Temple towns

It’s a familiar Indian motif: a temple town embraced by a river and a string of ghats. The town of Bateshwar, not far from Agra, is exactly that. And yet its relative anonymity has meant that it has retained its character with fewer tourists and more pilgrims, especially during its annual winter cattle fair — 2,000 years old and second only to Bihar’s Sonepur Mela in size. Of the forty-odd temples that still stand here by the Yamuna, many are unique and vary in splendour, size and vintage, some dating back to the fifteenth century. Dedicated to Shiva, the crumbling edifices are reportedly awaiting restoration by Intach. Curiously, not two hours away, lies another Bateshwar, in the Morena district of Madhya Pradesh. Sprawled across twenty-five acres with over 200 shrines — a hundred of which have been recently restored by the ASI — this 1,300-year-old temple complex has been compared to Karnataka’s Aihole for scale and Khajuraho for delicacy of sculpture.

The information

Location Bateshwar (UP) is 70km from Agra; Bateshwar (MP) is 25km from Morena and 70km from Gwalior.

Where to stay In Bateshwar (UP), the Jarar family, owners of the Mela Kothi Chambal Safari Lodge, 10km away (from Rs 5,500 doubles; 9837415512, chambalsafari.com), is restoring a riverside retreat called The Kunj at the end of Bateshwar’s temple crescent (expected to open end-2012; bateshwar.co.uk). For Bateshwar (MP), it’s best to stay in Gwalior and make a day trip. Try The Central Park (from Rs 3,500 doubles; 0751-2232440, thecentralpark.net).