Khajuraho- Absolutely Amazing..!!

Finding a title for this blog was tough as it is very difficult to capture the entire essence of Khajuraho in one adjective. Whenever we hear about Khajuraho, the one aspect which gets highlighted in our mind is- its erotic sculpture depicting the various poses from Kamasutra.
After visiting this place, I can say that there is definitely something more to add to its credit. The sculptures do not only depict the erotic postures, but also explain how the day to day life used to be in those days. Marriage processions, people singing and dancing in happiness, elephant fights, various avatars of lord Vishnu, Ganesha statues...and what not. The temples in Khajuraho are classified in 3 groups- Western, Southern and Eastern. Out of these, the western group is the most well maintained ones and attracts the major proportion of tourists.The western group consists of temples- Lakshmana temple, Kandariya Mahadev temple, Jagdamba temple, Chitragupta Temple, Vishwanath temple, Chausath Yogini temple.

Kandariya Mahadev temple

We got down at Mahoba station early morning and reached Khajuraho by 10:30am. After having light refreshments from the hotel restaurant, we headed for exploring the temple groups. The temples are properly maintained by the MP tourism department, some were also undergoing renovation. The temples depict the excellence in craftsmanship during the ancient era of the Chandela dynasty.The outer side of all the temples depict the various activities of day to day life- like warriors proceeding for battle field, sword fights, celebrations, various dance postures and of course,status where women are being embraced by their male partners,depicting various love-making postures. Apart for these , there are also statues of Hindu Gods and Goddesses- Ganesha, Durga, Lakshmi, status showing various incarnations of Lord Vishnu.

Carvings on the pillars of the Khajuraho temples

The inside of the temples have a mandap(flat platform) , with pillars having carvings of nymphs and royal men and women, shown as offering prayers, and worshiping the statue of the God kept in the inner sanctum. There are narrow corridors around the inner sanctum is used by the devotees for circling around the deity, as this a common ritual followed while offering prayers to Gods and Goddesses.The temple ceilings are beautifully sculptured just like any other part of the temples. All the temples in Khajuraho have the same theme and almost similar architecture. Each temple is dedicated to different God and Goddess.

Art at its best

The Lakshmana temple which is on the left side after entering the premises is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The garbha-griha(inner sanctum) has a large statue of Vishnu, considered to be the 'Organizer' of this world in Hindu mythology.
The Chausath Yogini temple id dedicated to Goddess Kali.
The Kandhariya Mahadev temple, as is evident from its name, is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It was built by the Chandela king to mark his victory over Mahmud Ghazni.Adjacent to it is the Jagdamba temple dedicated to Goddess Parvati. Next to Jagdamba temple is the Chitragupta temple, dedicated to Lord Surya, the Sun God. His majestic idol can be seen riding a chariot, carved on a stone base.A little far away is the Vishwanath temple. This temple has a Shiva linga inside it . There is a large statue of Nandi outside the Vishwanath temple, facing the Shiva linga.

The Nandi in front of Vishwanath temple

After exploring these magnificent monuments of ancient archeological supremacy, we headed to explore what nature had in store at Khajuraho. The Raneh falls are a little distance away from the city of Khajuraho. These falls are in full flow during monsoon.The river Ken(pronounced as 'Cane') rushes through the rocky canyon of granite and dolomite rocks, forms a waterfall at the ridges of this sharp canyon. The Ken also hosts alligators and crocodiles and there are some very good viewpoints to see them in the river.

River Ken

In the evening we went for the sound and light show, organized by the MP Tourism Board and narrated by none other than Amitabh Bachchan. He speaks the voice of the sculpturers of Khajuraho, the creators of this historical treasure. The story revolves around how and what circumstances encouraged the Chandelas for building temples at Khajuraho, how the temples underwent destruction during the invasion of Mahmud Ghazni. After many years of their anonymity, it was British Captain Burt who once again revealed them to the modern world.
In spite of the partially destructed sculptures and only a few temples from the lot remaining today,still they have retained their charm and silently elocute the history they have witnessed so far. In one phrase, they are simply amazing..!!

Marvellous...!!

How to Reach:
By Train: From Delhi reach Jhansi. There are a lot of trains for this route. Buses both private as well as good luxury buses of MP Tourism run from Jhansi to Khajuraho.
Alternatively, one can get down at Mahoba, and then hire a cab to reach Khajuraho in 2 hours.
A new railway station is coming up at Khajuraho itself.
By Air: Khajuraho has its own airport, there are direct flights from Delhi to Khajuraho.

Where to stay:
There are good and well maintained hotels run by MP Tourism at Khajuraho. They also provide the facility of online bookings and are very much affordable.
There are also several other hotels, including major hotels like Radisson in the city area.

