World’s Only Aerial Video of the 1,000 Year Old Khajuraho Temples

Located in the middle of nowhere in Madhya Pradesh, the 1,000 year old Khajuraho temples are one of the most amazing — and overlooked — destinations in India. I spent a week here producing a film on the annual Khajuraho Dance Festival but since that was a nighttime event, I used the daytime to capture drone footage of the temples. It was this act that resulted in my arrest. Thankfully, after 12 hours in custody I was pardoned by the CM of Madhya Pradesh, released, and given my drone back. Now I have the WORLD’S ONLY aerial footage of the Khajuraho temples. Here’s how it happened.  

Getting Arrested For Filming The Khajuraho Temples

  How Did This Happen?

When I first landed in Khajuraho, little did I know that 48 hours later I would be arrested. Why? For flying a drone over the Khajuraho temples, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986. However now I have the world’s only aerial video footage of the Western Temples in Khajuraho — something not even the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board has been able to receive permission to film.

Prior to my arrival in Khajuraho, I had emailed MP Tourism to obtain my media pass for the Khajuraho Dance Festival and inquire about flying my drone over the temples. Needless to say, they were a bit busy with the festival and did not respond. I obtained my media pass elsewhere and decided to do a few test flights while waiting for a response.

Filming the Khajuraho temples by day and the Khajuraho Dance Festival by night 😉

Little did I know that my hotel and the hotel next door were fighting with each other. Why does not matter, what matters is that the owner of the hotel next door saw me launching a drone off the rooftop and decided to take action. He called the police, the ASI (Archeological Survey of India) and the reporters, who all simultaneously converged on my hotel while I was still flying high over the Western Temples.

  The police did not want to arrest me, however the ASI wanted me “arrested and made example of” — and since the reporters were already on the scene, the police had no choice but to arrest me, take me to jail and confiscate my drone.

Over the last 12 years, I have literally travelled the breadth and length of India. I’ve seen the sun rise at the tip of India in Kanyakumari, I’ve watched dolphins swim in the Ganges, I’ve fallen asleep on a sand dune in Rajasthan listening to the gurgle of camels and — along with Derek — I’ve been the first person in to see the Taj Mahal in the morning. But among all the wonders that India offers the intrepid visitor, there are almost none as sublime, as beautiful, and as uplifting as the Khajuraho temples.

These ancient temples were almost lost to the onslaught of nature until they were rediscovered in the 19th century. Now, they are splendidly preserved and protected by the ASI in a small, remote village in central India. I love both the chill vibe of the town of Khajuraho and the magnificently carved temples, which are considered by many to be the best in India. It’s an inspiring place and I can well understand Derek’s interest in capturing all of this beauty on video. The world only thinks of the Taj Mahal when it thinks of India. Most people have no idea about the incalculable treasures that can be found from one end of India to the other.

So please enjoy the video, which was captured with some risk. I hope I have done my small part to make the beauty of India more accessible to the world. Thanks to everyone else, too, who helped make this story turn out well, with a happy ending. The kind we all like 🙂

Quote by Mariellen Ward, a digital storyteller who publishes the award-winning travel site Breathedreamgo.com based on her extensive travels in India. She has a BA in Journalism, has been published in leading media outlets around the world, and splits her time between India and Canada.

  Meanwhile on Twitter…

Friends, fans and supporters had already begun tweeting about the situation and reaching out to various Indian politicians. It would take to long to name everyone but you know who you are and I hope you also realize how much I appreciate your support.

Thanks again to everyone who offered their help / support!

My Release From Khajuraho Jail

After 12 hours in custody the amazing Shivraj Singh Chouhan, CM of Madhya Pradesh, sent his assistant to Khajuraho. She arrived with a military escort, walked into the jail and said “Release this man and return his drone.” Within minutes I was a free man again being given an apology and a ride back to my hotel 😀

  The Aftermath

After my release, I became a local celebrity in Khajuraho and was given VIP treatment the rest of my time there. Since my photo made the front page of several newspapers and I was easily recognizable, countless locals approached me asking for aerial photos of their restaurants, hotels or businesses. The kind folks at MP Tourism took me out around Madhya Pradesh and even up one of the mountains for another drone flight. I also received several gifts, including countless copies of the newspapers with my story on the front page from locals — my favorite gift of all 🙂

DDWDD: Don’t Do What Derek Does

Derek Freal made headlines after being arrested in Khajuraho for filming the temples

Wish I could read Hindi….

Derek gets reunited with his drone 🙂

  However the best part of all this is that although the police had erased all of the Khajuraho temples footage from my phone, they did not wipe the SD card inside of the drone. As a result, I now present to you the video that got me arrested abroad in India:

  My apologies for the watermarks but people have already stolen the drone photos I published and I do not want the same to happen to this priceless video footage. For watermark-free video licensing, please   contact me