India Day Thirteen: Khajuraho . Another Safari And A Hot Afternoon Exploring Ancient Hindu Temples

We were up early again at the Bundella Resort in Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh Wednesday morning. I was traveling with a Royal Q Travels group operated by our guide Aparna. We  were going on Safari and that meant rising before the sun. We boarded our vehicles, four members of our group in each vehicle, and drove to nearby Panna National Park and Tiger preserve. We drove past the wide Ken River in the morning twilight.

We entered the park when the gates opened at 6:30 AM,

WE drove into the National Park,

  proceeded through and it wasn’t long until we saw some wildlife a group of rhesus macaque monkeys.

We drove through the savannah like countryside, looking for one of the 80 tigers that reside in the 200 square mile National Park.

Our naturalist guide was very well-versed in the flora and fauna of the park. He identified many of the trees along the road. I loved the teak trees, which were very common here.

I was glad when our driver would stop to point out birds we  would see along the road. This is a yellow throated  sparrow and a spotted dove perched on this dead tree.

We also saw this pair of pretty Alexandrian parakeets perched in a tree top.

We drove down to a lake where we saw,

a red wattled lapwing,

a black drongo,

a white browed  wagtail

a Eurasian collared dove and,

a rose ringed parakeet.

Our guide also identified some plants wildflowers we saw, including this lion’claw

and this wood  apple,  a favorite fruit of the monkeys in the park.

I enjoyed learning about the flora and fauna  in the park.

We drove to the park for over three hours, but, for the first time, did not see a tag on our safari.We did see a few more spooted deer.

I wasn’t too disappointed not seeing a tiger since we had already seen seven tigers  on our previous safari, and I learned a lot about the plants and trees  in  the park. Here is a link to a gallery with some more photos on my blog webpage from my morning safari. India Day Thirteen: Khajuraho safari  October 22 2025. 

We returned to our hotel where I had a hearty breakfastat at  hotel buffet.  I then have a few hours until our tour of the famous Khajuraho Temples. I decided to explore the hotel grounds and look for some birds.  I walked around the beautiful swimming pool,

and then into  nearby field.

Here I saw this beautiful white throated kingfisher,

perched on a tree,

this purple sunbird

and a couple of noisy jungle jabblers. Here is a link to a gallery on my blog webpage with some more photos of the birds I saw on my morning safari and walk through the hotel grounds. India Day Thirteen: Khajuraho safari birds October 22 2025. 

I returned to my room and edited  photos until around 1 ;30.  when our  group boarded a bus and took the short ride through the busy streets  to the world famous Khajuraho Group of Monuments and Temples. It is   a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986 and is considered one of the “seven wonders” of India.

We were dropped off near the Temple Complex and had the choice of walking or taking a tuk tuk to the entrance. Of course I walked the 1.2 mile. It was cloudy but very hot and humid with temperatures near 90 degrees.

I walked through the crowds and along the shore of a Lake Shivsagar

where I saw  these swan geese on the shore of the lake , another new species for me.

I also saw some flowers, I believe these are Chinese wedelia,

and these crown of thorns.

At the end of the lake our tour operator  Aparana  gathered our group at the entrance to the Khajuraho Group of Monuments where we were introduced to our  very informative guide. He was world famous for his knowledge of the Temples and the figures bad  sculptures  on the exterior walls. We were told that the Temples  were built by local kings between the 9th and 11th centuries. He informed us of many other facts about the Temples.

We first  visited the Lakshmana Temple,

which was built in the  10th century and was dedicated to Vaikuntha Vishnu ,  a four-headed aspect of the Hindu god Vishnu, Our guide pointed out that  the Hindu  gods were always depicted with four arms, this is an image of Ganesha  one of the more beloved gods in Hinduism.

He pointed out many of the figures and showed how they depicted the lives of the gods and the folks  who lived at the time the Temples were built. We learned that the Kama Sutra did no only deal with lovemaking and sexual positions but also offered advice on  the art of living well, the nature of love, finding a life partner, and managing relationships.

Many dealt with love and relations but romantic and some ,

more erotic.  Our guide explained how the more erotic scenes were from the Kama Sutra and the 16 pressure points on a human body.We learned that the Kama Sutra did no only deal with lovemaking and sexual positions but also offered advice on  the art of living well, the nature of love, finding a life partner, and managing relationships.

Other figures showed woman combing their hair and looking into mirrors. There are many more figures in the blog photo gallery link I will share below. They are worth looking at more closely. They really give insights into the lives of the artists who created them over a 1000 years ago. Next to the Lakhsamana, but not in the complex was an active Hindu Temple,  also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Local folks were visiting the Temple for the Diwali celebrations.

We then walked up to the Temple and entered the sanctum .

and observed the statues there.

We left the Lakhsamana Temple

and walked past the other Temples in the complex as our guide explained their significance, including the Kandariya Mahadeva Temple

 Parshvanatha temple.

It was cloudy but hot and humid as we walked through the well maintained gardens in the Temple Complex. It was late afternoon when we ended our visit to the ancient temples. Here is a link to a gallery with some more photos from my visit to the Khajuraho Temples India Day Thirteen: Khajuraho Temples  October 22 2025. 

After leaving the Temple Complex we took a tuk tuk back to our bus,  through the crowds visiting both the Temple Complex and the nearby active Hindu Temple.

we drove through the busy streets of Khajuraho and to an art studio. We watched local artists.

There were shirts and others products available for purchase but I had already bought a carpet and marble  table so I roamed the streets outside of the shop,

where I saw some cows,

and goats roaming the street,

and my first chicken  I saw in India.

We then drove to a local restaurant,  the Pinch of Salt,  for a late lunch or early dinner.  I again limited my meal to white rice , naan and other bland foods because of my continuing stomach issues. This happens on travels and I have had similar stomach issues, in Tanzania, Ecuador,  Belize and Guatemala.  Usually a minor inconvenience, usually, to experience the beauty of our planet. However, as i would learn later maybe not so minor this time.

After leaving the restaurant,

we had a slight delay getting to our hotel, this cow decided to go to the bathroom in the middle of the busy highway.  Not an unusual scene in India.

It was dark when we returned to our hotel. It was another long day, and ,after editing some phots I was soon asleep. We had a 4;45 wake up call. I didn’t mind, it meant another safari and the chance to see a norther tiger.  Here is a link to a gallery with some more photos on my blog web page from my drive to the Temples  and through Khajuraho  India Day Thirteen: Khajuraho Temple drive   October 22 2025. 

“Looking at the eye of a free animal during a safari, fulfills my soul of peace and happiness.”  Paula Pins the Planet

“Temples are an expression of God’s love”    Jean A. Stevens