b'Typical street scene in India. DrivingPeople washing clothes against the rocksHumayuns Tomb, the resting place of the anywhere in India is chaotic. in the Ganges River. second Mughal emperor.India(continued from page 55)I took a small rowboat on the Ganges to view some of theand the Maharaja was concerned for the future of his people. sites along the shore. Although the caste system is no longerHe summoned his advisers, and it was decided to build a officially in place, people who form the lower group, performseries of temples, adorned with images depicted in the fourth laborious tasks such as washing clothes on the rocks.century Kama Sutra text. Varanasi has over two million inhabitants, and very few Artists were hired and the temples were constructed. The traffic signals. Life in smaller cities is more chaotic, and I soonaverage temple was decorated with over 800 explicit statues. realized that Delhi was very progressive compared to the restThe Maharaja hoped the images would entice people to re-of the north. The one thing that stood out was the friendlinessdiscover intimacy, bringing an end to the population decrease of the people. No matter whom I spoke with or what the topicand obviously it worked.was, everyone was eager to answer my questions or direct The 20 temples at Khajuraho represent the peace and me to places of interest.generosity of the rulers. The temples remained hidden in MynextstopwasSarnath,thesitewhereBuddhadense jungle until they were rediscovered in 1838.According preached his first sermon after gaining enlightenment in 528to local myths, there are 85 temples and ongoing excavation BCE. Buddha was born in India as a man, and on a trek withcontinues to discover remnants of many hidden structures his mother through the northern jungles, became lost andAs I mentioned at the beginning, this wonderful country found enlightenment. cannot be explained in one article. II continued my adventure throughamgratefultoFocus magazineto northern India with a trip to Khajuraho,allow me to split it into two. See you a small village of 25,000, but knownnext month.worldwidebecauseofitsmassive temple complex. The history of thisJonathan van Bilsens photosNtravel areaisinteresting,asitiscloselyTV show can be watched on linked to the text of the ancient KamaRogersTV and YouTube.To follow Sutra.Jonathans travel adventuresI set out to explore the famousvisitphotosNtravel.comtemples,builtbetweenthe9thandEDITORS NOTE: The current 10th centuries. Religion was a majorphotosNtravel episode features India,influence in the area, and it was be- Beautiful flowers adorn a temple inthe northern half. Visit Jonathan van lieved that sexual activity was unholy.Khajuraho. Bilsens photosNtravel on YouTube or Thepopulationbegantodecrease,Rogerstv.comCant reach us at 2 am?www.marlintravel.ca/1234Click on your agents name and book it!(We still manage your file)Travel BrilliantlyJean, Colleen, Janet & VirginiaTM 158 Casimir Street, Port Perry TICO #4577532 905.985.226856FOCUS - APRIL 2022TM'