Dance, Drums & Art

Dance, Drums & Art

North Central India provides ample opportunities to experience Indian classical music and dance. Agra, Khajuraho, Gwalior, and Lucknow host annual festivals that gather the best talents; Khajuraho's include performances in front of the Western Group of temples. Varanasi, home of Ravi Shankar, also maintains a vibrant local tradition of music and dance and is noted particularly for its tabla (drum) players. Many hotels throughout the area offer live classical music in the evening.

The visual arts are strong as well. Khajuraho's archaeological museum displays sculptures that once graced the niches of the town's temples, and its tribal-arts museum has superb folk pieces from all over Madhya Pradesh. Varanasi's Bharat Kala Bhavan has many collections of miniature paintings and locally discovered classical sculpture.