Day 7: Khajuraho

We were taken by 4 wheel drive vehicle on a very bumpy road to the temples at Khajuraho. After a 6 hour ride we finally made it there feeling like we just got done with a heavy weight fight. Khajuraho has the largest set of medieval Hindu and Jain temples and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The site is known for its collection of erotic sculptures. The temples were built from 950 to 1150 AD by the Chandela Rajputs.

Here is one of the G-rated (I think) carvings at the temple. Many of the other carvings were very sexually explicit.

The temples are surrounded by forest where we saw this Gray Hornbill. We never got a nice look at a hornbill at Bandhavgarh so this was great way to wrap up our trip.

Next, we flew back Chennai to spend more time with Gowri's parents before returning home to the US. Getting back to Chennai from the peaceful forests of Bandhavgarh and Khajuraho was quite a shock. But even in the heart of Chennai, we saw this Lesser Golden-backed Woodpecker right in the backyard of Gowri's parent's place. Our trip in 2006 ranks as one of the best trips we've ever taken!