Legend has it that the moon God had a short affair with a young maiden and told her that she would bear a son who would build a temple in honor of their love. This son was the first of the Chandela dynasty who settled and ruled Khajuraho between 900 and 1200 A.D.. These kings built over 85 temples in honor of that original affair. These temples were abandoned in the 13th century when the Sultans of Delhi took over most of Northern India. They were accidentally re-discovered by the British in 1838, but only 25 of the original 85 were salvageable. They have since been named UNESCO World Heritage Sites and are the main, and only, attraction in Khajuraho.

We made a short stop at Khajuraho to see temple complex from where the Kama Sutra is said to have originated. It was a large complex with about 6 temples. These were by far some of the most well maintained temples that we saw in India. According to the guide, the erotic sculptures included in the temples were meant to ward off evil spirits. These sculptures are only found on a few of the exterior walls and therefore not as obvious as would expected.

A park had been built around the temples so it was possible to take a break from the intense heat and sit in the shade. The complex was very beautiful and our visit was pleasant.

We initially wanted to leave Kajuraho and head towards Umaria in order to get to the national park with the highest concentration of tigers, but with the usual lack of availability on Indian trains, it was nearly impossible for us to get to our desired destination so we headed towards Agra instead.