Khajuraho and Varanasi - India

Khajuraho

Khajuraho is a small village that has grown a bit over the last few years as a result of its attraction. Still it is mainly a 3-4 street village/town with negligible traffic. We shall called the main street area where the hotels and shops are as the town and the rural backdrop as the village.

Khajuraho is well-known for its exquisitely craved temples. There are three groups of temples. The Eastern and Southern Groups are scattered around the village while the Western Group is just outside of the town. Personally I do not find the Eastern and Southern Groups interesting. Entrance to these two groups is free. They are easily accessible either by foot or bicycle. There are many places to rent bicycles- going rate is normally 20 INR/day.

The Western Group is the main concentration of temples and also sites of the most delicately carved temples. Of course, the most talked about and visited of these temples are those with famously erotic carvings that depict the whole Kamasutra spectrum of sexual positions and possibilities. The main temples with such carvings are the Kandariya Mahadev and Devi Jagadamba.

Entrance to the Western Group is 250 INR for foreigners; locals only pay 15 INR. The entrance fee is per entry; meaning if one gets out for a drink during the day, one will have to pay for another ticket, technically. However it is often possible to talk to the entrance officers and ask for half an hour “tea-break”. All the temples in this group are within the park setting enclosed by a boundary. They are all within walking distance. One can hire a walkman guide for 50 INR; it is quite useful. The whole temple group can be easily covered within 3-4 hours.

The carvings are really some of the most delicate and detailed that I have seen in any temples anywhere. There are carvings of all sort- everyday life, deities and gods, warriors and so on. However two themes run through all of the carvings- women and sex. 4 out of 5 carvings are of women in various activities and postures.

Khajuraho is immensely popular with Indian honeymooners. One wonders why?

Attractions

No doubt the temple carvings. One and only reason; it is a good enough reason.

Drawbacks

There are many. For one, India operates like China was 10 years ago, charging foreigners different (mean much more expensive) rates. It pervades everything in the tourism industry- foreigners pay US$ and much more than locals for domestic flights, many times for entrance into attractions and generally everything else (depending on one's bargaining skills). The same goes to Khajuraho's entrance fees.

Khajuraho is also notorious for very persistently hard-sell tactics by virtually everyone in business- rickshaw drivers, hawkers, shop owners- you named it. A same shop owner or rickshaw driver could have seen you half a dozen times; but this do not stops them from pestering you every time he sees you.

Very often one will also find many local guides getting friendly and “attach” themselves to you for the day, by the excuse of wanting to learn English or to show you this and that.. They will then ask for a fee at the end of the day, though there was never any mention of need to pay.

On top of that there are also lots of kids begging or asking for money in the villages. The worst kind is actually kids setting up innocent tourists and cheat them for money. We encountered a situation where a couple of kids were playing cricket in the village. They invited us to join them and bowl, which we gamely did. They would hit the ball into the bush and then pretended to be shocked that the ball is lost and asked for compensation.

Accommodation

There are heaps of accommodation along the main road of the town. All of them are of good standard and value. We stayed at the Zen Hotel ( oshozen62@hotmail.com ). For 200 INR one gets a huge double fan room with attached bath (24 hour hot water).

Getting there

The easiest way to get there is by flying. There is one daily flight from Delhi by both Indian Airways and Jet Airways. The Jet Airways flight is a loop that flies out of Delhi to Varanasi then on to Khajuraho (and back to Delhi on the same day).

Apart from flying, getting to Khajuraho is a bit of a challenge by road. There is apparently one direct bus to/fro Varanasi every day. Apart from that, the best way to connect to Khajuraho is via Satna, about 60 km away. There are a few buses that connect Khajuraho to Satna everyday. The bus ride costs 70 INR (plus 5 INR for every piece of luggage on the top of the bus) and takes about 4 hours on reasonable roads. From the bus stop it is another 5 INR by rickshaw to the train station. Bus rides in India are not much different to those of China- as many as possible are crowded into a bus.

The nearest railheads for Khajuraho are Satna and Jhansi. The former is better for trains to Varanasi and east while the latter is useful for connection to Delhi. Trains to these places run every day. Train tickets can be booked online via this site: http://www.indianrail.gov.in/ However one has to have an Indian address to have the booked tickets delivered or collection from the Delhi station.

