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Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Khajuraho Temple Group Unique artifacts of world heritage Hindu Jain temples

Next to Vishwanath Temple, Chitragupta Temple is dedicated to Suryanarayana. There are also statues of Uma-Maheshwar, Lakshmi-Narayana and Vishnu in the form of Virat, among other idols on the walls of the temple. Statues of workers carrying stones in the sculptures of life reflect the era of temple construction.

Laxman temple khajuraho , madhya pradesh temple
Laxman temple khajuraho


That day still floats on my memory table when I got on the bus from Jhansi in the morning with my friends after traveling for about four hours and set foot on Khajuraho, the paradigm of unmatched art in the world. We took two rooms to stay around the temples and after a snack we went to visit the temples of Khajuraho.

The first one was in front of us in a huge garden of the Western Temple Group complex, many temples with high peaks, which are built on high platforms. The first temple of our temple visit was Mantgeshwar which is the oldest temple. Shiva lingam of about one meter diameter and two and a half meter high is built in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple built in pyramid style. It was built by King Harshavarman in 920 AD.


temple khajuraho , art khajuraho temple
temple khajuraho art

The huge Lakshmana temple located near it is built in the Panchayatan style, on which there are sub-temples built on each of the four corners. Suryadev is seen riding on a chariot at the main gate of the temple. Numerous sculptures are engraved on the outer walls of the temple. The expressions of idols are made on seeing beauty. The three queues have a series of prominent sculptures. Some lines are of small sculptures. There are Dev idols in the middle ankles. Idols of dance, music, war, hunting etc. are seen in the then life. Other idols include statues of Vishnu, Shiva, Agnideva, Gandharva, Sur-Sundari, Devadasi, Tantrik, Purohit, and Kama Kala. In an idol, the hero-heroine is using fingernails to provoke each other. The temple's sanctum sanctorum houses the trinity statue of Lord Vishnu. There is a treasure of statues on the inside walls. On the platform of the temple, sculptures of collective mating with various themes also have amazing crafts. Laxmi temple and Varaha temple are built in front of the temple.

The temple of Kandaria Mahadev nearby is different from all the temples which is famous for work education. The structure and ornamentation of the temple is also very magnificent and the temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The entrance of the temple consists of 9 branches, on which lotus flowers, dancing apsaras and vyals are built. A four-faced statue of Shiva is built on the lintel. Brahma and Vishnu are also sitting near it. A huge marble Shivling is installed in the sanctum sanctorum. There are also beautiful paintings of stone art on the roofs of the pavilion. Sur-beautiful, male-eunuch, god-god and lover-couple are depicted in beautiful forms on the outer walls. Some unique sex scenes are depicted on the middle walls. Three statues, made in a sequence from top to bottom in one place, are said to be imitations of Kamasutra. It shows the importance of getting full stimulation through hugs and kisses at the beginning of sex. In another scene, a male appears in a posture of headstand with 3 females. There are a total of 646 sculptures on the outer walls of the largest temple, while there are 226 statues inside. Perhaps there are no such idols in any other temple. This temple built in Saptaratha style is the largest, about 117 feet tall, 66 feet wide and 117 feet high. This temple was built by King Vidyadhar around 1065 AD after defeating Mohammad Ghaznavi for the second time.

kandariya mahadev temple  , khajuraho temple
kandariya mahadev temple 

Visiting these temples, the next day the journey started from the Vishwanath temple. Earlier there is a newly constructed temple of Parvati. The ancient temple located here was fragmented. The Maharaja of Chhatarpur built the present temple around 1880 and established the statue of Parvati in it. This temple is different from other temples. Next to this is the Vishwanath temple dedicated to Shiva. Two lions and elephants are built in front of the temple stairs. The idols of Dev idols, Ashtadikapal, Nag Kanya, Apsaras, Rajsabha, Rasleela, Marriage, Utsav, Heroine playing Veena and Apsara emanating from thorns on foot are engraved in the temples. The niches have idols like Chamunda, Kaumari, Vaishnavi, Varahi, Maheshwari, Nataraja etc. This temple is 90 feet high and 45 feet wide. This temple was built by King Dhangadeva in 1002 AD. In the square pavilion in front of the main temple is a 6-foot-high visible statue of Nandi, the vehicle of Shiva.

