Raunchy in Khajuraho, Old in Orchha

They're referred to as erotic carvings, adorning the temples in Khajuraho. Mixed in with scenes of everyday Indian life and beliefs are occasional carvings involving everything from nudity, prostitution, homosexuality, bestiality and group sex. It appears ancient India had rugby league as well.

The carvings are worth seeing for the quality of workmanship and intricate detail then for any titillation factor. Where the scenes from daily life are not, the outside of the temples are still intricately carved. These people had some serious time, skill and motivation on their hands.

Here's a carving of Ganesha, the Hindu god of luck, travel and overcoming obstacles. The jolly little fella pops up all over India. The artists detail in the carving provided for many life like details that lent softness, curve and warmth to the stone, like the hanging belly.

Me pre-op in Khahjuraho (yes mum it's a joke)

If Khajuraho had the raunch (Hindu's Gone Wild), then Orchha had the age. Artifacts from India dating back to 5th century BC are available for viewing in the Orchha museum. Many of the artifacts relate stories or connections to Buddha, who was said to have given his first session with his followers in this area. Ironically Buddhism became strong and survived only after it left India. The archaeological evidence has Buddhists, similar to Christians and Christ, believing that Buddha walked the earth and was for many years merely a normal, if royal, person.

The number of historical monuments in India is astounding, it really is an incredible place. Here workers restore a stupa (which is kinda like a temple for a stone mason with writers block).

Many sights are being restored and maintained, many others don't have the funding for this kind of work. Depending on the money and expertise available restoration work across India ranges from the finest detail and quality imaginable through to merely replacing once carved stones with plain brick of a different colour/stone type, which works none too well.

Varanassi, India's Heartbeat

Even though Udaipur and Varanassi were both cities on the water, seen in close succession, the two places were completely different in feel.














Varanssi is an important city to all Indians and holy to Hindu's. It represents their oldest unbroken location link with India's past, having been populated continuously for around 2500 years according to Western historians and around 5000 years according to the Indians.

Whereas Udaipur had a resort town kind of feel with many white painted buildings, Varanssi was grimier and more earthy. A place strong on Indian culture, it's alleyways near the water were small, dark, claustrophobic and crammed with the sights and smells of Indian life. Down by the water it was like a snapshot of the core of Indian daily life. Here you could observe aspects of commonality of routine that runs like a thread through all the disparate Indian towns and cities. Liked it. Lots.














Varanassi, by virtue of it's Venice connection is also known as a romantic city. Here a dead cow enjoys the sunrise.














On the water in the morning there were crowds of people, swimming, washing clothes and pots. The Ganges river is believed to cleanse the soul.














Being cremated and having your ashes spread here is said to be a shortcut to Nirvana. As you could understand, we weren't exactly lining up to take a dip.

This part of the Ganges is dangerously polluted, later in the trip Gwen and I were fortunate to see the clean green Ganges in Rishikesh as opposed to the polluted brown one here. Despite the pollution Varanassi had a definite appeal.

This is a funeral ghat, where cremations are conducted, photography only permitted from a distance. Laws exist here to protect female foetuses because sons are seen as far more valuable. As an example only a son can do part of the funeral ceremony that ensures the progress of the father's soul to the next life or source.















The ghats near the Ganges in Varanassi are also a powerful place for Indian families from all over the country to come and seek spiritual advice and an understanding of how the Indian bus system actually works.














Meditation, community, prayer, yoga and backflips off the surrounding banks are also daily river activities throughout India.

Udaipur, On the Water

Before arriving in Udaipur we visited the largest Jain temple in India. Jainism being a religious offshoot from Hinduism encompasses range from strict aescitism and huge compassion (carrying a broom at all times to sweep ants safely from the path of ones nasty violent feeties) through to a bit of masochistic content such as achieving a bald head annually by plucking each individual hair with the hands. The CD I had the temple photo's on has died and my back-up copy is currently on a boat somewhere on the globe hoping to find land sometime between now and 2017, so they may be seen later.