Bandhavgarh- where tigers rule

Ever since we visited the Corbett national park, I and my husband have developed a deep liking for wildlife adventure trip. This time we specifically wanted to see more of tigers...as many as possible, as close as possible, and what can be a better place than Bandhavgarh, which is considered to be housing a good portion of tiger population in India.

Tiger in Bandhavgarh

Bandhavgarh is located in Madhya Pradesh and is famous for having the highest density of tigers in India. This national park is open from October till June for tourists. We visited Bandhavgarh during the Diwali holidays of 2008 October. We took a cab ride from Khajuraho at 8:00am to reach Bandhavgarh at 2:00pm. The journey though a tiring one, could not stop us from having the evening safari on the same day. There are 3 entry gates to the Bandhavgarh national park- amongst them Tala is considered to be the best with respect to the abundance of wild animals, naturally beautiful landscape, etc. The tourists can enjoy the safari in open gypsy, following the natural trails inside the forest land watching the wild by themselves. Spotting the tigers during evening safari is a matter of luck which is most of the time in favor of the visitors, simply because of the high density of tigers in the region.

Jeep safari in forest trail

The moment we entered the forest, we were greeted by a heard of spotted deers...which are in abundance in the entire forest area. As we moved on, we spotted a jackal coming from the opposite, looking equally curious as we were. It seemed to be in a hurry and immediately opted to go into the bushes and search for its food. Just then a gypsy came from the opposite direction and the driver informed us "Show khatam ho gaya..." which he meant that tigers were spotted, but have now moved inside deep jungle....ohh...we just missed by few minutes!.. :(..
There were only lucky few who could spot the tigers that evening. As we met our "alikes" proceeding further, the feeling of discontent ultimately vanished and hopes to spot tigers next morning were building up. The evening safari lasts for 3 hours, from 2:30pm-5:30pm. All the jeeps have to come out of the forest and report at the gate at 5:30 pm sharp, otherwise penalty charges are observed.

Spotted deers posing for photograph

After having a good nap that night, we woke up early in the morning for the morning safari which starts at 6:30am. We reached the forest gate at 6:00am to find a long queue of gypsy with enthusiasts from all corners of the world. Bandhavgarh has such popularity that it draws people from all around the world. As the clock struck 6:30am, the vehicles rushed through the forest gate, to begin a new search.....fresh search to see the wild in their wilderness. Of course, we were again greeted by the heard of spotted deers, but could also see wild boar, sambhars, and wide variety of avian fauna- Lesser Adjutant Stork, Red Wattled Lapwing, Crow Pheasant, Fantail, Serpent Eagle, King vulture, Parakeet Alexandrine, Green Bee Eater, White Heron, to name a few. As we moved ahead, we saw some gypsys standing close to each other trying to locate something inside the bamboo forest. There is a tiger lying on the grass!! Another one was sitting and resting under a nearby tree. All of us were so thrilled for we had spotted tigers ourselves...:). It was a great feeling..as if something great has been achieved!! Immediately all the gypsy drivers rushed their vehicles to reach the 'Center Point'- an area in the middle of the forest for having some refreshments, snacks, and above all...to get the tokens for the tiger show which is done with the help of trained elephants. The elephant rides are organized by the forest department and are very popular here, because they take the visitors very close to the tiger spot, which in turn gives good photography options. We could see the tigress with 2 cubs. The cubs were 18-19 months old, as told by the mahaout(one who guides the elephant). Our mahaout made some sound, to which the tigress reacted with a huge roar, enough to scare us humans.

Tigress enjoying the sunbath

Having taken some wonderful pictures and videos of this majestic creature , we moved on to explore the other areas in the forest. The morning safari ended at 10:30 am . After having lunch, we again went for the evening safari, this time we saw the Sesh shaiya - A 10th century statue of Lord Vishnu resting on Sheshnag. The river Charanganga which flows though the forest of Bandhavgarh, originates from the feet of this Lord Vishnu statue.

Sesh shaiya-10th century Lord Vishnu statue

The other place we saw was the Badi Gufa, which was used by the kings of Bandhavgarh to have secret meetings. These are the only two places inside the forest, where visitors are allowed to get down from the jeep. The Bandhavgarh fort is another good place to visit, it is on the mountain top , for which again separate permit has to be taken from the forest gate.

We took two more safaris for enjoying the forest wildlife, and could manage to see some rare species of spiders, a common vine snake and of course the supreme of all wild animals..Tiger. The spiders can be colorful too..:).