Varanasi

Varanasi, the city of Shiva, on the bank of the sacred Ganges River, is probably one of the holiest places for Hindus in India. Hindu pilgrims from all over India come to Varanasi to bathe in the waters of the Ganges to wash away their sins. It is an auspiscious place for Hindus to die as passing away here offers them moksha- liberation from the cycle of birth and death (much like nirvana in Buddhism). Most of the activities occur on the city's famous ghats- steps leading towards the river. Similarly the cremation of corpses is performed at these places.

The city consists of the Old City around the ghats and a newer part, close to the railway station. There are about 80 ghats in total spanning the western bank of the river between the two bridges that connects the two banks of the river. Most of the activities seem to concentrate between the Dasseswamadh and Schindhia Ghats.

The cremation of corpses happens all day long at the main burning ghat, Manikanika Ghat. It is also the oldest of all the ghats. At any one time there could be up to 10 corpses burning. The corpses are carried on a circumambulation circuit before they are brought to the ghat to be burnt. The public are allowed to view the burning of the corpses but photography is strictly forbidden.

Apart from Manikanika, the other most significant ghat is the Dasseswamadh Ghat. This is where most of the activities are held and where most pilgrims/people congregate to bathe, pray, have their head shaved and so on. This is also the venue where a nightly puja (prayers) ceremony is offered to the Ganges by a few high priests.

The best time to view the various activities along the river is very early in the morning and in late afternoon. During these times, pilgrims flocked to the river. The best way to watch these activities is taking a boat trip on the river. There are two types of boats- row and motor boats; the later is not recommended. A 2-hour row boat trip typically costs 30-50 INR. However one needs to negotiate hard- the boatsmen normally just simply state any amounts that come to their mind when quoting a foreigner. Agreed on the amount and how long the boat trip is for before-hand. Most of the guesthouses can and do arrange trips for their guests- of course, one will have to pay a bit more for these but saved the hassle of haggling.

At every corner, one can see temples, small and big, dedicated to Shiva as well as simple shrines. There is the so-called Golden Temple, the most sacred Hindu temple in Varanasi where non-Hindus are not allowed in. Just next to it is the Alamgir Mosque, supposedly built over a knocked-down Hindu temple. After the razing of the Ayodhya Mosque a few years ago, armed guards are posted in various locations all around the mosque to protect it from the same fate by the Hindu zealots. However the most fabulous temples are those with amazing tiered roofs at Manikanika Ghat.

Apart from the ghats, the Old City consists of a maze of ramshackle narrow alleys of all sort of shops and hotels/guesthouses. A lot of these shops are now geared towards stocking products for tourists. Quite often one would encounter “cow jam” as cows and buffalos freely roam these narrow alleys and block up the whole pathway.

Varanasi is simply a place that one either hates or loves it. It is a living holy city practicing the traditions of Hinduism and its rituals. The streets and river are dirty- all sorts of “things” float on the river and cow dung are a common site on the narrow streets. However that may be the attraction to most visitors- seeing and living in a city of thousands of years of tradition. We enjoyed the city for its vibrancy and life.

Attractions

The ghats, the tradition, vibrancy, life and dedication of the pilgrims.

Drawbacks

The ever persistent rickshaw drivers (again) and the nuisance touts as well as drug pushers. An added nuisance to an Oriental person is forever being assumed to be a Japanese or Korean.

Accommodation

There is a huge selection of accommodation, spanning all sorts of budget at Varanasi. As a result hotel touts are big nuisance. Some of the guesthouses face the river, on the ghats and offers good view of the activities along the river.

We stayed at the Schindhia Guesthouse overlooking the Schindhia Ghat. It has a good view of the river, ghat and from the roof balcony, one can even see burning copse at Manikanika Ghat. They have different types of rooms to suit different budget. The proprietor, Kush Barman, is a friendly guy and he will pick you up from the railway station if you have a booking with him- that is a handy service. Their website is http://www.scindhiaguesthouse.com/index.html .

Getting there

Varanasi is easy to get to. It is well served by air and trains. It can be accessed easily by rail from any major cities near and far. Many of the trains are travel overnight and so is very handy. Train ride to Delhi is about 14 hours and Satna (Khajuraho) is about 9 hours. There are also frequent daily bus connections to all the major cities in Uttar Pradesh and nearby states.

Travel Guide Updated on: 2005-10-25
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