Lunch at the Orchha Resort restaurant.
View of the Cenotaphs from the Orchha Resort's garden. The Cenotaphs are memorials to the rulers of Orchha grouped along the river Betwa. A woman washing clothes in the Betwa river.
The Cenotaphs of Orchha.
Within walking distance downstream from the Cenotaphs is a narrow bridge that crosses the Betwa river at a rocky, shallow spot.
Back on the road after a wonderful lunch at Orchha and we continue our journey Khajuraho, and pass miles of farm fields and construction of a new hydro dam.
We arrive at the Radisson Khajuraho in the late afternoon. A view of a cow statue and alter at the base of the hotel stairs.
We are up early and take a short motor coach ride to a street market where we walk to the entrance to the temples.
The Khajuraho group of temples were built between 950 and 1050 AD. Historical records note the site had 85 temples by 12th century, but only about 20 temples have survived. The Khajuraho Temples were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986.
The Kaṇḍāriyā Mahādeva Temple is the largest and most ornate Hindu temple at Khajuraho.
The temples have several thousand statues and art works, with Kandarya Mahadeva temple alone decorated with over 870. Some 10% of these carvings contain sexual themes and various sexual poses.
More images from the Khajuraho temples, click on images to enlarge view.
I was able to get within a few feet of this three-striped palm squirrel (Funambulus palmarum) eating flowers of a rain tree (Albizia saman) near the temples. Squirrels are considered sacred in India and are not to be harmed because of their association with Lord Rama.
Our visit to the temples of Khajuraho is over and we head to the Khajuraho airport for a short flight to Varanasi on the banks of the sacred River Ganges. Security is strict in the Indian airports and the following message was posted for passengers.
We board our plane to Varanasi as guards watch.
Link to our next stop, Varanasi
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