Udaipur is often described, not quite sure by who - maybe that guy that somebody always seems to know who knows somebody that does - as the Venice of India.

It represented a contrast to other places that we'd been thus far, from mainly landlocked places or small rivers at most, Udaipur is a city on the water.

Large homes, buildings and the sprawling City Palace are all located around the lake. I think from memory that the lake was created articifically and is actually quite shallow despite appeareances, having previousley been dried to the bottom for the past few years before this years monsoon season, so it was a good time to be there.

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This was one of the beautiful ornate decorated rooms within the City Palace. Cleaning has been outsourced to Burma.

In the centre of the lake the Summer Palace and the Lake Palace can be found, used by members of Indian Royalty and also as luxurious hotel accomodation.

We had a free day in Udaipur allowing us to discover the convienent wonder that is the Wishal Megamart. In tracing the evolution of the Megamart, it's important to remeber its less fantastic brethren, the humble supermarket and to acknowledge the new generation as evidenced by the "Hypermarket" I recently saw fly past me in Kochin.

It was nice to shop in the Megamart, with it's garish lighting, thin fabrics AND FIXED PRICES to have a break from having to haggle over the price of oxgen and today's exchange rate for gravity. I've noticed in all different parts of India that the staff who work in these kind of franchised places, take enormous pride in the jobs they have.

Overnight we took a train back to Delhi, the whole group enjoyed the ride with cards, drinks, lots of laughs and the world's sweatiest game of Celebrity Head.

Here I'd like to pause for a moment and thank my sponsors for the ride, Old Monk XXL Rum and Berger Orange Cream biscuits...couldn't have done it without you guys. From left in the pic, Wendy, Sue, Peter, Chow Mein Denis, The Annoying Drunk Guy from the Bunk Above, Sue, Woody, Idris, Keith and Avril

Arriving back in Delhi along the train tracks allowed us to see the local Delhi Morning Show, the similarities in content with the Today Show on nine in Oz were somewhat disturbing...

The Not-So-Rare Invisible Tiger

Rathanbore National Park was to be a highlight. Lovely hotel, complete with a collection of bizzarro swimming attire thanks to the European travellers (how you can swim in those oversized undy-type bathers is beyond me!) along with the possibility of seeing tigers in the wild had anticipation very high.
We had a very good guide on our journey's through the park. His sharp eyes quickly identified this creature as an Indian Rooster.



















...this one is apparently a baby Indian rooster.














This is a baby Indian rooster having dinner.














Some of the group went out on the trucks three times to maximise the chance of a meeting with Mr and Mrs Tiger, and while we saw a good collection of wildlife particularly on the first foray...part of the problem with wildlife reserves is that sometimes the stars forget to read the script.

So while a couple of people saw gimpses of tawny fur through the binoculars, we were a couple of times, despite being as quiet as a truck with 20 people on it can be, just moments too late.

Still we managed to live vicariousley through the excitment of a group of children who had seen a tiger. Suggestions that the kiddies jump out of their truck and point out exactly where the tigers had been, were unfortunately turned down.

For me the Bloody Mary's drunk around the pool were equally as memorable as the tigers I didn't see. This shot has no Indian roosters or tigers in it, however it's a cool photo anyways.



















Here is a bright colourful picture of the tiger I saw....








Speaking of wildlife, I have to say that India's bugs and kreepy krawlies have a level of intelligence and instinctive self-preservation that leaves the bugs in Oz looking positively remedial.

Here cockroaches fly out of your way, or depending on the situation will stand really still and pretend to be a salt and pepper shaker that has mysteriously materialised in your bathroom.

One night I tried to swipe this bug off my leg, (it's antenae span was as wide, if not wider then my shin and calf) and I shit you not that the cheeky bugger told me off in a squeaky kind of chirpy voice, that was loud and demonstrated both an impressive vocabulary and a sound grasp of regional politics.

If you look closely you can see that he also had a smile and a wink for the camera.

