Khajuraho is known for about two per cent of its carvings. The rest – and there are thousands – are court scenes, musicians, farmers, animals and gods, cut into sandstone with a confidence that has not been matched since. Given a guide who is interested in the other ninety-eight per cent, it is one of the great sites in India.
Orchha, two hours away, is the surprise: cenotaphs along the Betwa, a palace built for a Mughal emperor who stayed one night, and almost no visitors.