Khajuraho, famous for sexually explicit sculptures on temple
walls, has many other beautiful temples. Of a total of eighty five, only around
twenty two are in reasonably good condition now and Khajuraho has the stamp of
a UNESCO World Heritage Site now. The temples date back to 950 – 1050 AD.
As you near the famed city you will be surrounded by ‘Guides’ who promise to show you all that is there in Khajuraho. But very few of them are authorized to enter the Western group of temples complex where all the prominent temples are. They will only guide you to the Eastern, Southern and Jain group of temples. So if you are going to hire a guide please keep this in mind.
As you near the famed city you will be surrounded by ‘Guides’ who promise to show you all that is there in Khajuraho. But very few of them are authorized to enter the Western group of temples complex where all the prominent temples are. They will only guide you to the Eastern, Southern and Jain group of temples. So if you are going to hire a guide please keep this in mind.
In the morning we covered the Eastern, Southern and the Jain
temples and in the evening we did the Western group. The ‘Eastern’ ‘Southern’ and
‘Western’ refer to the direction in which they are situated as all these
temples are in an area of around six kms.
Our first visit was to the Vamana temple in the Eastern
zone. It is dedicated to Vamana incarnation of Lord
Vishnu. It has beautiful
carvings on the outer walls.
The next stop was Javari temple that is dedicated to Lord
Vishnu built during 1075 and 1100AD. There is a
headless idol inside the
temple.
Then we went on to the Chaturbhuj temple, dedicated to Lord
Vishnu, which dates back to 1100AD. This is
the only temple in Khajuraho that
lacks erotic sculptures. It is located in the Southern zone.
We moved on to the Duladeo temple next, dedicated to Lord
Shiva, that dates back to early 12th century.
The Jain temples were next.
Adinath temple dating
back to the latter part of the 11th century AD and the
Parshavnath temple
built during the 10th century AD.
Then we moved to the temples in the Western zone. The first
temple we saw there was the Lakshaman
temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu, built
between 930-950 AD.
Opposite the Lakshmana temple is the Varaha mandir. Varaha
is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
The Kandariya Mahadeva temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva,
built between 1025-1050 AD is the largest
monument in Khajuraho.
The Jagdambi temple was originally dedicated to Lord Vishnu
now named Jagdambi for the image of Parvati
enshrined in the sanctum.
The Chitragupta temple resembles the Jagdambi temple, and is dedicated to Surya.
The Vishwanatha temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, built in
1002AD is one of the finest in Khajuraho.
Khajuraho is not only about erotic sculpture but also about
fine architecture and exquisite artisanship.
Getting there:
By Air: Khajuraho airport is well connected to all major
cities in India, like Delhi, Mumbai, Varanasi, Bhopal, Indore and Allahabad.
By Rail: Nearest railway station to Khajuraho is Mahoba
which is around 77 km from Khajuraho. Harpalpur is another station that is well
connected to most of the major cities in India and is 90 km from Khajuraho
By Road: Khajuraho is one of the cities well connected by
public and private buses. Private tour service operators arrange deluxe AC and
Non AC buses to Khajuraho from various cities including Jhansi (177 km) and
Delhi (594 km).