Straight in Your Face

“Beauty is truth, truth beauty,- that is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know ”
(Ode on a Grecian Urn-Keats)

Achal Dhruva unearths the bewitching beauty of Khajuraho

Khajuraho is perhaps one of the most extravagant, ‘straight in your face’ libidinous works of art. The temple town in Madhya Pradesh is not only a renowned world heritage site but also one of the finest exhibits of our rich cultural and artistic traditions.

One of the Western cluster temples

Ranguan Dam

Pandav Falls

Tree top restaurant at Ken River Lodge

For one who went there expecting something of a Las Vegas ‘peep show,’ I was disappointed, as all I encountered was pure beauty. The exquisite sculptures and amazing architecture of the temples of Khajuraho, are astounding timeless works of art. And the sheer grandeur, the evocative expression and creativity captured in stone, is simply mind-boggling.

Rediscovered in this century, the magnificent edifices cluttered with scenes of erotic couplings representing a paean to life, love and joy are believed to be built over a period of 100 years from 950 AD - 1050 AD, during the rule of Chandela Rajputs. Out of the 85 original temples only 22 temples located in three clusters (Western, Eastern and Southern) have withstood the ravages of time.

Generally viewed voyeuristically, the explicit sexual motifs propagate the philosophy of the Tantric cult, which believes that gratification of earthly desires is a step towards attaining infinite liberation or nirvana. And all this was thousands of years before Alfred Kinsey published his scientific analysis of human sexuality in 1948.

Among the three groups, the Western Group is the most well preserved and most typical of Khajuraho: like the perfectly symmetrical, 31 metres high Kandariya Mahadev temple; and the Chausat Yogini and Devi Jagdamba temples, dedicated to Goddess Kali. Or Vishwanath and Lakshmana temples, typical of Khajuraho’s intricate embellishment. The Jain temple, Parswanath, in the Eastern Group has exquisite detailed carvings on its northern wall, while Chaturbhuj temple in the Southern Group (five kilometres from Khajuraho) is worth a visit for its massive, intricately carved image of Vishnu.

While the ‘sound and light’ show every evening in the Western Group gives the temples an ethereal feel, their glorious past is brought to life during the Khajuraho Festival, an annual classical dance and music extravaganza held in February. The beauty of the temples is sure to move you deeply even if it does not bring you Nirvana. While thousands flock to these epitomes of artistic beauty very few explore beyond the temple town. The area around Khajuraho abounds with places showcasing nature’s manifestation of beauty like the Raneh Falls, Pandav Falls, Benisagar Lake, Ranguan Dam, Ken River, Panna National Park and Tiger Reserve, all in a 40 kilometres radius.

Pandav Falls

As you descend into the ravine to the falls, an enchanting emerald green limpid pool with streaks of white cascading down the cliff face, the first impression is that of having stumbled upon your own private paradise, a place where you can actually hear the sound of silence, if you are lucky to be the only one around.

Located 32 kilometres from Khajuraho, the idyllic spot, according to legend is where Pandavas camped for about one and half months during their last year of exile, which they had to spend incognito. A small shrine along with sculptures of the five Pandavas is housed in a small cave above two bigger caves on the right side of the falls, which were their dwellings.

Cool and deliciously sweet water drips down right through the year from the craggy cliff face adjacent to the caves. It is believed that Arjun shot an arrow into the mountain face to draw water and it has been gushing ever since. What is mystifying is that the plateau above is arid with no trace of water anywhere.

Surrounded by thick forest, it is a dream camping site. Our idea of spending the night there was refuted by the forest guards who informed that the falls were a favourite nocturnal ‘hangout’ for bears and other big cats. They also thwarted all our attempts of jumping in the inviting pool. Thanks to their strict monitoring the falls have managed to retain their beauty despite human intervention.

Sunrise over Ken river

Raneh Falls

In contrast to the ‘poetry in motion’ of Pandav Falls, Raneh Falls on river Ken is all ‘sound and fury’. While the place comes alive with innumerable waterfalls during monsoons, there are two main falls, which are the star attractions, one a 15 metre drop and the other a 30 metre cascade, both in flow till the end of winter.

Named after King Rane Pratap, the erstwhile ruler of the area, the falls are situated in the Ken Gharyal Sanctuary, 35 kilometres from Khajuraho. In full flow, the smaller waterfall blesses the observation post bang opposite, a distance of about 20-25 metres, with its spray. The larger semi-horseshoe fall is made up of three different cascades and only one of them is visible from the viewing area.

