It is useful to know that the small Indian country side village of Khajuraho actually is - believe it or not - equipped with a full fledged international airport and plenty of good hotels. Flying here from either Delhi or Varanasi is only a short 1-hour city hop and well worth getting out of the bustling cities and find yourself in a far more relaxed part of India. And with the proximity to Panna National Park (tiger reserve) and Raneh Falls I can recommend you to schedule even a few days in Khajuraho, a true favorite place on my Indian travel.

The Khajuraho temples were re-discovered in 1838 by British officer T.S Burt. He must have been quite surprised when he was faced with all these brilliant graphic, erotic and sensuous sculptures covering the interior and exterior walls of the temples. Built by the Chandela dynasty from 950 AD through to 1050 AD there are literally hundreds of exquisite images on the temples making them one of India's major historic tourist attractions.

But why all the sex? Scholars are uncertain but one theory says that it was a kind of Kama Sutra in stone, a manual for young Brahmin boys growing up in all-male temple schools.

Another theory says that the Khajuraho sculptures only represent life as it was in the Chandela society with unhampered sexual expression alongside many other day-to-day scenes. But whatever is the truth, these works of architectural and sculptural genius have a poetic resonance that immediately captures your imagination. Khajuraho is an absolute must on any Indian traveler's itinerary.