Khajuraho is essentially a sightseeing destination and definitely not the place to take the little ones. Visitors with kids will genuinely struggle to find anything outside of their hotels to keep young minds occupied and are perhaps best off looking elsewhere in India if a family holiday is what’s required.

Temple light and sound show
The town’s tourism department presents a pretty light and sound show in the garden of the western group of temples every evening at 19:30. Well after sunset takes away the scorching heat but still early enough for kids to be up, this is a great little show for the whole family to see. Chairs are provided and a recorded narrative gives visitors some informative background on the history and ongoing significance of the temples.

Panna National Park
Located some 57kms from Khajuraho, Panna National Park in Madhya Pradesh is one of the state’s most popular attractions. The park is internationally recognised for its excellent collection of wildlife, which includes an extensive tiger collection as well as antelope, deer and other indigenous species. The kids will love the chance to see the big cats as well as the chitals, sloth bears, chinkaras and sambars.

Hotel activities
The big hotels in Khajuraho are able to take care of the children and entertain them while parents head out for a morning or afternoon of sightseeing. Activities for little ones will vary depending on the hotel in question but can range from colouring and learning new songs, to playing games with other kids or watching movies.

Swimming
Many hotels have their own swimming pools where parents and kids can enjoy a splash around or a few laps for a small entrance fee. It’s a great way to cool off and take a break from the heavy sightseeing at the temples.

Khajuraho’s cultural activities revolve almost entirely around its collection of ancient temples, which draw visitors in their thousands and are famous for their controversial and highly erotic sculptures. Historians have limited knowledge of these fascinating structures, knowing only that they were the work of the Chandelas but remaining divided on the reason for the graphic depictions of various acts across every temple.

Western group of temples
According to historians, from 950 to 1050, kings of the Chandela dynasty were responsible for building some 85 temples in what was then known as Kajuraha. The city we now refer to as Khajuraho is home to just 22 of those original structures, each of which is placed into one of three categories: the western group, eastern group or southern group. All three groups comprise a part of a UNESCO World Heritage site and the western group is reputedly the most beautiful and the most popular with tourists. The main temples in this group are Lakshamn, Jagdambi, Vishwanath, Chitragupta and Kandariya Mahadev. The beautiful walled garden that surrounds the structures is among the most notable features of the western group. Visitors need to be accompanied by a tour guide to fully appreciate the temples and their services can be purchased from the Raja Café opposite the site.

Lakshmana Temple
Situated to the left after entering the western group, Lakshmana temple is perhaps the most famous temple in this category. The Khajuraho temples are all famous for their erotic carving and sculptures; however, Lakshmana is the temple that perhaps best exemplifies these features. These stone artworks depict a large variety of erotic acts in explicit detail and debate still continues over the exact purpose of such graphic portrayals. Stories about Lord Krishna can also be viewed within the carvings.

Kandariya Mahadev Temple
Within the western group again, the Kandariya Mahadev temple is known as the tallest of all the temples in the city, standing a lofty 30m high. Historians have ventured that the temple was built around 1025 and was intended as a tribute to the Hindu god, Shiva. The temple’s sculpture features some of the activities that Lakshmana is famous for, with the northern and southern faces containing the majority of works of this nature. Elsewhere are carvings depicting women engaged in activities such as putting on make-up and playing sports. A large lingam within the temple itself is intended as a representation of Shiva.

Matengeswara Temple
One of the oldest of the western group, Matengeswara Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is notable for its massive lingam.

Chaunsath Yogini Temple
There is no shortage of erotic sculptures at Chaunsath Yogini Temple, the only structure among all of the temples to be made from granite. Chaunsath Yogini is dedicated to the goddess Kali and features the earliest surviving shrine of the western group.

Eastern group of temples
Located relatively close to the western group, the eastern group of temples, which are known as Jain temples, include Parsvanath, Adinath and Gantai. A museum is also situated onsite and contains a variety of statues that were found scattered around the area when the temples were first rediscovered. The carvings on the eastern group temple walls are slightly less erotic, tending to depict stories from Jain mythology more than anything else.

Parsvanath Temple
Parsvanath Temple is the largest structure among the Jain temples and is dedicated to Jain Tirthankara Parshvanatha. The temple features some beautiful sculptures depicting deities engaged in various activities.

