Three of us ventured out on a one day trip to Khajuraho. It is a town in Madhya Pradesh, located in Chhatarpur District famous for the temples with heavily carved sculptures.
Jhansi Junction Railway station was our starting point. I traveled from Gwalior, Alok came from Indore and Himanshu joined us at Jhansi. We boarded 12448 UP Sampark Kranti Express(scheduled time 2:20 AM) at around 3:10 AM on Saturday - March 8 2014. Khajuraho is at a distance of 175 km from Jhansi via NH 75. A superfast train takes around 4 hour 15 min to cover this distance. It was a short journey so we tried sleeping at the earliest.
At around 7:40 AM we reached Khajuraho. The railway station was an instant eye catcher. There is wide open space all around the platform.
Various Auto/Cab drivers were waiting for us at the platform. After a minor negotiation we hired an Auto for full day at INR 800. The Western group of temples is situated around 8.5 Km from the station. On our way we saw the domestic airport situated roughly 4 km before the temple complex. Construction of an international airport is in progress.
We reached the western group of temples (the most famous temples at Khajuraho) in around half an hour. The place is full of small shops, restaurants and other various kind of shops. Motorcycles and Cycles were available to explore the town. After the breakfast we began the sight-seeing. The entry fee for Indian National is INR 10 per person, Still photography is free.
The western group of temples are spread in huge area with numerous temples and a well maintained garden in the compound. Tourists can take the service of Guides available at the entrance. Audio guides are also available for the same. The temples are heavily carved both inside and outside the temple. Various aspects of life are depicted in the carvings. The temples have become a major attraction due to the erotic carvings, which is one of it's kind in the entire world.
The most famous temples are - Lakshman temple and Chaturbhuj temple.
We remained occupied in the western group temples till afternoon. Kandariya Mahadev temple is situated just outside the compound.
On the other side of the road Archaeological museum is situated which contains some of the finest sculptures. The basic design model used in the construction of temples is showcased in it.
We had a tasteful lunch in a nearby restaurant and next we set out to explore the remaining temples in the town. There are numerous temples situated throughout the city. Most of the temples have well maintained gardens. We didn't miss any opportunity to lie down on the green grass beneath the shade of a large tree.
After spending a few hours in visiting many other temples in khajuraho we decided to head to Raneh falls, our last destination of the day. It is situated around 20 Km from the western group temple.
We thoroughly enjoyed the journey, thanks to the stereo in the auto and the awesome countryside. We reached the protected forest land at around 3:30 PM. After paying INR 160 for the auto and the passengers we cruised through the dense forest area.
We reached back to Khajuraho Railway station by around 6 PM. The Khajuraho Nizamuddin express left the platform at around 6:21 PM and we reached back Jhansi right on time at 11:10 PM
Jhansi Junction Railway station was our starting point. I traveled from Gwalior, Alok came from Indore and Himanshu joined us at Jhansi. We boarded 12448 UP Sampark Kranti Express(scheduled time 2:20 AM) at around 3:10 AM on Saturday - March 8 2014. Khajuraho is at a distance of 175 km from Jhansi via NH 75. A superfast train takes around 4 hour 15 min to cover this distance. It was a short journey so we tried sleeping at the earliest.
At around 7:40 AM we reached Khajuraho. The railway station was an instant eye catcher. There is wide open space all around the platform.
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| Khajuraho Railway Station |
We reached the western group of temples (the most famous temples at Khajuraho) in around half an hour. The place is full of small shops, restaurants and other various kind of shops. Motorcycles and Cycles were available to explore the town. After the breakfast we began the sight-seeing. The entry fee for Indian National is INR 10 per person, Still photography is free.
The western group of temples are spread in huge area with numerous temples and a well maintained garden in the compound. Tourists can take the service of Guides available at the entrance. Audio guides are also available for the same. The temples are heavily carved both inside and outside the temple. Various aspects of life are depicted in the carvings. The temples have become a major attraction due to the erotic carvings, which is one of it's kind in the entire world.
The most famous temples are - Lakshman temple and Chaturbhuj temple.
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| View from the entrance of the temple compound |
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| Carvings inside the temple |
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| Sculptures on the wall of the temple |
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| View of the temples from the garden |
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| Heavily carved external walls of the temples |
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| The beautiful temple compound |
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| The Group Pic - Me, Himanshu and Alok |
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| The priest in Kandariya Mahadev temple |
On the other side of the road Archaeological museum is situated which contains some of the finest sculptures. The basic design model used in the construction of temples is showcased in it.
We had a tasteful lunch in a nearby restaurant and next we set out to explore the remaining temples in the town. There are numerous temples situated throughout the city. Most of the temples have well maintained gardens. We didn't miss any opportunity to lie down on the green grass beneath the shade of a large tree.
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| Temple with mountain in backdrop |
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| Alok, Himanshu and Ramswaroop - the driver |
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| The road through the village enroute Raneh Falls |
We thoroughly enjoyed the journey, thanks to the stereo in the auto and the awesome countryside. We reached the protected forest land at around 3:30 PM. After paying INR 160 for the auto and the passengers we cruised through the dense forest area.
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| the road through the Ken Sanctuary |
Raneh fall is located on river Ken. A deep gorge and volcanic rocks makes this place a major attraction.
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| Raneh Fall |
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| Ken river makes a 5 Km long canyon which is around 30 mt deep |
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| Canyon made of pure crystalline granite in various shades |
Ken Gharial sanctuary is situated near to the Raneh falls. After glancing the nature's wonder we started back to the Khajuraho town.
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| Shivsagar lake |
We reached back to Khajuraho Railway station by around 6 PM. The Khajuraho Nizamuddin express left the platform at around 6:21 PM and we reached back Jhansi right on time at 11:10 PM
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| Train leaving the railway station |
Awesome
ReplyDeleteThank You :)
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ReplyDeleteThanks :)
DeleteCongratulations for your new journey of Travelogue!!! Pics and description both are nice
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DeleteNow giving words to your photographs!! Keep it up!!
ReplyDeleteYepp :) thanks !
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ReplyDeletekeep writing :)
Thanks a lot :)
DeleteI will definitely try to continue writing...