Welcome to Bundelkhand. A relatively virgin land. When we hear the word Khajuraho, the first thing that comes to our mind is a three letter word. Some more learned people think about a nine letter word (no prizes for guessing ‘kamasutra’.)When I put my sole on this territory, I was proven wrong. I won’t say this is out of the world, but its definitely more than what some B grade or even better Hindi movies picture it as. Yes, it’s a land of temples. And the temples are not just dedicated to Kamasutra or Vatsyayna. Though in a true sense these are not temples as no pooja is performed these days and they are professionally managed by the archaeological society of India.
I took a Shatabdi Exp. From Delhi to Jhansi (leaves 6:15 am, arrives 11 am; Rs. 545/-pp). It’s probably the fastest of the lot (Shatabdi’s). The food they serve leaves a lot to be desired. They serve the breakfast at 7:30 am and thus the first thing you do after getting down at Jhansi is to look for a real fast Burger/sandwich and a tea/coffee. Unfortunately in Shatabdi, unlike other trains, you don’t have an option of buying stuff as per your wishes.
Now, the first struggle appeared as I got down the train. I was surrounded by hordes of touts/taxiwallahs and I literally had to find my way ignoring them. Believe me, it becomes difficult to ignore them, as they get to your nerves. Unfortunately there is no good ‘luxury’ bus service from Jhansi to Khajuraho and thus you are in the hands of these very touts and taxiwallahs just waited for sometime, for the crowd to clear. And I found the rates suddenly dropped. This is because as the tourists (esp. foreigners) find their way out, these taxiwallahs have no one but you to take. From Rs 2000/- for a Khajuraho drop (180kms, four hours) they came down to Rs 1400 or a next day return trip for 2700. The price was fixed at Rs 1350/- for a drop. This is probably a mistake which I did as booking for a return becomes more comfortable (that includes sight seeing in Khajuraho too, so probably it becomes cheaper).
This area is going through a drought as there have been no rains for the last three years and thousands of people have fled the area for employment in Haryana, Punjab and Delhi. As you travel through this region, you can see the barren fields on both sides of the road which according to my driver bore fruits few years back.
We reached Khajuraho in the evening (delayed one hour by a political rally in chhatarpur on the national highway). I thought of relaxing through the evening as I was tired. The taxiwallah was a nice man and he suggested me Hotel Surya which was in my budget range. All except me in the hotel were foreigners.
The Hotel is owned by Jains (though I didn’t meet them, it was evident by the paintings of Jain deities in the hotel.) The hotel manager Mr. Choubey is a sensible man and was the best person I found in Khajuraho for guidance. He suggested we visit the Light and Sound show (6:30 PM, entry Rs 75/- pp; 45mins), which was not out of the world but is a creditable effort by the Madhya Pradesh Tourism. It’s particularly a better place to spend the evening. Take woolens as it gets particularly cold in the open.
On the way back to the hotel, I had my dinner at the Raja Café (meals around Rs 100-150/- pp). The menu was not extensive, but who travels to Khajuraho from Delhi to satisfy the taste buds. Anything was OK.
Next day we visited the Temples of Khajuraho. I suggest that you do justice to the heritage of this small town and spend a full day for these. (Half a day for the Western group and the rest for others.) Don’t be in a hurry to walk around. And take a guide for the whole day. (Costs around Rs 400/-). Alternatively you can walk through the audio guide tour. ( Rs 50/-, max 2 Hrs). The audio tour would probably not fire the neurons so a guide is always better.
Same day I took a bus back to Orchha. Orchha is 18 kms from Jhansi, 10 kms before Jhansi you take a left (8 kms from there). This place has better hotels than Khajuraho. (I am not saying Khajuraho doesn’t have good ones, it has a Radisson. I meant hotels in my budget.)
If you are coming by bus from Khajuraho, do arrange for a pick up at the Orchha Mor (esp. at night) as tempos are hard to find by. Another reason, for a return taxi to be hired from Jhansi.
Orchha is a small village with a couple of palaces, some 16th-17th century temples and a river rafting point on Betwa River. The people here are very charming and become friendly in a minute of talk. Fortunately, there aren’t many touts around.
Mr. Choubey (of Hotel Surya, Khajuraho) suggested Hotel Ganpati in Orchha, which was in my budget and also arranged for a pick up from Orchha Mor. This property has about 12-15 good rooms. Rooms are spotless and have bathtubs. There is