Next to Vishwanath Temple, Chitragupta Temple is dedicated to Suryanarayana. There are also statues of Uma-Maheshwar, Lakshmi-Narayana and Vishnu in the form of Virat, among other idols on the walls of the temple. Statues of workers carrying stones in the sculptures of life reflect the era of temple construction. Among the main statues are statues of animals called Vayal and Shardul, which are built on every temple. On the walls of the Chitragupta temple, the hero-heroine is engraved in various forms of hugging. In the sanctum sanctorum, the statue of Lord Surya riding on a chariot of 7 horses sits. Chitragupta is sitting with a pen in his hand.

world heritage khajuraho temple , kandariya mahadev
world heritage khajuraho temple

Just ahead of the Chitragupta temple is the Jagadambi temple. Originally this temple was dedicated to Vishnu, but there is no statue in the temple. When the Maharaja of Chhatarpur renovated these temples, then the statue of Jagdamba was installed here. The idol of Yama is also present in this temple along with other deities. There are some good copulation scenes on the walls here too. At the entrance, Chaturbhuji Vishnu is seen sitting on Garuda. The idols of Saraswati and Lakshmi are particularly notable in the temple niches. Mahadev Temple is located near Jagdambi Temple. The original part of this small temple is in a fragmented state and the altar has also been destroyed. An idol at the entrance depicts King Chandravarman fighting with the lion. This scene had become the official symbol of the Chandelas. It was built by King Ghangadeva in 1025 AD.

We enjoyed a bicycle safari to see the eastern temples located a short distance near the ancient village of Khajuraho. Here bicycles are available at very low rates while taximen charge up to 500 rupees. Eastern temples have 4 Jain and 3 Hindu temples. The first is a small Brahma temple built in pyramid style. Lord Vishnu and Shiva are also present here along with the statue of Brahma. There is also a Shivling in the temple. About 300 meters from the Brahma temple is the Vamana temple. This temple is believed to be built in the later half of the 11th century. The walls of this temple are mostly single statues, except for a few hugging scenes of loving couples. Beautiful engravings of Shiva-Vivah are also seen here. Walking a little ahead of the Vamana temple comes Javari Temple. Dedicated to Lord Vishnu, this temple is seen in his Baikuntha form. The sculptures on the outer walls of the temple also have numerous copulation scenes.

world heritage khajuraho temple , art india
world heritage khajuraho temple madhya pradesh
There are 4 Jain temples located here. Of these, the Golai temple is in fractal condition. Appearing as a mandapa, the pillars of this temple have beautiful ornamentation of bells. There are statues of the Gods and Goddesses at the entrance while the Goddess Chakreshwari, ruling at the entrance of the sanctum sanctorum, has a mounted statue on Garuda. The remaining three Jain temples are located in a compound some distance away. The most important of these is the Parsvnath temple with Tirthankara statues on its outer walls. Along with these is the beautiful marking of the deities Kubera, Dwarpal, Gajarudh or Akhrudh Jain. Here the rows of idols include Gandharva, Kinnar, Vidyadhar ruling deities, Yaksha Mithun and Apsaras. Among these, the idols of the heroine applying kajal and the mother spilling on her baby are enticing. The torana of the temple has a beautiful depiction of 16 dreams of the mother Tirthankar and Adinathji's statues in the sanctum sanctorum. The temple was built by a city Seth during the time of King Ghangadeva.


The Dulhadeva temple in the southern temples is dedicated to Shiva after the eastern temple. Inside the temple, a small Shivling is built on a huge Shivling. It is the last heritage of the Chandela kings built in the 12th century. After this the Chaturbhuj temple, some distance away from the Dulhadev temple, is built on a simple platform. The sculptures on the walls of this temple include Digpal, Ashtavasu, Apsaras and Vayal. The sanctum sanctorum of the temple has a soft statue of Shiva.

On almost all the temple walls, there are sometimes single and sometimes collective mating statues that make sense of the many asanas described and painted in the Kamasutra of Vatsyayana. The scenes of mass copulation create a different kind of curiosity in the minds of the viewers. The excellence of the idol craft also shows that these Maithun idols are not precipitated by any prejudice or frustration, no obscenity is seen, but simple simplicity is the culmination of the truth of life. When we were returning after seeing the highest patterns of Indian temple art, there was only one feeling in my mind, how will those anonymous craftsmen who created this unimaginable world of these sculptures and architecture, to see the tourists from all over the world today Aana considers his good fortune and takes in the camera the sweet memories of his journey.

The Museum of the Archaeological Department of India, located opposite the Western Temple Group, is divided into four huge houses. Including Shaivites, Vaishnavas, Jains and others. A large collection of statues can be seen. In it, the statue of Vishnu is shown with a gesture of keeping silent on the mouth. The museum also has a beautiful idol of Shiva with four legs. The Jain Museum has about 100 Jain sculptures. The State Museum of Tribal and Falk depicts paved ceramics, metal crafts, wood crafts, paintings, jewelery, masks and tattoos created by tribal groups. In the evening a light and sound program is displayed in the Western Temple Group campus, which brings to life its history. Do see these also in Khajuraho's program. To enjoy the high temples to the summit, take a biscope.

Although one can come here at any time throughout the year, the time from October to March is more favorable. Khajuraho in Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh is connected by air from Delhi, Varanasi, Agra and Kathmandu. Rail service is available from Khajuraho railway station to Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Varanasi, Udaipur, Bhopal, Indore, Ujjain. Bus services are available from many major cities of the country. There are hotels for every budget for accommodation and food.

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