A bit of persuasion convinced our guide to take us across the huge boulders of the river bed to the exact spot from where the water gushed over into the narrow gorge. Watching the endless torrent plunging down can be bewitching and mind-boggling. And as if to make it a picture perfect scene, a huge rainbow cut across the falls shimmering over the spray.

As we watched the spectacle, a group of monkeys seated in the shadow of the cliff face were observing us intently. Perhaps we made an interesting change of scene for them. Further downstream past the narrow rocky gorge is the Ken Gharyal Sanctuary, where one can catch a glimpse of crocs sunbathing.

Panna National Park and Tiger Reserve

"A miss is as good as a mile", but when it’s by a mere whisker it’s extremely frustrating, as nothing can be more beautiful than a visage of a tiger in his own backyard. It was most agonising when the two forest guards at the gate quizzed us excitedly, "dekha aapne?"

The duo had left on the motorbike five minutes before us from the elephant camp, located four kilometres from the gate. Halfway through, a fully grown male stepped out of a watering hole and crossed the road in front of them. Though we passed the spot few minutes later the magnificent beast had already melted in the cover of the forest and the encroaching dusk.

Elephant camp at Panna National Park

My photographer Sherwin and I had spent three hours on a safari in Panna National Park and Tiger Reserve but our quarry, the big striped cat had remained elusive. We did see the usual suspects, sambar, chital and a solitary nilgai. Though disappointed on having missed the ‘face off’ with Sher Khan we were partially consoled with the ‘up, close and personal’ interaction with the gentle giants at the elephant camp.

After a hard days work tracking tigers and ferrying tourists on their back, the six elephants, including a one and half year old baby, were ‘chilling out’ at the camp, a small clearing on the banks of Ken river. It was a treat to watch them frolic in the river and it got even better as I got to feed them their dinner, a cooked mixture of besan, rice and wheat flour rolled into big balls.

I was hesitant and a bit scared about extending my arm and placing the ball into the huge gaping pink mouth of the big daddy, 36 years old Ram Bahadur. However, those big black eyes gave me the most kindly look as he put his trunk around my shoulder gently coaxing me forward as if saying, "come on son there’s nothing to be afraid of". It is amazing how much those guys can tuck in, (they consume 10 kgs of the mixture plus chapattis each day) and soon handed over the task to the mahout. Ram Bahadur expressed his gratitude by blowing a waft of warm air in my face.

His young one, Mohan Kali, was at his playful best, running around, trying to pull his father’s leg and being a nuisance in general. The inquisitive chap frisked me thoroughly, searching all my pockets for some hidden goodies. When he found nothing, he playfully nudged me with his head. Next thing I knew, I was staring at the sky.

Even as everyone around was laughing their heads off, he peered over me extending his trunk tugging at my belt as if to haul me up. I couldn’t help screaming, "That’s all I need. Let go, I am not willing to lose my pants!" It was really heart-wrenching to leave the camp after the delightful time we had with our new-found friends, especially with Mohan Kali following us right up to the jeep to say goodbye.

The National Park (Madla Gate) located 25 kms from Khajuraho, spread over 543 square kilometres with misty valleys of Ken and Shyamari rivers, waterfalls, gorges and rich wildlife comprising wild dogs, wolf, hyena, sloth bear, leopards etc is quite dramatic.

Raneh Falls

Benisagar Lake, Ranguan Dam and Ken River Lodge

A large splash of blue on the outskirts of Khajuraho, Benisagar is a good place for bird watching and sunsets. A more picturesque setting, Ranguan Dam, is simply expansive and one can’t really spot the other end. The lake has an island with a small fortification.

Located about 30 kilometres from Khajuraho, Ranguan Dam is ideal for a laid-back day long trip. The road from the dam to the observatory point on a small hillock on the backwaters snakes along the shoreline providing sweeping vistas of the never ending expanse of water. The lake in front and the landscape of green fields against a backdrop of mountains in the distance on the other side made us want to camp forever at the observation point.

While our forever was slightly over two hours, another place, where we would have loved to put up our feet and relax till eternity, was the tree top restaurant of Ken River Lodge. The property located on the banks of River Ken and just two kilometres from Panna National Park gate offers an ideal mix of nature and relaxation for a rejuvenating holiday.

The tree top restaurant overlooking Ken river is clearly the USP of the place, which offers a host of activities from swimming to trekking and jungle safaris and luxurious tented accommodation. If nothing else the place is worth a visit to sip a chilled beer listening to the cacophony of birds returning home and watch the sun dip into river Ken in a blaze of glory.

What’s life if not for such beautiful places and moments!