Khajuraho

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February 27th-March 1st


Khajuraho is known I think exclusively for the erotic carvings adorning its many temples. I thought it would be a fascinating thing to see, and I was right. However, I have never felt so hassled as I did in Khajuraho. That, along with some crazy local characters made me impatient to leave!


Khajuraho is a pretty small place In Madhya Pradesh, but quite touristy due to the awesome attractive powers of the 25-odd temples. The temples were built by the Chandela dynasty, mostly between AD 950 and 1050. It is unclear why the temples were built in such an isolated and unremarkable location and how such monumental work was carried out. It is also uncertain why the Chandelas chose to embellish their temples with so much sexiness.


I was really lucky to arrive during the Festival of Dances, since there were different (cheap) classical dance and music performances every night. Also there was still a mela, or festival going on, in connection with Shivaratri as I understood it, so I was able to witness locals in their festive mood. By this I mean that man people seemed to be smoking something. I was told that one of Shiva’s forms was dreadlocked and marijuana-smoking, and that it made Shiva happy when you smoked. Good excuse to party it up for them. Despite my physical resemblance to Shiva, we did not share a taste for the grass.


I only ended up seeing the Western group of temples, which is considered the most interesting anyway. The area around them was wonderfully peaceful and park-like, I really appreciated the effort made to sort of preserve the atmosphere around the temples and at least keep the madness somewhat at a distance. The temples were really fantastic! Besides the ridiculously creative sexual positions, the artistry of the carvings and the architecture was truly remarkable. Such graceful and sensual lines and such imagination! There was endless variation in the poses of the figures, with dancers, musicians, gods and goddesses, and scenes of daily life. The female figures were incredibly elegant and really appeared to be dancing. In parts the temples had been heavily restored, which I don’t really like but on the other hand I think it’s necessary.


The dance performance only cost me 100 Rs for 3 hours, which I was quite excited about. The first performance was Manipuri, an awesome acrobatic drumming ensemble. The second was Satriya, a type of classical dance that entailed women acting out parts of the Hindu epics through dance. It was interesting for about the first fifteen minutes but after one hour even the Indians I heard in the restaurant later that night proclaimed it “just awful.” The last was Puraliya, which was, as I understood, a dance performed at weddings. It was by far my favorite, with crazy glittering costumes and gigantic headdresses, and people dressed as peacocks, lions, and bulls. It was very colorful and high-energy.


Khajuraho would have been a great place to stay for a few days, but I was unfortunately just a bit fed up. I think it was the first time I’ve felt that way. Maybe now I would be better able to deal with it. I’m really happy to have stopped there though, and I think it’s the southernmost place that I will visit in India.

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Photos

The super-confusing combo toilet.
You can squat on it! You can sit on it! It's totally stupid! Now, instead of squatting on the floor, you can either precariously balance yourself a foot off the ground and hope to god you don't fall off OR sit your bootie down on the dirty and cold RIDGES.

Crazy locals
Raj was actually really a nice guy. He tried to teach me about jantra, mantra, and tantra but got side-tracked.

For mature audiences only
Exterior of Lakshmana Temple

Varaha, the boar incarnation of Vishnu
I thought he was especially cool

Comments

[Christian]

Haha, the combo toilet. I wonder whose idea that was.

[Anu]

Hi.. I wonder which place you stayed. Looks like a very cheap place. Khajuraho does have some fantastic 3, 4 and 5star hotels (Radisson, Taj, Chandela, The Lalit)...where we usually stay. They are not very expensive too !.....and then you get to see toilets which are sparkling clean. next time you visit India, do choose you hotel wisely. The tour guide may have mis-guided you to a lower economy place. :)