Word: khajuraho
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Today, the 25 temples that survived not only the invaders but the ravages of erosion are scattered around the quiet village of Khajuraho. Entrance to the 16-hectare archaeological park, where most of the elaborately carved sandstone temples are found, costs $10. All the temples feature friezes of intricately detailed aspects of daily life. Warriors prepare for battle, musicians tune their instruments and a dancer plucks a thorn from her foot. But it's the sex that put the temples on the tourist maps. Buxom apsaras, or celestial maidens, coyly cavort around the corners of each temple, flaunting their haunches...
...KHAJURAHO At about $63 a night, the Taj Chandela is one of the most expensive?and finest?hotels in Khajuraho, especially compared to the serviceable $10-per-night guest houses nearer the temples. But during the hot season (April to July), the extra expenditure is a necessity, not a luxury. With noontime temperatures reaching a wilting 45?C, the Chandela's swimming pool is the only reasonable place to while away the afternoon hours. If a room is not in your budget, day use of the pool costs $4. And if you really feel like splashing out, or your feet...
...thousand years ago in the central Indian town of Khajuraho, the monarchs of the Chandella dynasty commissioned a vast temple complex, consecrated to the great triumvirate of Hinduism: Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver and Shiva the destroyer. What makes the complex unique is that among the thousands of exquisitely carved images are scores of sculptures portraying gods, humans and animals in uninhibited sexual embrace. Once lost beneath dense jungle, the site has emerged in recent years as a popular attraction. "What better way to end the millennium," suggests Betty Bohnenblust, a local hotelier, "than to relive its beginning...
Until now, March--when India's leading classical dancers perform for the annual Khajuraho Festival--has been the site's busiest time. But in 1999, the government is collaborating with promoters to create a year-long Khajuraho Millennium Festival; major events are tentatively planned for December. "There is no more magnificent sight than when the temples are lighted up at night and the dancers perform," says Bohnenblust invitingly. "It is as if you are transported back 1,000 years to the splendor and beauty of the Chandella kingdom...
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