Adinath Temple
Also among the Jain temples, Adinath is so-called on account of being dedicated to the Jain Tirthankara Adinath. Sculptures are again the highlight with some of an erotic nature and others telling less carnally inclined stories.

Ghantai Temple
Another of the Jain Temples, Ghantai Temple is famous for its carvings, which tell of the details of the 16 dreams of Mahavira's mother.

Brahma, Vamana and Javari temples
These are Hindu temples within the eastern group and each offers its own notable features. Braham is known for its four-faced lingam statue; Vamana for its sculptures of celestial maidens; and Javari with its ornate gateway. Erotic carvings are, of course, features of all three, in keeping with the theme of all Khajuraho’s temples.

Southern group of temples
There are just two temples in this group: the first, known as Duladeo Temple, is one of the last to have been built in Khajuraho and features the obligatory erotic sculptures; the second is Chaturbhuj Temple, which is notable for its 3m-high image of Lord Vishnu.

Khajuraho is not noted especially for its cuisine and while the town’s restaurants do present some fairly tasty variations on the dishes synonymous with Madhya Pradesh, this is not a destination to head to if you are expecting the best of India’s dining scene. Let’s not forget that Khajuraho is little more than a village and that dining outlets are not in abundance. That said, however, there are a reasonable number that cater to the steady influx of visitors.

For food with an upmarket slant, the restaurants of the town’s better hotels are the places to head. At the Siddhartha Hotel for example, a rooftop restaurant offers good Indian and international food and is the ideal spot to enjoy a pre-meal drink while appreciating the beautiful sunset. Next door meanwhile, is the Blue Sky restaurant, one of the town’s most popular dining spots and a venue that serves a selection of Indian, Chinese and continental dishes.

The town has a number of Italian-themed eateries among which La Dolce Vita is the more notable, with Mediterraneo Restaurant also being well worth a visit. The Raja Café in the town centre meanwhile, is a clean and presentable little eatery where you can enjoy traditional Indian dishes as well as international fare.

If you want to feel like you’ve sampled food that’s typical of the region during your stay, then be sure to check out the numerous desserts that are available. Sweet treats with a distinctly Madhya Pradesh flavour include lavang lata, cashew burfi, khurma, jalebi and the popular green lentil creation known as moong dal ka halwa.

For shopping, Khajuraho is not really the place to go if you are expecting to find an abundance of unusual items to take back home nor is it the place to find branded goods of any description. As a small town catering to a passing tourist trade, Khajuraho has a correspondingly small selection of shops; some do indeed sell Indian handicrafts but invariably it’s the same selection from outlet to outlet. The essential purchases for any Khajuraho visitor are the sculptures of Kama Sutra poses cast in brass, iron or stone that can be found at any of the town’s handicraft shops.

Tourist essentials such as camera film and batteries are available from most of the shops located close to the temples. Additionally, the town has a couple of tailor shops where it’s possible to be fitted for a suit, which can be made and ready to take away within 2 days.

Opportunities for outdoor activity are fairly scarce in Khajuraho and visitors looking for such will need to organise it for themselves as the town simply does not have the infrastructure to support any commercially popular ventures. Local tour guides have sufficient knowledge of the area to assist with planning; however, places to hire equipment are entirely absent and unless you have your own, this is pretty much a closed avenue.

Golf
Not quite 18 holes of international standard, the mini golf course at the Hotel Taj Chandela is just big enough to practice a gentle swing. Similar facilities are available at some of the other reputable hotels. Guests are permitted free use of the course while non-guests will need to pay a fee.

Hiking
If you are good with a map and a compass and not put off by the possibility of inherent natural dangers, then the jungle areas around Khajuraho may present you with some good opportunities for hiking and trekking. There are no trips as such available, although it may be possible to hire the services of a local guide to assist you in your pursuits. Additionally the Panna National Park, situated just 57kms from the town, offers plenty of good walking trails.

Swimming
The best way to get out of the heat for a short time and break up days of sightseeing at the temples is to take a swim. Hotels such as the Hotel Clarks Khajuraho, The Grand Temple View and the Usha Bundela have their own swimming pools where you can enjoy a splash around or a few laps depending on how active you are feeling.

Tennis
You’ll need to book into one of the town’s better hotels to have free access to the tennis courts or alternatively you can pay by the hour as a non-resident. Summer is way too hot to play outdoor sport; however, the winter sees temperatures that are ideal for a spot of outdoor racket sport.