The
temples of Khajuraho are famous all over the world for the magnificent art
forms of early medieval period. The carvings and sculptures on the walls of
the temples are so intricately done that they fascinate tourists even to
this day and speak of the genius craftmanship of that period. The
intricately done carvings are highly erotic and sensual and are regarded as
manifestations of human love and other emotions. Instead of depicting
sensuality as a degraded emotion, the art forms raise it to a higher level
to show them as an integral part of human relationships.
The temples were constructed by the powerful Chandela rulers of the place
during the 9th and 10th century A.D. The Chandelas were known for their love
of art and luxury. There are a complex of Hindu and Jain temples in the
place. According to historical details, there were a total of 85 temples but
not all of them could stand the tests of time. Only 22 of them remain at
present.
Location
The temples of Khajuraho are located in Khajuraho village, a small place in
the Bundelkhand region of central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.
Reaching the Khajuraho Temples
Air : Khajuraho is air-linked with Delhi, Agra and
Varanasi. Both Indian Airlines and private service providers operate flights
to Khajuraho.
Rail : The nearest railheads from Khajuraho are Harpalpur
(94 km) and Mahoba (63 km).
Road : Though the location of Khajuraho is somewhat
isolated, a good road network connects Khajuraho with other towns and cities
of Madhya Pradesh. There are bus services to the place from Panna, Satna,
Chattarpur, Jabalpur, Mahoba, Bhopal, Gwalior and Indore.
The Temples
The temples of Khajuraho are divided into three categories-Western Group
Temples, Eastern Group Temples and Southern Group Temples. The western
temples are some of the largest, precisely built and located centrally. The
eastern group temples consist of five separate sub-groups. The temples of
the southern group are located at some distance.
Some of the finest temples of the three groups starting with the western
group are mentioned below
Kandariya Mahadeo Temple( western group) : The largest and
the most attractive of Khajuraho temples is Kandariya Mahadeo. There are as
many as 900 statues in the walls, ceilings and other parts of the temple.
Most of the statues are meticulously carved in erotic postures. The huge
temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and rises to a height of 31 metres from
the ground. The main shrine has many exquisitely done carved images of gods,
goddesses and apsaras (heavenly maidens). The six interior compartments of
the temple comprise of the portico, main hall, transept, vestibule, sanctum
and ambulatory.
Chaunsat Yogini Temple( western group) : Dedicated to
goddess Kali, Chaunsat Yogini is one of the oldest surviving temples of
Khajuraho. It is the only temple of Khajuraho built in granite. It is very
unfortunate to note that none of the images of Goddess Kali could survive to
the present. Originally, there were 65 cells in the temple but only 35 of
them have remained intact. The temple was constructed during 900 A.D.
Vishwanath
Temple(western group) : Deviating from the practice of carving images of
humans, many exquisitely done animal carvings could be seen in this temple.
The temple enshrines a three-headed image of Lord Brahma. Lions have been
shown guarding the main northern entrance to the temple while elephants
flank the southern entrance. A Nandi temple with a massive 6 ft high Nandi
bull faces the Vishwanath Temple.
Lakshamana Temple(western group) : This temple shows the
holy trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva with Goddess Lakshmi, Vishnu's
consort. The sanctum has a three-headed idol of Vishnu's incarnations,
Narasimha and Varaha.
Parsvanath Temple (eastern group) : Parsvanath is regarded
as one of the finest of sculpted Khajuraho temples. This is also the largest
Jain temple of Khajuraho. The deity originally worshipped was Adinath, but
in present times saint Parsvanath is worshipped in the temple. The art forms
of the temple are very beautiful but unlike the other temples of Khajuraho,
sexual motifs have not been emphasised upon. The sculptures of the temple
try to depict every human activity, even the most ordinary ones in an
attractive manner. An amazing range of such sculptures could be seen in the
temple.
Adinatha Temple( eastern group) : Adinatha is another Jain
temple of the eastern group that has an impressive range of sculptures. The
temple walls have some of the most attractive sculptures of yakshis among
others.
Ghantai Temple( eastern group) : This Jain temple depicts
in a sculpted form the 16 dreams of Lord Mahavira's mother. There is another
sculpture of the multi-armed Jain goddess perched on a winged Garuda.
Chaturbhuj Temple(southern group) : One of the biggest and
most beautiful temples of the southern group, Chaturbhuj temple sports a
huge, elaborately carved image of Lord Vishnu in the sanctum.
Duladeo Temple( southern group) : Duladeo is another
attractive temple of the southern group. The deity worshipped in the temple
is Lord Shiva. The temple has a number of sensuous images of the apsaras and
a few other exquisite sculptures.
