It was quite amusing as vendors tried to outdo each other while selling multiple language copies of the Kamasutra and erotic magnets that make you wonder “is that even possible?” Sure, it was awkward at first. Growing up with conservative Indian sensibilities, he didn’t know how to react when a middle-aged street vendor tried to sell the insignia of erotic art. And that’s when I first heard Chhavi say “Welcome to Khajurao”.

I had always wanted to go to Khajurao as it is very close to Delhi and is a UNESCO heritage site. But I had never gotten around to it. So when I stepped foot into the neat and compact station, I felt a lackluster sense of accomplishment.

We started with the Ken Ghadial Shrine, which to be honest, I wasn’t very interested in. I don’t want to brag, but I have been to several shrines as a child and had access to areas where normal tourists are not allowed. But I definitely would have missed out on India’s so-called Grand Canyon if Chhavi, my fellow traveler, hadn’t insisted. The area was vast and had a huge green canopy. Our guide, the polite Mr. Pyarelal, happily clicked our photos with the Raneh waterfall in the background. The rain gods hadn’t been very kind this year, so there wasn’t much water in the river and the waterfall wasn’t that strong. The scorching sun could have burned my skin too. However, the wide range of landscapes offered by the place meant that the visit was not a disappointment.

After not buying any souvenirs (surprisingly as I am a shopaholic) from Ken, we headed to the Western Group of temples only after stopping at Beej mandal for a while. This unfinished temple, which almost exactly resembles those of the Western Group of Temples, apparently has the largest foundations among all the Khajurao temples. But after being destroyed at the time of construction, it only serves as an excavation site for archaeologists. Having been to only one dig in our entire lives, we try to make sense of the tools used for the dig displayed on the board. We looked at it for less than a minute and decided to move on.

We knew what time we arrived at the main market and decided to have a quick bite to eat. The market is full of enterprising sellers eager to draw your attention to their shops. It’s really quite distracting, at least for a person like me who likes to buy stuff I don’t even need. But I guess I was hungrier than I thought since I headed straight to Madras Coffee House for a hot meal.

I must say the food was delicious and after eating just the right amount of egg dosa, fried idli and filtered coffee I was ready to see the temples which Khajurao is famous for. But being the person that I am, I was tempted by the treats that the vendors offered. But it definitely wasn’t a waste. Not only did I bring magnets and playing cards, I even bought two beautiful sarees made from bamboo cotton, which happens to be a specialty of this place. Before now, I had no idea that fabrics made from bamboo existed.

After going crazy with all the shopping, we finally set foot in the temple. The Matangesvara temple was the first one we covered as it did not require any entrance ticket and it is the only temple where people come to pray. It is definitely a brilliant work of art. The astrologer, who sits outside the temple and offers to read your future for a small price, adds a nice touch. While it is most famous for having the largest lingam, standing over eight feet tall, in North India, I personally liked how intricate the exterior architecture was.

I was already impressed by the Matangesvara Temple and then got acquainted with the Western Group of Temples. They made Matangesvara look pretty boring by comparison and I’m not talking in terms of erotic illustrations. The carved details on the sculptures are simply wonderful. These temples have illustrations on all sides of various events in life including war and celebration and eroticism only forms a small part of the larger illustration.

It is amazing how skilled architects must have been to build such amazing structures without the use of modern conveniences. The sculptures definitely paid attention to minute detail and each fold is beautifully carved throughout the wall. In comparison, the interior is quite plain, damp, and almost everyone smells like bats. Although I got used to it after a while.

The whole tour of these temples took us almost two hours and in some temples, the guards were kind enough to tell us stories about the temple and how it came to be. The complex is quite clean and the garden looked pleasantly green. He made me happy that there was no garbage and that people put all their garbage in the dumpsters.

I appreciate the intricate architecture of the temple, but I’m not really a keen observer. So after a point, the effect of the hot sun and exhaustion combined, it got a bit repetitive. But we saw the entire Western Group of temples.

Since we only had one day, we decided to skip the group of east and south temples and jump right into the sound and light show. Since we had almost two hours before it started, we headed to the Blue Sky Cafe. It was a pretty average restaurant, but we just wanted to kill time. It had a nice view of the temples and we watched the sun go down while drinking nimbu paani. It also had a nice treetop hut with only one table where we could have sat for a little more. But it really wasn’t worth it as we had the whole restaurant to ourselves. In fact, we spent the first 10 minutes trying to find someone to take our order.

Before this, he had only seen the sound and light show at Golcounda Fort in Hyderabad and although he was around 10 years old at the time, he still thought it was impressive. So I guess she had the same expectation of this one. But I was disappointed, partly because the sound system wasn’t very clear and partly because of the crying babies that made it hard to hear and the pesky mosquitoes that were busy sucking the life out of me. Time passed very slowly and I doubt anyone else would have been happier than I was by the time it was over.

Before heading to our guest house, we decided to have dinner somewhere. We headed to Raja Cafe as it seemed popular and half the show crowd was heading there and it turned out to be quite nice. Although we had ordered different dishes, they tasted exactly the same. But I didn’t care at all. Based on my previous experience of visiting MP, I didn’t think I would be eating non-veg food at all. I was glad there was no poha sprinkled with pomegranates, which I had eaten for breakfast every day the last time I visited MP. The atmosphere of the restaurant was also quite cozy.

We called our trusty autowala who had taken Chhavi on his previous trips to Khajurao and headed to our guest house, Yogi Ashram. It is ideal for people looking for a cheap and safe place to stay. But I don’t think I could have stayed here with my mom or sister since they happen to be obsessive-compulsive about cleanliness. The polite owner with his friendly dog ​​joined us and told us about the bigger plans he has for the guest house, including running yoga sessions to eventually train certified yoga trainers. I guess if all else fails I can always come here to train to be a certified trainer. The rooms are comfortable and the food is decent. It seems a bit isolated, but the well kept garden with healthy looking trees gives it a very homey feel. And it’s just a kilometer from the main market.

Although we only spent one day in Khajurao, I didn’t feel like leaving too early. Yeah, one more day here would have been great. I could have had more masala chai under the big tree, wasted more money on souvenirs that I would have eventually hidden in some corner of my closet, and visited the other temples as well. And I haven’t ruled out the idea of ​​going back again for the Dance Festival in February. But no matter how beautiful and peaceful the place was, one day was enough for me. So, after eating delicious paratha and chai, Chhavi and I headed to our next destination: Orchha.