Love’s labour almost lost

Taking tourists around the 25 remaining monuments of a once impressive 85, the guides provide zero information on the aesthetics. There’re no details either on preservation techniques being used, the significance of the structures, architectural and historical.

Instead these guides from the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Corporation (MPTC) — they charge Rs 350 per two-three hour tour — harp on just one theme, sculpture after sculpture: ‘‘Khajuraho…Ancient knowledge from Kamasastra …We have given to West.’’

Outside these temples, other than a small stone plaque put up by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), there are still no details available on the architecture or history of the monuments. Khajuraho attracted 140,000 Indian and 53,000 foreign tourists in 2004. Every Indian paid Rs 10, every foreigner Rs 250. They got not even a one-page information sheet in return.

While the structural health of the complex itself does not, broadly, show signs of dilapidation, substantial seepage in most of the temples seems to have been ignored by ASI officials. Seepage through the shikars onto the walls and, in many places, even on the higher parts of the pavements are easy to spot. Also visible are cracks in stones aligned to make the temple.

Restoration work done in brick and lime plaster, admittedly before the ASI took over, stands out in the Lakshmana temple. The temples of Varaha, Lakshmi and Kandariya Mahadev — Khajuraho’s showpiece — have plants growing out of the structure.

Some of the smaller temples in the complex have been locked to the public, and have a coat of lime plaster on the inside. On one side of the Kandariya Mahadev temple, polythene bags and plastic bottles make for garbage piles.

In financial year 2005-06, the ASI is busy sprucing up the Kandariya Mahadev temple. Its stone is being treated chemically to rid it of the black patches on the surface. O.D. Shukla, the assistant suprintending archaeologist, Khajuraho, is careful to point out, ‘‘We are using extremely diluted chemicals, constituting only five per cent of the chemical. The attempt is always to use soft scrubbing with water.’’

While Khajuraho itself does not have threatening, smoking traffic, the city’s main road is barely 20 metres from the western group of temples. This is a potential problem. In 2002, the Union Ministry for Culture had proposed to shut tourist entry to the western complex from the existing gates on the main road and move the main entrance to the southern side. A sum of Rs 2.20 crore was paid to the state government by the Ministry to acquire 24.8 hectares of land. The land was to be developed by the Central Public Works Department, and the Ministry had chalked out a cafetaria, a new parking lot, pathways and a tourist information centre.

It’s been three years. The land has still not been made available to the ASI. Instead, the state government has demanded an additional Rs 70 lakh. The demand, as Shukla put it, ‘‘has been referred to Delhi but nothing has been done so far.’’

The main entrance to the western group is also dotted with run-down curio shops only about 50 metres from the main site, violating the ASI’s 1999 notification that declares 100 metres around a monument ‘‘prohibited area’’ and 200 metres ‘‘regulated area’’. A few restaurants have also come up in the prohibited area, but the ASI pleads this ‘‘happened before the notification’’. Added Shukla, ‘‘Some restaurants that came up after the 1999 notification have been served notices…but the nagar panchayat has not been very helpful.’’

>The city of Khajuraho not only does not offer any facilities for tourists, it has not even bothered to provide a public toilet for them. Visitors either have to go back to their hotels, use facilities in restaurants or walk back to the western group of temples to avail the toilets within the complex.

In the last case, of course, they have to buy a fresh ticket for entry, and use the rather sorry toilet on-site.

The one toilet complex built by the nagar panchayat next to the ASI office, about eight years back, is lying locked. Local officials claim it has been renovated. But never mind if tourists can’t use it; they’re only here to be exploited.

A 12-member Tourist Police was introduced in 2001-02 to help visitors to Khajuraho. The number has now shrunk to four. The quartet can’t help tourists who speak English; indeed, it can’t even help Indian tourists who don’t speak Hindi.

In fact, a case of harassment of tourists forced senior Madhya Pradesh police officials to suspend two tourist policemen three months ago.