Spice Air and Khajuharo

Yesterday was not a good day – this cold seems to have morphed into a severe sinus infection immune to any of the drugs I throw at it. Hence the day went past in a haze of heat, coughing spams and homesickness.

En route to Varanasi airport we passed a jeep with a bundle of jewel coloured material on the roof – gaudily flapping in the wind – a normal site for the locals. This is a rural family that rented the jeep specially to transport a departed relative to the cremation site on the riverbank to fulfill a life-long wish. Seems that not only luggage is transported on the roof.

The airport building is new, but procedures are strictly followed. No persons without a valid ticket inside the building – goodbyes said outside please. Baggage scans, check-in, personal security checks and boarding happen as per announcement per flight – with 10 to 15 min pauses in-between. Between these activities the staff sit and drink tea, chat and eye the (some) patiently waiting passengers. There seems to be a time for everything – no getting the formalities out the way and having coffee waiting for your boarding call next to your gate here!

The plane was a small 80 seater bombardeer (as per the safety card) with two actual propellers. I was a little nervous – this is the smallest plane I’ve been in for a long time, it is a budget Indian airline and the malaysian disaster is fresh in the mind, although we are miles from the ocean. Anything can happen in the short flight. There are no video screens on board and the attendant actually still does the safety exit and how to use the seatbelt ritual…. blast from the past?

Having said that the flight was quick and without incident, staff (all three of them I could see- pilot and two attendants) very friendly. I fell asleep during decent and woke up with a jolt when we landed, much to the amusement of the flight attendant. We shared a giggle 🙂

Khajuraho airport is small and suits this sleepy town with its 15 000 inhabitants. Traffic jams constitute three motorcycles passing each other at the same time on the dusty road. This is an agricultural community with a world heritage site as its heart. It is worlds away from the hustle of Varanasi and Delhi. And it is HOT!

I checked into the hotel – big sprawling complex on the outskirts of ‘town’. Was received with a blue cocktail and a cool towel. There was hardly time to put down the luggage before we ventured out to see the temple complex that put this place on the ‘map’ – so to speak.

Surrounded by the jumble of tourist shops is a low key entrance to what I jokingly referred to in my tour itinerary as the “karma sutra in stone”

It happens to be just that… a hindu temple complex to the three second level gods (below Om) – in Hindu statues – the guys with the four arms. The temples (quite graphically) celebrates early Indian sexuality as an form of religious ritual. It is split into the Karma Sutra acts – deemed ‘normal between two consenting partners of the opposite sex’ and Tantric Sex between various consenting partner combinations with the goal to achieve nirvana. If it ends in orgasm – your doing it wrong 😛 (sic – as per my guide)

The rest of the statutes are various gods, goddesses, mythical creatures and dancing ladies and their support staff (always presented as knee-hight figures). Elephants and battle scenes also feature.

The Eastern complex is a big area with many big temples dotted in a garden. One is preserved excellently, the others were not as lucky, but has been restored structurally – without carvings. One of the temples is currently undergoing a clean-up operation as the sandstone tends to blacken with age.

I was glad my guide introduced some humour into the situation, after politely asking if that will be acceptable. According to him, it helps to associate the statues with a funny ‘story’ in order to remember them better. He dreamed up various scenarios around selected figures including references to iPads and Gucci handbags for the servants.

But it is visual overload – the detail is just overwhelming that after 15 minutes it all seems to look the same.

We headed off to the Eastern complex – 2km away. These share a garden setting with active Jain temples, are smaller and without the erotic scenery. One temple contains a beautiful black marble statue of the first Jain prophet. This religion pre-dates Buddhism and their statutes can easily be confused with that of the buddah. Difference – Jain statues wear no visible clothing on the upper body (clothed in the sky – i.e. naked) and have a diamond shape in the middle of the chest to symbolize enlightenment. I enjoyed strolling through these gardens.

After this we set out to the hotel, refreshed and returned to town for a folk dance show. Dancers in traditional costumes of the various regions performed dances originating from that region. It was very lively and colourful and made me realize that today’s Bollywood movies and the music videos playing during breakfast at the hotels have not strayed far from India’s cultural roots.

Back in the hotel I ordered Chinese (the Indians LOVE their Chinese food) and turned in for the night – way too exhausted and sick to read, blog or even enjoy the massive flatscreen tv in my room. Luckily I declined any site seeing for the next day – There is a national park close by, but I’m in Rathambore for three days, will do animals there.