The non G-rated Temples...

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I am done with my safari and now I am headed back to Khajuraho to catch my flight to Delhi. Now I have an extra day here just so I can see the temples that were built over 1000 years ago. These are very unique temples, there's none like them anywhere else in India. I have to admit that the temples almost don't make sense to me since India is such a repressed country. It's rare to see men and women holding hands in public and yet these temples portray some very erotic scenes.

Now let's just clear up a few things...

The temple carvings portray everyday life, from war, to celebrations, from the erotic, to the mundane. Out of 800 plus carvings that are on the 24 surviving temples less than 10% are erotic carvings. So if that's what you're looking for then you will be disappointed.

The temples were built by the kings when they were victorious in battle to honor their gods and goddesses. They were made of sandstone which is pretty soft by comparison to other stone but it's amazing the attention to detail that the craftsmen had. The sculptures look so life like, they look like they could just walk right off the walls. Each piece was carved with the subject in motion, whether they were writing a letter or dancing or well you know. The each sculpture reflects the artisans keen understanding of proportion. It is beautiful, and to think that all of this was done over a 1000 years ago, during the European Dark Ages.

One thing that I did learn is that back then women wore their saris without the cholis (blouse petticoat) , so that is why the women seem topless in the sculptures. Hey the sun is hot here in December, so I can only imagine working in the fields during the spring and summer months must be blistering hot.

Oh by the way my driver has asked me to find him a wife. He said that he is not picky but that I need to hurry and find him one so he can die a happy man. He's only 33, but if anyone is interested drop me a line.

I don't think that this sight will like to have some of the pics of the carvings posted here so if you want to see them then you can look for them via this link and look for the set that is labeled accordingly.

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