Khajuraho Temples

Khajuraho Temples

The village of Khajuraho is an expression of ‘Utter Sensuality’ in the crudest and truest sense of the term. It is an open manifestation of unspoken desires of eroticism in the human mind. Khajuraho is perhaps the only place in India and the world signifying the sensual aspect of human life boldly, through sculptures. Undoubtedly then, Khajuraho is India’s pride of being a World Heritage Site (as regarded by UNESCO). Only eyes and never words can translate its uniqueness, Khajuraho is therefore best explained to the tourist, solely by visiting.

khajuraho-temple-viewKhajuraho, a part of Chhatarpur district, derives its name from the Sanskrit word, Khajur, meaning – date palm. It was ruled by Chandela Dynasty during the 19th and 12th centuries (over 1999 years ago) when most of these temples and sculptures were erected. Khajuraho temples have been split into three parts – Western Temple, Eastern Temple and Southern Temple Complexes for convenience. Most of these temples were constructed using Five-part plan (Panchayatna) and spiral headed domes (Shikharas).

khajuraho-sculpturesMost of the temples show dedication to Hinduism depicting gods and goddesses like, Shiva, Parvati, Krishna, Vishnu and Brahma, while a group of four temples are dedicated to Jain worship and a few even show architectural orientation suggesting a mixture of Buddhist and Hindu beliefs. The western temple complex is the largest comprising 3 statues, 9 temples, 2 water tanks and 1 open-air sanctuary. The Eastern temple complex is comparatively smaller, comprising 7 temples and a recently constructed statue. These apart, there is a classic collection of remains of ruined temples in The Archeological Museum in the Western Temple complex.

Khajuraho’s beauty is a result of skillfulness in the hands of artisans of Chandela Dynasty. There was a large group of more than 89 temples most of which suffered destruction. Those that remain have been preserved most delicately and are now a property of ASI.