temples, palaces and angry dogs
orccha's place on the travelling map of india is well deserved. although the guesthouses springing up by the side of the road are an indication of its popularity, it still retains an unhurried, slightly sleepy, air. the big draws are the massive temples perched squatly in the main square, the heart of the village pumping shuffling pilgrims and grinning bead wearing backpackers through the arteries into and out of them, and the palace complex across the flawed emerald green of the betwa river. as with the pyramids in giza, the pace of development has not offered these edifices the luxury of space or splendid isolation. rather stalls and shopkeepers fronting guesthouses and samosa restaurants crowd right up to the very base of the buildings choking them with that mad rush of people and activity which is india. still when viewed from above, and there are plenty of rooftops and temples spires to clamber up, it makes for a peculiarly attractive vista, the low level debris of the banalities of modern survival scrabbling around below whilst the temples, tombs and palaces rise serenely above the mire to look regally over the mundanity below.i went for a proper mooch around the palace yesterday and, having once again got in for indian price, found it completely empty. in my two or so hours there, i only ran into three other small groups of people. walking the streets of orccha, the cafes and guesthouses are full of backpackers but obviously people are fed up of paying massively inflated prices at each of their stops in india so are happy just to peer from the outside. which means that whilst footfall into the absolute must sees like the taj are probably unaffected, the lower tier attractions are failing to justify the 25 time mark up to foreigners. rendering it a completely counter productive policy, as i think was always going to be the case. between no visa on entry and stunts like this it seems as though the indian authorities are deliberately trying to antagonise potential visitors for reasons best known to themselves.
anyway, their short sighted policy worked out well for me as i had free run of the entire palace. it was like a child's fantasy vision of an indian palace, full of precipitious stairs and little balconies from which to peer out across the plain dotted with temples on all sides. the temples themselves were a little less impressive; or perhaps it is fairer to say that they were more impressive from a distance where their sheer size and bulk had greater effect.
the most negative thing about orccha is the lack of electricity between 1 and 6 every day, and for most of the evening thereafter. the planned power cut is a particular killer as all you want to do in the middle of the day as the sun blazes down and the mercury nudges towards 40 is find a fan to sit under. still a little discomfort cannot undo the inherent charm of the place and i am going to have a final day mooching around here before spending tomorrow rattling my way across to khajuraho.
oh, after a brief pause in hostilities in south america, my running war with stray dogs has resumed with a jolt. not all of them but one in particular has taken a particular dislike to me and goes absolutely mental whenever i approach. honestly the cows and goats are fine; get rid of all stray animals that can bite, that's what i say.
posted by bicrom @ 5:12 am
<< Home