Khajuraho to Varanasi

We arrived in Khajuraho somewhat traumatised. I’m not sure any of us were prepared for the overnight train in 3rd class. After dropping our bags off at the semi-rural Payal Hotel, we headed for an assortment of Hindu and Jain temples. They were reminiscent of Angkor Wat. Built over a thousand years ago, there were originally 85 temples, but only 25 still remain spread over 2.3 square miles in what can only be described as a highly attractive lawned setting.

In 1986 they made the UNESCO World Heritage list. Our guide spent most of the tour on one particular temple – Lakshmana Temple which had numerous stone carvings of the Kama Sutra which was written around the 2nd century. Google searches aren’t clear about just how many positions there are, but some say there were 64 originals. Updates have seen that number swell to 245, and some people claim up to 400.

The following day we headed for Orchha a few hours away and visited Jahangir Mahal and the Raj Mahal – two palaces next to one another. Both were a little scruffy in my opinion, but it’s not easy following the Taj Mahal.

The next activity was a cooking demonstration which was about as appealing as an overnight train ride in third class, so I ducked out and went back to the main town of Orchha to see what I could find. It was a busy place and I met a number of interesting people including a musician with a one stringed instrument, and a street vendor who could speak several European languages.

I rejoined the group for lunch (although I didn’t deserve it). I felt like the prodigal son returning. Anyway, nice lunch and a very gracious host.

We headed to the Raj Mahal Hotel for a few hours prior to us getting another overnight train. I had a massage. Apparently, it’s a man on man, woman and woman in India. He was a little intrusive around the buttocks area, but not enough for me to lodge an official complaint.

We left for the train station which was around an hour away expecting to be on the 10 o’clock train. When we arrived, we had a VIP seating area however, so did many other people and we ended up with plastic chairs. The train time kept getting further and further delayed. When it reached four hours I decided to look for another option in the form of a taxi. I was released from Joe’s care and went on my way. Twenty minutes later I was back having not liked the taxi situation. At 1 am Joe got word from Intrepid India to abort the train and return us to the Raj Mahal. We should have never bloody left. It took a further hour for our transport to arrive and an hour to drive back to the hotel. At 3 am we hit the hay. Avoiding the overnight train was a real bonus, but we paid for it in waiting around and sleep deprivation.

We awoke in the wrong city which meant our six hour rowing trip down the Ganges was cancelled, as was the overnight camping on an island. Some pluses and minuses there. Instead we were treated to a fourteen hour minibus trip all the way to Varanasi where we didn’t go above 60 mph. I had developed a head cold and felt like shit. That was Wednesday. We now had three nights in the same hotel which was somewhat welcome. The Yatharth hotel wasn’t plush, but it was better than the train and camping.

Thursday was an easy day. We went to a hotel with a pool and a spa for some relaxing. There was also a bar which Lauren and Mat seemed to enjoy greatly. Late afternoon we headed for the River Ganges and we were all blown away by the spectacle.

Varanasi is a major centre of pilgrimage for Hindus and is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world – possibly dating back some 4,000 years. Varanasi is also known for ghats, which are flights of stairs leading to the river for either bathing or cremations, or in my case, to take a few photos of bathers and cremations. All Hindus are cremated with the exception of priests who are buried. Bog-standard Hindus are burnt and reincarnated, but priests are already enlightened therefore don’t need to come back. Something like that.

On the way back to the hotel I noticed hundreds, if not thousands, of people queueing up to go inside the temple. It was shoes off and I took a picture of the shoe area.

The following morning we headed off at 5 am to watch the sunrise from the River Ganges. It was incredibly busy despite the early hour, and we boarded a small wooden boat which just about looked seaworthy. The Ganges is the second most polluted river in the world, so none of us were keen the come into contact with the water. As well as cows, all rivers are sacred in Hinduism, with the Ganges as the most sacred.

April 2023 India overtook China and became the most populous country in the world. The current population stands at 1.46 billion. Conducting a census in India must be rather tricky because there are so many homeless people. We’ve seen people sleeping in all sorts of places – train stations, gas stations, central reservations. Keeping track must present a numerical nightmare. I suspect there is a fair bit of guesswork going on.

India’s population was 1.46 billion as of 2021 however, I’m not sure they count everyone – people lying under blankets, sprawled in train stations, living in central reservations, etc.

India has a number of religions, but by far the most popular is Hinduism with 80% of the people. Islam is second with 14% or 210 million people. Christianity comes in third, followed by Sikhism, Buddhism, Animism, and Jainism. There is only one time zone which is UTC +5.5. 60% of marriages are still arranged.

On Saturday morning, we loaded up at 4 am heading for the Nepalese border. That was it for India. We spent just over a week there and saw some wonderful sights. There have been challenges along the way, but you kind of expect that for India.