Friday, August 11 Bus Ride to Khajuraho, Temples
I was awoken on the train to Jhansi by the conductor, at 4 am. I had to stay at the train station for an hour before the bus for Khajuraho came. It was dark and bugs were everywhere. The bus came right to the train station, and I was one of three tourists. It was an awesome ride, the sun rising over the green agricultural and forested plains of Madhya Pradesh. It was flat, save for rocky hills that sprung out of the greenery. The trees included mango, eucalyptus, and palm trees. The whole way was rural, but people were not absent. Large open fields were filled with squatting people old and young, enjoying their morning defecation. This occurs because there is no running water for toilets, and because it is thought that if the sun isn’t out yet, no one can see you. Except for the fact that entire village is out there with you doing the same thing. It’s actually see
n as a social event in India, so friends will often go out together. One question; How they wipe, if at all? After a short stop in which I saw a rural village woman carrying an emaciated baby with flies covering it, we were on our way. We had to stop for a plethora of white cows, which were numerous. I met a man from Khajuraho on the bus, and we talked about hotels and the holiday on Wednesday. As we neared Khajuraho, you could see the small airport and the five-star resort hotels. Getting off the bus at 9 am, I was hoarded by noisy pushy rickshaw drivers. I told a bicycle rickshaw driver to take me to Lakeside Inn, where I checked in and stayed for 100 Rs. Even if he ripped me off and got a commission, that’s still one night’s stay for $2. I took out some money from the ATM because it cost 250 Rs for foreigners (compared to 20 Rs for Indians) for admission to the World Heritage Western group of temples. The temples were breathtaking. The complex would have been destroyed following the Mughal onslaught, but instead is well-preserved because of Khajuraho’s isolated location. Originally built by the Chandela dynasty in the 10th century, they are an insight into the life of everyday Chandelas. But how they built them in such a short time, and what some of the figures represent remains a mystery. Walking clockwise, I first came to the Lakshmi and Varaha, two small shrines facing the larger temples. The first large temple is Laksmana temple, dedicated to Vishnu. Inscribed in the temples at eye level, there are intricate carvings depicting the life of Chandelas. Statues include people playing music, celebrating, riding elephants, hunting, fighting wars, killing demons, and screwing horses. 
Further up are larger statues of royalty and deities. Big-breasted dancing women with jutting hips are shown wearing jewelry and loose shawls. Men are shown carrying weapons and wearing ornate regal crowns. Kneeling servants are 1/8 of their size. Gods like Ganesh, Shiva, and Brahma are always above the viewer, ascending into the sky. Erotic Kama sutra figures don the walls, and continue to baffle experts. Some say that it was an instruction manual for inexperienced Brahmin boys, others say it is because the gods liked them, but I think it’s because every aspect of life is represented on the temple façade and sex is part of the celebration of life. The temples all have stairs leading to a covered altar to the particular deity. All have a tall spire towards the back, largely void of intricate carvings. The Kandariya-Mahadev temples are larger and dedicated to Shiva. Then, walking forward is the Vishvanath, guarded by ornate elephant sculptures. What’s interesting about this park is how accessible the statues are; you can literally reach out and touch these priceless 1000-year-old sandstone carvings. It started to rain, but I didn’t care because it was 100 degrees. I was just soaked with sweat AND rain. After visiting these temples, I was harassed by endless amounts of touts, and one such man talked me into buying five Kama sutra books, a guidebook, and postcards. Then another hawker lured me into his shop and somehow convinced me to buy tailored Krishna shirts (needless to say, utterly worthless). A lot of the touts make it seem like they’re your genuine friend, which I find disgusting. By the end I was tired of hearing the phrases: “You look my shop”, “You look like Indian”, “Oh, you are student? I am also student”, and “I love America”. 