Shivpuri

This particular post is a long way out of sequence (due to my CD Rom's being a 6 hour train ride away), but since I'm still a long way to catching up with where we're at presently I'm going to post anyways.

As best I can recollect these pictures are from Shivpuri. These are some nightime photo's taken of the cenotaphs built as memorials for dead Hindu royalty.



















It was a bit late by the time I got there, so I kind of accidently jumped a couple of walls and had a wander with a torch to get these shots.



















There were numerous cenotaphs scattered around the shoreline which made for quite a powerful, eery and yes a little scary setting in the dark. A great place to film some sort of thriller or horror film.



















This somewhat more sunny picture is of a ruin, also in Chanderi I think. There were about 3 stories of the structure remaining but in its pomp it was about 7 stories high. Even as a ruin the symetry archways and staircases was very impressive. If you look closely it also came complete with it's very own vertigo immune, laconic "guard dog".

Jodhpur and Luni

After Khejarla we moved on to Jodhpur, also know as the blue city, blue being the colour of Brahmin or those of the preist caste. The trend of painting houses blue, as trends by nature do, seems to have spread somewhat. "Just go straight down this road and turn left at the blue house...".This is a view of Jodhpur showing the lower portion of the fort and the town itself.














The forts of India range in size from small to massive, locations from the accesible to the unassailable depending on factors such as the wealth and resources possessed by those requiring it to be built and the degree of threat posed by rivals. The Mehrangarh fort was one of the biggest we saw. Assaulting this momma would not have been fun.














From Jodhpur we drove on to Luni, which was a very small town yet it sported a very impressive luxurious hotel, behind a large wall and gate. I can only think it must be nicely located as a key stopover on the way to somewhere.

I forget what the name of this particular festival was, but that night the villagers were rocking along to the local 'Gerba' dance under lights. There is no nightime curfew for kids here, they went on dancing away, singing and clicking sticks until early the next morning!

Some of the local kids suggested I get up and go for a dance, clearly they had either never actually seen me dance or alternatively were keen to clear the place out early.














The price of banana's had everyone a bit bummed...

Village Walk In Khejarla

India is a massively diverse country. In a nation of well over a billion people (a bit of a vague number but you get the gist) with a population density of some 300+ people to the square km'er - Australia is something like 14 - the population finds many ways to express and mantain their individuality.

I've enjoyed seeing how villages within a few kilometres of each other can still be very distinct yet unmistakebly Indian. They all have different ways of dressing, everying thing from hairstyles, head coverings and facial hair can have noticeable differences, in addition buildings, vehicles and demeanour distiniguish different places.

One of my favourite experiences during the first couple of weeks was where we visted a small village called Khejarla (as always corrections are welcome). There we were hosted at small fort by a gentlemen who was a prince, the son of the current living Raj for this area. The prince was an excellent and gratious host, one of those individuals that you sometimes meet and leave thinking about what a class act they are. It was clear walking around how much his people respected and loved him, likewise he treated young and old alike with courtesy, respect and warmth.

It took me the below pic from the fort to finally work out why parents tell their children not to throw rocks into the pool.














During the evening the prince took us for a walk through the village. Here, away from the tourist path we were able to enjoy the peacefullness of the Indian people and the warmth they offer to strangers without the previousley inevitable request for baksheesh (money for beggars) or persistent requests to buy goods. I have to date now been offered to buy 1,234,312 pashmina shawls.

This lady was just chilling in her compound, her daughters asked me inside to take this photo after I had taken one of them. Indians love digital cameras because they can see the captured moment instantly. The women make big smiles for the camera while the men stand serious and to attention. For the children the object of the game seems to be to take front posi at any costs and to squeeze as many into the frame as possible. Even though she was just sorting some grains, this lady was immaculately presented as most Indian women are, in her jewellery and colourful clothing.














The prince took us up to the village temple where the villagers, in addition to making their spirtual offerings were also playing, climbing and just plain old having a good time. This is a view of the figurine inside the temple.



















