical animal which depicted the struggle of desire. The temples have been carefully restored and the grounds have been well maintained. We were treated to a variety of trees such as teak and bodhi and pretty flowers like the bougainvillea bushes.
One small temple was very unique. It was dedicated to Varaha, Vishnu's boar. Typically Varaha is depicted as a man with a boar's head. Here there was a massive boar carved out of one piece of sandstone with gods and goddesses adorning his back and legs.
We headed to the Eastern, Jain temples before the sunset. There are two temples that dated back to the 10th century and the rest were from the 19th century. The older temples were done in a similar style to the Western, Hindu temples.
We stopped by an artisan store and saw many stone and wooden carvings, paintings and jewelery Beautiful Carved Elephant. We saw a local stone, the Star of India ruby. It was a very unique stone. I ended up buying a painting with animals on it that Bill will frame for my bathroom.
We checked into LaLit. It is a beautiful, modern hotel. Too bad we will only be here for a short time. We had an early dinner of lamb gosht, lamb biryani, grilled veggies and butter naan. The meal was very good and the service was outstanding.
We took some Kingfisher and Masala back to the room to enjoy while blogging and watching Casino Royale.
Pictures & VideosWearing as much as I can - With a 45lb backpackKajuraho CarvingsIn Front of the TemplesBeautiful TemplesWild Party in the 1000'sOur Room at Lalit
