A Little Story About This Famous Place

The last story I told was of the harrowing trip through no mans land on the day of Holi. I ended the tale with my arrival in Khajuraho.

 

It was a pleasant city to visit. The traffic wasn’t too crazy. The streets were lined with a great deal of tourist trinkets for sale, but the vendors discretely hawked their wares.

 

I noticed a sign for a folk dancing show and the owner of the tour company was happy to get tickets for me. The show was colorful, charming and professional. The costumes were in brilliant colors of gold, green and red. A stage curtain showed scenes from the Indian desert. Camels and sand dunes were the theme. Such a different side of India than the one I was seeing. Visual scenes like this entice me to consider new trips and this one did. I’ll show you that area of India soon.

 

The next day I headed over to see the famous erotic temples of Khajuraho. I had no idea what to expect. I stood for several minutes waiting for my ticket to be processed and the tour owner to fetch a guide. I peered through the gate and the area seemed peaceful enough. And then we entered.

 

There were no tour buses. The grounds consisted of well-manicured gardens and lovely pathways. It was a very refined and elegant World Heritage site. In the early morning hours, the air was relatively cool. Only a few Indian visitors could be seen strolling through the winding pathways. I was thrilled.

 

I followed my guide to the first temple he wanted to show me. He was an older man, whose face told a story of struggles. It was obvious he had rehearsed the dialog he was sharing with me. I admire local guides who have studied such long hours in order to tell the historical stories of a famous place in a second language. His voice was low and soothing at the first temple.

 

Then we went to the next temple. It was the beginning of the erotic reliefs. His voice was changing slightly and he seemed to be more agitated. Then he began pointing out the figures. He pointed to a woman and told he in a voice, now elevated and very emotional, that this was a woman because you could see her breasts.

 

Oh my, I thought! My peaceful morning has just taken a strange twist. I wanted to enjoy this peaceful park. I want to take pictures, I want to stroll, reflect and ponder. If he was already, in a state of heightened awareness what will happen when we reach the figures engaged in sexual acts.

 

I decided to do something I’ve never done before. I calmly said to him in a very courteous manner that I would like to enjoy the park alone, in order to take pictures. He didn’t seem too disappointed and then I added that I would like to compensate him for his time. We agreed that he would wait for me as I exited.

 

And so it was, that I calmly explored the park at my leisure, sans the drama. He was waiting for me at the entrance. I gave him a generous tip for his effort and for accommodating me. We smiled and parted ways.

 

Done