TAKE OFF birth of the Chandela dynasty and its cultural influence here—the temples were built under their patronage—a legacy of incredible sculptural detail. They are described now in two groups: a western group of temples that is largely Hindu in detail, and an eastern one that is of possible Jain inspiration though their collective impact is what is truly heady. The sheer size of the Lakshmana and the Kandariya Mahadev overwhelmed me— with multiple spires building up to their colossal sikharas in the centre. They are also the best preserved and most famous of the temples (both in the western group). You will feel tempted to stay on in Khajuraho for more than just a day, if only to soak in the sights, but if you can time your visit to coincide with the annual week long festival of dance in March, you will witness some of India’s finest exponents of classical dance perform open-air with the floodlit temples as
of folk ballads unique to the region that chronicle the deeds of popular contemporary heroes. If you are travelling through here during the monsoons, you may chance upon a performance by a bardic community known as ‘alhets’ whose ballads or ‘raso’ are an oral tradition which may be recited in any of the many local dialects (Bundeli, Bagheli, Awadi, Bhojpuri, etc) to the accompaniment of some rare folk percussion instruments like the timaki, jhinka, and manjira. The most popular among these is the ‘Parmal raso’, which is credited to a poet Jagnayak from the court of the of the 12th Century Chandela Raja ‘Parmal’—not surprising that it is largely a narrative of this king’s bravery and tales of his exploits. This same Jagnayak (Jagnik) is also believed to have composed the ‘Alha Khand’, a series of verses that describe the many fabled efforts (some 52 in all) of two war heroes ‘Alha’ and ‘Udal’ who interestingly
Panna National Park and Tiger Reserve I was less adrenalised by then however, and decided against making this last leg, finishing my tour with a visit to the nearby Panna National Park and Tiger Reserve whose two recent tiger imports are part of a relocation exercise aimed at filling a void left by poachers. You can hire a Gypsy (the Maruti Suzuki variety) at the park entrance at Madla village and don’t be shy to bargain or name your price, as I found it to be all very flexible (helps if you are a group however). Don’t be disappointed if you can’t spot the big cats here though, there’s enough other wildlife to keep you thrilled: nilgai and sambhar especially thrive here, and there is a wonderful diversity of birds and reptiles. I was amazed to watch as a painted stork proceeded to battle with and then devour a large snake not far from where we (our group on safari) entered. Like a dance, the drama played
woman selling colours in the Ram temple square
Sambhar crossing path
backdrop.There are any number of guesthouses and cafes whose menu cards read in many languages and cuisines. In fact, unlike most temple towns in India, I was surprised to find some non-vegetarian food in some restaurants. Get on a cycle (there’s lots of them for hire) and bike around the countryside a bit, or take a stroll before sunset, it’s an extremely tranquil and pleasant setting. Something to look out for is a tradition
fought in the service of this brave king Parmal. For the indefatigable traveler, there is a further fortress worth the distance at Kalinjar (130kms I was told) that predates even the Chandelas, although they too did govern from here initially. It is a terrific specimen of the early Rajput hill-fortress and is where the Pashtun conqueror Sher Shah Suri later met his end.
itself out and we watched as it reached its remarkable end, symbolic perhaps that my journey had come full circle. And so, it was on to Rewa for me from here and a wedding in true Rajput style to cap off my adventures in the Bundelkhand. ‘Hindustan Ka Dil Dekho’ they say— and you must—but come with time on your hands and truly journey through this heartland, it’s a most heart warming experience.
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