We reached late evening
at Khajuraho and checked into the hotel- Khajuraho Temple View. There was a
beautiful view of lake outside the hotel and on the other side of the lake were
the Khajuraho temples.
Early morning we set
out to visit the temples. Day was spent visiting the monuments of Hindu and
Jain temples.
First we headed towards
Jain temple. The sadhvi dressed in white, with a peacock feather whisk, a metal
water pot and scripture roamed barefoot around the campus.
There were hymn playing
in the temples and you could hear them loud even if you did not enter the
temples. All temples had high steps with no railing support to climb up. I
needed help each time I wished to climb those steps
These temples are
considered as the UNESCO World Heritage site.
There are about 22 temples in the campus. These are built of sandstones
and are famous for their nagara architectural symbolism and their erotic sculptures.
There were about 84 postures of erotic
sculptures. We were asked to listen to the guide to understand the legends and
the stories hidden behind these sculptures. There were beautiful carvings around
the walls of the temples and I stood there admiring the art and workmanship of
the artist. .. some sculptures depict the tantric activity in sex, some the
lifestyles and the cultural history of the people that lived in that era. They
told the story of how people spend their time,, men hunting and travelling,
women grooming and entertaining. There
were apsaras elegantly dressed in finery and jewels, with mirror in their hand,
applying kohl in their eyes or henna in their hair.
It tells the story of
how people tried to keep the balance between their worldly pleasure and their spiritual
life. Then there are sculptures of musicians, painters, army, animals, instruments used for different purpose, arm weapons, vehicles, transport and also flowers mainly lotus. Every God had their
own vehicle. Just like Ganesha has mouse as its vehicle, Kaam God (the God of passion) has parrot as
vehicle Goddess Laxmi..wife of Vishnu has owl as her vehicle, Goddess Saraswati
has a swan.
You can see the
Artists' imagination in carving out the figures with profound expressions, such
that, they actually speak to you. . I would have loved to go through all 22
temples but I needed help to climb those large stone steps. I wish they would
install strong railings for support or maybe an escalator?
We stopped to have
coffee at the café in the park and then went for shopping. Had a relaxing
afternoon playing cards in the common room.
In the evening we went to see the
light and sound show narrated by Amitabh Bacchan.
