Back to INDEX-page

Did you see it on TV? This big Indian triumph. We were in Dehli when the Indian team won from Pakistan on the World cup Cricket 2007. Firecracker bombing! Honking concert! Jubilations, screaming… The luck of India was insatiable. The heath in Delhi still amounting… We searched for coolness in the metro, which is new in Dehli, and with air co. And in the evening we took the Shatabti express train to Jahnsi, a luxurious air co drive with breakfast. A ramshackle bus brought us further to Khajurao where we suffered for the first time of the phenomenon ‘friendly, insistent, desperate, sticky, smiling, unreliable Indy’s. Steve speaks of the existence of a collective lying alliance. We have the  intention to make a list of examples and to dedicate a column at it. Example: the station is closed, the bus is cancelled, you have to take a taxi (expensive).

 

But all those temples here!

So remote, so sparkling youthful, even as they are a 1000 years old. Spread over this little town and the pastures around it you find these conic, egg shaped towers dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma, Jain prophets… They are decorated with geometric patterns, floral shapes, often there is a globe on top. These architectural forms are a pleasure for the eye, but even more suggestive are the numerous princes and nymphs in stone sculptures around the outer walls of the temples. Only dressed in pearls and ribbons they perform their perfect bodies in graceful poses. We recently read in ‘the times of India’ that a plastic surgeon had ‘invented’ the perfect breast. He probably found his inspiration here. Sculptors over then had a fascinating life: attacking elephants, nymphs covered with flower petals, nymphs showing gracefully their bottom, slow camels, sturdy princes, fighting men, tender embracing couples, nymphs seductively stretching , flute blowers, dancers balancing their hips, and further ‘miscellaneous scenes’ as was mentioned on a signboard and which meant rather spicy positions. It all looks like a paradise full of lovely shapes, abundant playfulness and provocation displayed with a lively precision. Indescribably beautiful.

 

Now we are in Varanasi. It’s a swirling world of busy temples, Holy bathing places at the Ganges (the Ganga), even more Indy’s as we described earlier, beggars, lots of cows, a plenitude of impressions, that has its saturating limit, as Ulrike discovered. Here beauty goes hand in hand with an enormous activity and decay. Nepal will do us good to recover our breath…

Very early this morning we took a boat that took us along the banks of the Ganges, to see the ritual bathing, offerings and the cremations at sun rise.

We also visited Sarnath, an archaeological site where Buddha gave his first ‘teachings’. He was looking for a peaceful place amongst the little deers.

Tonight we’ll take the night train heading for the Nepal boarder and tomorrow night we should normally arrive at Kathmandu.

You will find the pictures of the temples of Khajuro on this link: http://picasaweb.google.com/steve.ulrike/Khajurao

Love!

Report from 29/09/2007, translated by Mieke.