Some of the other game spotted at Bandhavgarh National Park were different deer, and jackals in the brush …View image…and alongside the road. Jackals are supposed to be difficult to spot but we saw them almost every day.

Our naturalist spotted tiger tracks right next to the road and we circled (and swept) the entire park many times looking for this big male with no luck. Up and down hills, around the worker’s homes, looking into every bush…still no tiger in sight. The naturalist could tell the tiger had been lying there for a long time by the depth of the paw indentations. This was one big guy!

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After our morning game drive was over (no tigers spotted today), it was another 6+ hour drive to Khajuraho.

During this long drive, we saw people throwing boxes on top of mini-buses as well as riding there…View image…..cows sitting in the middle of, and alongside, the road…View image…men selling immense amounts of garlic bulbs…

Riding in a car through India can be as interesting as scheduled sightseeing. Khajuraho finally appeared along with our hotel, the Taj Chandela. Personal opinion – It was nice…the people were wonderful but the Taj chain itself seems to be going downhill.

Sightseeing was scheduled for that afternoon, but we were incredibly dirty and exhausted because our car had non-working airconditioning . You don’t want to be on Indian roads with the windows rolled down…not fun. Also, the Khajuraho Sound and Light Show started at 7:00pm and that would be our only chance to see it.

The Sound and Light Show (held every night) took place at the Western Group of Temples. and documents the history and culture of Khajuraho over the past 4000 years. The Temples were lit beautifully but we thought the narration was a bit on the hokey side. There happened to be a big night market going on in town…too pooped and too late to visit after the Sound and Light Show. Boo-hoo….But the next day…

Khajuraho is famous for its remarkable complex of temples built between 950 and 1050AD under the Chandela kings. Only 25 survive out of the original 85 and each is dedicated to different deities.

The temples were lost among the forest for centuries and accidentally discovered by a British army engineer in 1858. …View image…A “lost” and “found” history similar to Angkor Wat. Khajuraho’s erotic temple sculptures account for less than 10% of the total carvings, but that is what most people think of when they hear the word…Khajuraho.

The Western Temples deserve to be one of India’s major attractions and their remarkable sculptures were unique. It was worth the drive and extra days added to our trip.