Late sun turns the water of Kishor Sagar to copper, and from the temple on Hanuman Tauria the whole town glows gold under a wide Bundelkhand sky. By day the color comes from stone, in the weathered red walls of Chhatrasal's domed cenotaph at Dhubela and the carved temples of Khajuraho, an hour east.
Beyond town, the Ken River cuts a canyon of pink, red and grey granite at Raneh Falls, and sweet shops sell khurchan scraped from simmering milk. Summers are fierce, the monsoon soaks July to September, and winters stay cool and dry. A Local Friend tells you when to reach the temples at opening time and when to linger on the hill until the lake goes dark.
