After Agra, we take the overnight train to Khajuraho to see the temples. The train is, of course, late, so we don’t get into our bunks until about 1am. We’re supposed to arrive at 6:20am, but it’s after 10 when we arrive, so we get a bit of a lie-in. We’re staying at the Hotel Harmony.
Over the course of the next few days, we tour the temple complexes, eat pizza, drink Kingfisher, and sleep. The main complex, the Western Temples, are the most impressive, and come with an audio tour. This, together with chatting to other visitors, manages to slow us down so that we spend four hours looking round. The complex has a large number of Hindu and Jain Temples, and is world renowned for its erotic sculptures. Here I am standing in front of a non-erotic sculpture, together with some more images of the temples.
Yes, that is our bottle of water.
Here is Ganesha, with his elephant head. His own was lopped off by his mother’s husband, Shiva, who then replaced it with the head of the first animal he encountered in the forest, an elephant.
So, what of the erotic sculptures? One of the main Temples has a frieze all the way around it, and quite a lot of it shows figures having sex, including one of a man doing the wild thing with a horse. They are too racy for inclusion here, so here’s a shot of some buxom figures standing in characteristic sinuous poses.
All in all, an enjoyable few days in Khajuraho. Off now to Varanasi on yet another chuffing overnight train. The novelty is beginning to wear off, rather.
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