Kama Sutra Central

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We arrived in Khajurahao Friday night and saw a Sound and Light show at the temples there. The first show is in English for us (cost 300 rupees) and the second show for Hindus (50 rupees). It was both cheesy and sweet. A pile of rocks is lit and pronounces forth that he is the MASTER BUILDER of the temples built some thousand years ago. Using sound and light, the story of the temples is produced -- the wars, the builders, the effort, the history -- all in this tale.

We had dinner in the dark at a restaurant across the road -- the power went out shortly after we ordered. One candle sufficed -- we were hungry and ready for whatever was served up.

Saturday morning we rose at dawn (what is it with India that no one can miss a sunrise?!) and met our driver who took us to the temples to meet the sun, and our temple guide, Rajit. Khajurahao has two sets of temples -- the East and the West. The west are the more famed as the intricate carvings include many images including not only daily life and people going about their business, but about people truly going about their business. It may not be true that all 84 poses put forth in the Kama Sutra are there, but our guide sure made a good effort to point out, in graphic detail, as many as possible (including bizarre scenes of bestiality on top of all the rest). Rajit seemed to take particular pleasure in his lascivious way of adding emotion and detail to the setting of many carvings. The temples were indeed amazing and the ability of stone workers a thousand years ago to create emotion and subtlety in rock impressive.

But, by the time Rajit decided to read my palm, and not the other three girls, I was well ready to be rid of him. I seem to attract an odd sort sometimes! Maybe it was the heady scent of dawn coupled with the images that got him getting creepy. Regardless, we bid him adieu and carried on admiring the immense parklands of the temple grounds in peace on our own.

From there, we left at abuot ten o'clock for the land of Rudyard Kipling in Mudhyar Pradesh.

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Comments

[Cathy Sosnowsky]

Kama Sutra
Wow, Nancy, you really do get around--and living on the edge here! Do be careful! Cathy