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Madhya Pradesh
is the land, where Nature's efforts complement
those of man, to provide a setting, awe inspiring
in its sheer magnificence. Situated in the
heart of Madhya Pradesh, Khajuraho, is a best
and fascinating village with a quaint rural
ambience and a rich cultural heritage. The
fascinating temples of Khajuraho, India 's
unique gift of love to the world, represent
the expression of a highly matured civilization
and hold the attention of a visitor with their
sculptural art, which is so exquisite and
intricate, that one cannot even dream of cloning
it now. After the Taj it is the most frequently
visited monument in India.
Built by Chandela Kings, they are one of the
most popular places of foreign tourists in
India. The temples were built between 950
and 1050 AD. For five centauries, this part
of India was ruled by Chandela dynasty. Only
22 temples survived out of the 85 original
temples, to constitute one of the world's
great artistic wonders. Revived only in this
century, the temples of Khajuraho once again
give evidence to a past grandeur. |
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The temples at Khajuraho are divided
into three broad groups: The Western Group,
Eastern Group and Southern Group.
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- The Western Group, which is the main
and largest, compact and centrally located
group in Khajuraho, includes some of the
most prominent monuments, built by the
Chandela rulers.
- The Eastern Group, which comprises of
five detached sub-groups in and around
the present village of Khajuraho
- The Southern Group, which is the most
distant one comprising of two main monuments
near and across the Khudarnala.
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| Some
of the world famous temples of Khajuraho are
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The Kandariya Mahadev :
This is one of the temples within Western
Group and is a good example of Hindu architecture.
The temple represents the Central Indian style
of temple architecture. It is one of the most
developed and the highest temple, towering
31m high. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva and
has marble Linga in the inner sanctum. |
| The
Lakshman Temple
: The complex
also boasts one of the finest and the best
preserved temple. The sanctum doorway has
a panel of incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Dating
from 930-950 AD it is one of earliest temples
going in Khajuraho. Considering its age, the
Lakshmana Temple is remarkably well-preserved;
in fact it is one of the best preserved temples
of the whole lot. According to the inscription
on the Lakshmana Temple , it was built by
a certain King Yasovarman to install a Vaikuntha-Vishnu
image (which can still be seen here) gifted
to him by his Pratihara overlord, Devapala.
The image was brought originally from Tibet
(or Bhosa as it was known then), where the
cult of worshipping Vishnu in his Vaikuntha
(the multi-headed Vishnu) avatar was popular.
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The Chaunsath Yogini : This
one of the oldest temple in the Western Group
and is dedicated to the 64 (in hindi 64 is
called chaunsath) yoginis or manifestations
of the Mother Goddess. Raised on an immense
platform is an open courtyard that is surrounded
by miniature shrines for all the 64 manifestations
of the goddess. This temple or cluster of
temples, which has been dated to the 9th century
AD, is considered the oldest monument at Khajuraho.
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| The
Vishvanath and Nandi Temple
: These temples
depict the marriage of Lord Shiva with Parvati.
It is similar in plan to the Kandariya Mahadev
temple and is approached from the southern
side. On top of a wide platform is the small
and dainty Nandi mandapa with an elegant pyramidal
roof - you must check this one out if you
are an art and architecture freak. It has
a large stone image of Nandi (Lord Shiva's
vehicle, a bull). He sits there with a sphinx-like
expression that is hard to read - although
it does seem, from certain angles, like he's
staring longingly at the temple before him,
the house of his master. The Vishwanatha Temple
has some exquisite sculptural details and
within the shrine is an exquisite marble Shivalinga
(phallic representation of Shiva). |
The
Chitragupta Temple , dedicated to
the Sun God - Surya, is a first and last here.
Quite similar to the Devi Jagdambi Temple
, it is not in very good repair, although
attempts, have been made to repair it.
About a mile away near the Khajur Sagar are
the smaller shrines of this group. The Brahma
Temple is one of smallest in Khajuraho and
has only a single room with a Shivalinga in
the centre protected by a huge pyramidal roof.
The Vaman and Javari Temples are set against
a rural landscape amidst fields and pastures
and are miniature versions in plan and design
of the larger Western group of temples. |
| How
to reach |
Khajuraho can be easily
accessed through air, train or road.
By Air :- By
Air a daily Boeing 737 service links Khajuraho
with Delhi , Agra , Varanasi and Kathmandu
.
By Rail :-
The nearest railway station are Mahoba (64
km) and Harpalpur (94 km). Jhansi (175 km)
and Satna (117 km) are convenient railheads
for visitors from Delhi , Mumbai, Kolkata,
Chennai, Agra and Varanasi .
By
Road :- Khajuraho is connected
by regular bus services with Mahoba, Harpalpur,
Satna, Jhansi , Gwalior , Agra , Jabalpur
and Bhopal. |
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