I had to even lie and say I would meet people, when really I stood them all up. I rented a bicycle and rode with this one German traveler, Christian, one of those weird Euro hippy people with long hair, Capri pants, and hemp shirt. We visited the next set of temples, the Eastern group (actually Jain temples). All the deities were naked because that way they’re not killing anything (yes, it’s weird…their savior is a middle-aged fat hairy naked man). The rest of the temples were the same, with Chandela figures doing everyday things, with kings and nymphs, and deities. I gave up reading the informational signs, which were incomprehensible to me (an educated native English speaker, let alone an Indian). In order to get to the other smaller Jain temples, we had to ride through the ancient village, with dirt roads, water buffalo, women carrying water on their heads, men playing cards, and children playing in the street. These temples were not impressive compared to the others, having few sculptures. The southernmost temple (which was actually a Shiva linga atop ruins) was cool because it was under ground. Pieces of intricate statues carelessly lay strewn about around the site. No pictures were allowed (but they obviously hadn't heard of Tyler Rapp). I came back and had some dinner. On the way this kid named Golu invited himself and I felt bad so I ordered him a dinner. But I hated him; he was 11 and was a brat and kept insulting me (and lied that he didn’t want anything from me, even though he wanted me to go visit his brother’s shop). He took 
me to the Shiva temple because there was a nightly puja ceremony that has been happening for centuries there. The room was filled with a huge 10-foot tall Shiva linga. Priests struck loud bells while chanting. The devotee is expected to pray, touch the linga, apply a bindi, and touch the fire, while walking in a counter-clockwise fashion. Basically, everyone was praying to a 10-foot tall phallic symbol. After that I had to get rid of Golu, so I said I was going to bed now (it was about 8 pm) and he insulted me for that. He couldn’t follow me on the street or else the police would beat him for harassing tourists (is it wrong I wanted to go and stand by the police?). Then this other kid (while he was urinating) turned and asked me my country and told me to come over to where he was peeing so I could meet him. I think I'm fine, really, thanks though.
n as a social event in 
Further up are larger statues of royalty and deities. Big-breasted dancing women with jutting hips are shown wearing jewelry and loose shawls. Men are shown carrying weapons and wearing ornate regal crowns. Kneeling servants are 1/8 of their size. Gods like Ganesh, Shiva, and Brahma are always above the viewer, ascending into the sky. Erotic 
I had to even lie and say I would meet people, when really I stood them all up. I rented a bicycle and rode with this one German traveler, Christian, one of those weird Euro hippy people with long hair, Capri pants, and hemp shirt. We visited the next set of temples, the Eastern group (actually Jain temples). All the deities were naked because that way they’re not killing anything (yes, it’s weird…their savior is a middle-aged fat hairy naked man). The rest of the temples were the same, with Chandela figures doing everyday things, with kings and nymphs, and deities. I gave up reading the informational signs, which were incomprehensible to me (an educated native English speaker, let alone an Indian). In order to get to the other smaller Jain temples, we had to ride through the ancient village, with dirt roads, water buffalo, women carrying water on their heads, men playing cards, and children playing in the street. These temples were not impressive compared to the others, having few sculptures. The southernmost temple (which was actually a Shiva linga atop ruins) was cool because it was under ground. Pieces of intricate statues carelessly lay strewn about around the site. No pictures were allowed (but they obviously hadn't heard of Tyler Rapp). I came back and had some dinner. On the way this kid named Golu invited himself and I felt bad so I ordered him a dinner. But I hated him; he was 11 and was a brat and kept insulting me (and lied that he didn’t want anything from me, even though he wanted me to go visit his brother’s shop). He took 
me to the Shiva temple because there was a nightly puja ceremony that has been happening for centuries there. The room was filled with a huge 10-foot tall Shiva linga. Priests struck loud bells while chanting. The devotee is expected to pray, touch the linga, apply a bindi, and touch the fire, while walking in a counter-clockwise fashion. Basically, everyone was praying to a 10-foot tall phallic symbol. After that I had to get rid of Golu, so I said I was going to bed now (it was about 8 pm) and he insulted me for that. He couldn’t follow me on the street or else the police would beat him for harassing tourists (is it wrong I wanted to go and stand by the police?). Then this other kid (while he was urinating) turned and asked me my country and told me to come over to where he was peeing so I could meet him. I think I'm fine, really, thanks though.
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