Our guide was a pleasant fellow who came along with us only after asking us how much we were willing to pay. On the way to the temples he felt an explanation was in order. “You are not foreigners, so why I should bargain?” Who can argue with logic like that? We could only nod our heads in agreement.
The air was heavy and as I walked, I felt beads of sweat forming on my forehead; it was not the ideal time to visit Khajuraho. The temple complex was indeed impressive and the architecture was absolutely amazing.

Khajuraho, a set of medieval Jain and Hindu temples were built between the 10th-12th centuries, by the Chandela kinds in India. Radhika, being an architect explained to me about the how the temples adhere to the shikara temple style (tower over the sanctum) and to a panchayatna plan (worship of 5 deities). The temples are made up of sandstone and used precise mortise and tenon joints and were held by gravity.

Our guide a veteran by now with over thirty years of experience was busy explaining all the significant details of the external structures. He was eager to explain all the details and we were interested. The only problem seemed to be the heat which seemed to stifle all your thoughts. As we entered the section with erotic carvings, our guide proceeded with his explanations with renewed vigor. Unfortunately our reactions seemed rather muted as we barely had the energy by now for basic movement.  What did shock me though was when he proceeded to explain the significance of a particular part of the temple with “and this is Man versus Loin”. Pleased at my reaction, which basically involved choking on the bottle of water I was drinking, he then continued with his explanation about Man versus Loin. As further explanations burst forth I realized Man Vs Loin was a rather tame man versus lion. Just when things were getting interesting!!

What did take me back were the details in all the carvings. The work is more intricate than anything I had ever seen. It is also a misconception that the temples only depict erotica…only 10% of the carvings depict some erotica.

What was also interesting was the fact as the guide put it. “All put back in hoge pog way” So for the next 40 minutes he proceeded to point out everything that was “hoge pog” in the restoration. I agreed with him. “Hoge pog” was the only way to explain them. 
By then I was not in a state to even remember my name; the humidity was sapping energy and time.
Well aware of the situation post our guided tour, as I sat with our guide and asked when the best time for to visit was. He said, “Weather nice till March then up heats” and looked back and said “it up heats now”. To which we both looked up at the sky and nodded in agreement.         
         

Located barely 40 km from Khajuraho, Panna National Park is a popular detour for visitors from Khajuraho. Though the tiger population has nearly been wiped out due to poaching, it once had a healthy number (40 tigers).

Panna has an area covering 546 sq. miles with waterfalls and even the Rajgarh Palace that overlooks the valley. In March 2009 two female tigers were relocated from Bandhavgarh and Kanha National Parks and currently those are the only two tigers to be found in Panna. Plans have been approved to trans-locate more tigers in the future.

The tiger population has seen a steady decrease in numbers over the last decade across India. The main reason being government apathy towards what we consider our national animal. Inaccurate census method (using the pug marks to count tigers), not enough funds for anti-poaching squads and pressure from the human settlements around parks have been the main reasons for the decline. There has not been a review of how successful project tiger (started 1973) has been in recent years. Incorrect numbers as to the population of tigers over the years has led to places like Sariska and Panna no longer housing a population of tigers. Reintroducing them in areas where their population has been depleted is an on going project. Until and unless there is active government participation, with funds provided to the right departments to provide protection, it will only be a matter of time before the current population of 1500 tigers across India is wiped out completely.

Even without the presence of tigers, Panna has Sloth Bears, Chital, Chinchara, Sambar and a host of other animals apart for 200 recorded species of birds. The park is closed between July to end September and reopens for visitors only during October.
As we drove through Panna national park to get to Varanasi we were stunned by the beauty of the park. We found the park exceedingly lush from the monsoons; beautiful and green as we drove up the ghat and found the valley stunning. The thought that crossed my mind was that Panna is prefect Tiger country-with the rocky valley below and abundant water- I could almost imagine the magnificent cat lying in a shallow pool of water to get away from the heat.  I remembered then that there were only two tigers left not native to Panna but reintroduced. In effect the Panna tiger had disappeared.

Must read: Valmik Thapar , Secret Life of Tigers. 

On my travels I usually find one little corner where I sit and soak in the place and watch the many people passing through it. It gives me time to think and absorb what I have just seen and in retrospect I always associate the place to that café/corner. In Hampi it was the Mango Tree, in Leh it was the German Bakery (every touristy place has a German Bakery) and in Auroville it was Aubergine.
Here in Khajuraho I found my little spot as well.

Nestled between the town on one side and the temples of Khajuraho on the other is the quaint and appealing Raja Café. Started about 30 years ago by a Swiss woman who settled here in India, it is now run by her family since the past 5 years…Built around a large tree, its breezy ambience and great views of the western group of temples makes this café a perfect place to spend your day in.

The service is a bit erratic but the very hospitable waiter made up for any goof-ups- Read Bharath’s French toast! I tried the European thali and quite liked it though I would very much recommend the chocolate cake and the Banana Lassi.

Places like this is where I always meet interesting people to talk to as well. In front of me was someone reading Amsterdam by Ian McEwen. With the book as an icebreaker, I got talking to Andrew, a journalist backpacking in India since 8 months. Traveling the way I would love to. But I get my glimpses and my corners, so for now no complaints.

We left Indore in the morning to head to Bhopal and Sanchi. An end of one part of our journey as we raced toward another. We were determined to cut short travel times to a minimum. That was the plan anyway. Suffice to say that we didn’t reach our destination anywhere close to the intended time. Instead of driving with the single minded determination of a local tempo driver, we stopped, meandered along our route and rediscovering the road. I think it was the windmills that took us off course this time. Narrow broken tarmac and mud plastered huts announced the village nearby. Well! Broken tarmac before the village and no roads after. Large stones, open drains, some parts of the path raised for no reason and buffalos- in other words any typical village. We stopped, answered questions and did our very best at rural marketing… potential customers no doubt.
We followed our path back and followed the highway between Indore and Bhopal. Most of the highway is being widened but the sections that were done were great to drive on. The two wide lanes separated by rows of trees all along the way. We reached Bhopal and made our way to the Union Carbide Factory. Most of what we witnessed has been covered by Radhika and to say we were disheartened would be putting it mildly. I’m not sure but sometimes I think we have so much history in this country we get desensitized to a lot of those stories.

Sanchi was barely 60km from Bhopal and was a welcome relief. Completely unexpected and brilliant.

Sanchi, a Buddhist center with some of the finest examples of Buddhist art was built in 3rd century BC by Ashoka. Built at a time when Buddha was never represented directly, the episodes of Buddhas lives are carved and depicted through the Jataka Tales. I won’t go into lengthy descriptions and I hope the pictures will illustrate it better.

What did amaze me though was how the place was full of contradictions that are typical of India. As I sat and stared at the carvings, I could hear the train below blowing its whistle loud and clear, slicing the air and unsettling the place. Just as you got used to the peace and quiet you would hear the sound of another train announcing its arrival or departure.
 

That, of course, was not the main entertainment for the day. A large group having settled on the grass after exploring the place suddenly burst into screaming and heavy gesturing. In a matter of minutes there were children and adults all actively pointing and hopping down the slope. Getting there I found an elderly gentleman from the group waiting for the rest who had now found their way down to a shallow natural pool below. Seeing the camera in my hand he looked at me and said “peacock, peacock …go take photo.”
I looked on at the group still hysterically trying to locate the bird below and I looked back at the magnificence of the Sanchi Stupas behind me and sighed. If only our monuments generated this much of excitement. We do have too much of history.