Although the Raj was the head of the village, the animals have their own thoughts about who really owned the place...

Pushkar

The sight of a large group of camels being herded along the side of the road, along with a developing sparseness and dryness in the landscape hearalded our approach to Pushkar. I don't know what it is, but camels are kinda cute. They smell rank, can be bad tempered, spit, piss and shit without concern for where it lands, yet they're still lovable. I guess it must be akin to the attraction of the Aussie male.

Pushkar is held to be a holy place by Hindu's. It was disapointing though that the idea of spirituality is often hijacked at these kind of spots by opportunists. At the lake in Pushkar, a local man became irate (as the guide book said they would) when we wouldn't give him money for him to bless us, saying that we obviousley didn't care about the welfare of our families and friends. It put a dampener on the lake viewing, our tour guide was busy being a chocolate teapot. However that "spiritual bully" has to live with the negativity of his actions.

Although I've had cold showers for 10 out of the last 12 days (I'm fatalistic about the possibility of number 11 tomorrow) and have experienced some rank toilets, I have also been spoilt at times. This is the view from the hotel pool on our first night in Pushkar.










Night two in Pushkar and our "night in the desert", was a little bit less than we expected. Think of a sleep over in a sandpit and you'll be on the money. It was good fun though.










Slightly different to expectations as well was our camel "safari" which lasted for all of about 90 minutes, judging by the stretched hammies and groins around the place it's probably a good thing we weren't on camel back for two days. The decidely uncomfortable pilot of "Jungle Johnny" sitting in front of me is Maureen, forever known by her offical Indian title of "Mama Chapati".










Later, some of the camels wanted to make a statement about the hefty blokes they'd been forced to carry...










Others were content to just sit and look pretty for their glamour shots...














That night after a candlelit dinner we had a music and dance performance by a group of Indian gypsies.










Unlike the puppet show crowd, these guys went made an effort to really put on an entertaining performance and also looked to be enjoying themselves. The dancers, costumes and music were all good, capped off with a fire-breathing finale.










It wasn't until you got up close that you realised how absolutely petite both the gypsy men and women were, it was like a happy-go lucky Hobbit party.











Cheers!

Kuchaman Fort

No visit to India would be complete without mention of the ever present emporiums, also known as "emboriums". Essentially the emporiums function as a show room for the local crafts, such as rugs, jewellery, marble work and often a selection of other work from all corners of India. At the upper end of the price range the quality of the work was absoloutely stunning. Usually the good stuff was handmade, individual pieces such as rugs or wall hangings may have taken months to complete. On the tour we visited many, many of these; so much so that some nights I still wake up screaming having heard the sound of yet another bloody Kashmiri rug being loudly rolled out for inspection in my nightmares. It would have been less fatiguing had the sales people not been all over you should have so much at blinked at an object in the shop.














We stayed in a variety of types of accomodation, from hotels to tents, forts and sleeper trains. I think for me it started to feel like something special when we jumped in some jeeps and rode up to the hilltop fort where would be staying for the night. I'm a little bit hazy around place names (last night I found a restruant with 650ml beers for 70R, which is about $2...) but I'm pretty sure the first fort we stayed in was Kuchaman Fort which overlooked the town below.


















Having a few beers in the evening after a swim in the underground pool, whilst watching the sunset over the town, was very memorable. The chappies in the pic are Sandy, Woody (a.k.a my name is NOT Branton, and sure as shit not Braaaaaahnton) and Mohamouad (yes, his real name). Later on a man-boob competition broke out, poor Mohamouad didn't stand a chance. In the interests of taste that particular photo won't be published.














The interior work in Kuchaman Fort as well as in many of the palaces and temples was often very ornate, detailed, beautiful.














Ganesh is the popular Hindu god of new beginnings, travellers and overcomer of obstacles. Hindu tradition involves an offering to the deity, such as Ganesh, in return for safe travel etc. Incense or food is the norm. Here however Woody had just finished offering a Dunhill Gold in preparation for our departure from Kuchaman.