A colorful Giant Wood Spider

The wilderness of Bandhavgarh is incomparable. The landscape, rich fauna and well administered forest sightseeing is a memorable experience for lifetime. For more pictures of Bandhavgarh, visit my picasa album.
http://picasaweb.google.co.in/sonali.mukherjee/BandhavgarhNationalPark

Sunrise in Bandhavgarh

Best Time to visit: October- June. Summers are best time to view the tigers. Watch towers at Chakradhara and other areas in the forest can be good view points for tiger viewing.

How to Reach:
By train: Umaria is the nearest railway station. Direct train from Delhi- Utkal express. From Umaria private taxi can be hired or even the hotels arrange for pickups. Katni is another major junction nearby having connectivity with other cities in India.

Nearest airport: Jabalpur, Khajuraho.

Where to stay:
There are large number of resorts, hotels outside the forest gate. MP Tourism forest guest house is also there, offering the facility of online bookings. Local eateries in the Tala area offer good Indian food.

Useful Tips:

• Tigers in Bandhavgarh can be spotted in most unexpected trails. Take a route not frequented by other jeeps. Tigers donot come out of their hides when there is noise around.The chances of a chance encounter with a tiger is higher where there are lesser number of vehicles.
• Only 45 gypsies are allowed per gate. Book at least one trip in advance, ie, if you wish for the next morning safari, book for the permit while you are coming out of the gate after the evening safari.
• Carry plenty of cash, as there are no ATM in Tala.
• A good binocular is a must for any wildlife trip.
• The general rates for each gypsy ride is Rs.1000 per safari. The rates may vary during special time of the year- New year, etc. There are separate charges for permit for entrance into the forest area, elephant ride for tiger show, etc. The rates are different for Indian nationals and foreign tourists.
• The early mornings and late evenings can be very chilling even in early October. Its handy to carry some woolen clothes along with regular ones.
  

Chitrakote- The unforgettable experience

I was born and brought up in Bhilai, Chhattisgarh. But inspite of that fact, this was the first time I got a chance to explore the beauty of my own place...this was my first visit to the Chitrakote waterfall, a mesmerizing experience just a few kms away from the town of Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh.

The moment I had the first glimpse of this majestic waterfall, I was sure that this will be an unforgettable experience throughout my life. The Chitrakote waterfall is formed when the river Indravati falls from a height of 100ft and forms an arc shaped fall. Irrespective of which time of the year one visits this place, a rainbow can always be seen just at the place where the waterfall merges with the riverbed. Anoop, my husband was lucky enough to capture this in our camera as can be seen in the picture.

Rainbow Formation- Chitrakote Waterfalls

There are stairs to descend to the bottom of the fall and reach upto the Indravati...after it forms a riverbed. One can then get the real experience of this gigantic waterfall. The roaring sound made by the fall, adds to its magnificent beauty.

Chitrakote Waterfalls bottom view

After having this wonderful experience, we headed for the Tirathgarh waterfalls and the Kutumsar caves, where the stalactite and stalagmite formation form a natural scene of beauty. Since it was early October, the caves were closed for the tourists since monsoon fills the inside of the caves with rainwater, making it difficult for the visitors to walk through the caves. So we moved forward to enjoy the Tirathgarh waterfall. Both Tirathgarh waterfall and Kutumsar caves are in the region of the Kanger valley national park, almost 2 hours distance from the Chitrakote waterfall. Tirathgarh added to our adventurous trip , as it was all together a different experience. This stream of water falls from several levels, and hence there is a series of falls. There are staircases leading till the bottom of the fall.

Tirathgarh Waterfalls

While descending through these steps, one can see huge waterfall formation of this crystal clear mountain water stream. Several small and huge waterfalls can be seen in this entire stretch which altogether give you a picturesque experience.

Tirathgarh Waterfalls

Having experienced all this, it was now time for us to return to Delhi. But the wonderful memories of the Chitrakote as well as Tirathgarh would always stay with us.
More pictures of Chitrakote, Tirathgarh can be found in the link: http://picasaweb.google.com/sonali.mukherjee/Chitrakote_Tirathgarh

How to Reach:
Chitrakote is 40 kms from Jagdalpur which is approx 300 kms south of the state capital- Raipur. Raipur is well connected with all metro cities by flights, trains.

Best time to visit:
Around the year. The falls are in their majestic best during and after the monsoon. The Kutumsar caves are open from November till June.

Where to stay:
There are large number of hotels in and around the city of Jagdalpur with affordable room rates. Bookings are readily available.

Normally the local jeeps/ cabs in Jagdalpur take approx. Rs.1500 to tour all these places. The hotel helpdesk can arrange for such facilities.