Khajuraho Mandir, Madhya Pradesh, IN

Location: Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh
Built by: Chandela Rulers
Built in: During 950 - 1050 AD
Attraction: Erotic sculptures
Significance: Listed as World Heritage Site
Best time to visit: July to March

Khajuraho - Land Of The Moon God

Khajuraho is a village in the of Madhya Pradesh, located in Chhattarpur District, about 385 miles (620 kilometres) southeast of Delhi.

The Khajuraho group of monuments has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

One of the most popular tourist destinations in India, Khajuraho has the largest group of medieval Hindu and Jain temples, famous for their erotic sculpture. The name Khajuraho is derived from the Hindi word khajur meaning date palm.

Khajuraho Temples:
The Khajuraho village surrounded by the mountains of Chattarpur district of Madhya Pradesh is 395 Km southeast of Agra. Today this village remains with 22 temples, which give us a glimpse of a golden time of art and devotion at their peak. Out of 22 temples, two were made from sandstone. The stone blocks were first carved and then the interlocking pieces were assembled to form a temple. Each temple is different from one another.

Each temple has three main compartments that is the entrance (ardhamandapa), the assembly hall (mandapa) and the actual sanctum (garbha griha). According to their geographical location, the temples are divided into 3 groups, Western, Eastern and Southern.

Western Group:
The western group of temples is the best and the largest group of temples in Khajuraho. Located amidst the green fields and flowerbeds, the temples of western group have been elaborated by the Archaeological Survey of India. Incorporated in the World Heritage Site, these temples embrace the most passionate and outstanding sculptures of Khajuraho. Jagdambi Temple, Kandariya Mahadeva and Chitragupta Temples are the most excellent specimen of sculptures in India.

Kandariya Mahadeo
In the Western group, Kandariya Mahadeo is believed to be the largest temple. The temple has approximately 900 statues that boast about the excellent craftsmanship of the artisans The 31m high temples is the largest and most typical Khajuraho temple with exquisite carvings and intricate and detailed craftsmanship in stone depicting divine deities, celestial maidens, eternal lovers, gods and goddesses. This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and enshrines the 'linga'.

Chaunsath Yogini
The temple is the earliest temple of the group that has survived. It belongs to 900 AD and is dedicated Goddess Kali. It has the distinction of being the only granite temple here. The temple had 65 cells out of which only 35 are left. The image of Goddess Kali that used to enshrine in the temple, sadly couldn't resist the ravages of the time.

Chitragupta Temple
This temple is dedicated to the Sun God (Surya Dev). It faces towards east or the rising sun and the imposing image of the image of the deity in the inner sanctum is as high as five feet and is shown driving a horse-drawn chariot. It is in front of this temple and the Vishwanath temple that most of the dance performances take place during the Khajuraho Dance Festival.

Vishwanath Temple
This temple has impressive entrances with magnificent stone guarding its northern steps and royal masonry elephants taking care of the southern steps. The northern doorway of the temple is guarded by a series of Lions, whereas huge elephants flank the southern steps. The shrine of Nandi bull lies in the opposite direction. The three-headed image of Lord Brahma in the temple is not less captivating.

Lakshmana Temple
A pretty Vaishnava temple flaunts a lintel over its entrance depicting the divine trinity of Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva along with Goddess Lakshmi, the wife of Lord Vishnu. The shrine embraces three-headed images of Narasimha and Varaha, who are the incarnations of Lord Vishnu.

Matangeshwara Temple
Situated outside the premises of Western group of temples, this Lord Shiva's temple is known for the daunting eight-feet high lingam (male organ representing the natural process of reproduction and the continuity of human life form) that it enshrines. There is an open-air Archaeological Museum that displays a marvelous assortment of statues and frescoes accumulated from the area.

Eastern Group:
Situated near the village of Khajuraho, the Eastern Group of temples consists of the renowned temples like Brahma, Vamana and Javari. The group further includes Ghantai, Adinath and Parsvanath (Jain pilgrims) that are located near the Khajuraho Sagar.

Parshvanatha Temple
The largest Jain temple of the Eastern group, Parsvanath temple has intricate stone carvings, especially, the sculptures on the northern outer wall of the temple are certainly praiseworthy is carved with sculptures; depicting the scenes of everyday activities. It enshrines a throne facing the bull emblem that represents the first tirthankara, Adinatha.

Ghantai Temple
This Jain temple has remarkable frescos depicting the 16 dreams of the mother of Lord Mahavira at the time of his birth and a Jain goddess mounted on a winged Garuda.

Adinatha Temple
This temple is richly ornamented with delicate and pretty sculptures including those of yakshis. It is dedicated to the first Jain tirthankara (saint), Adinath.

Hindu Temples
Most of the temple here belongs to Jain faith but there are three Hindu temples of the group the Brahma temple enshrining a four-faced linga, the Vamana temple with divine carvings of sensuous celestial maidens in various poses adorning its outer walls and the Javari temple are the renowned shrines with a opulently carved doorway and ostentatious sculptures on its exteriors in the eastern group.

Southern Group:
The temples that fall under the southern group are located at a distance of approximately 5 km from the Khajuraho village. Amongst the temples of this group, Duladeo and Chaturbhuj Temples are the most famous.

Duladeo Temple
Built during 1100 -1150 AD, Duladeo Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. This Shaiva temple is known for flaunting the striking images of the celestial maidens or apsaras and richly ornamented figures.

Chaturbhuja Temple
It is the huge imposing intricately carved image of Lord Vishnu in the temple's sanctum, which is the chief attraction of the temple. Who is regarded as the preserver of the world. The temple houses an elaborately carved image of Lord Vishnu.

Legend:
The past of Khajuraho is shrouded with mystery and conjecture. In the midst of the wilderness full of ferocious animals, there is the small town of Khajuraho standing alone in its solitude with its ancient temples. With hardly any written records and rare references to its origin, the history of Khajuraho has become trapped in the mythical folklore of the region. The beautiful artwork of these temples have gained the attention of the art lovers all over the world but the real purpose behind their construction is a mere guess work of the intellectuals. The These temples fire the imagination of the visitors with innumerable questions such as their significance and their position in the society, the reason behind using these temples as an art gallery, the whereabouts of the said kingdom and why only the temples have been found and there are no ruins of the mansions and palaces in the nearby area. The graphic representation of sexual and erotic postures in a religious place is bewildering too.

However, if the myth it is to be believed, Khajuraho was known as 'Khajur-vahika' or 'Khajjurpura' in the ancient times because of its golden date palms (known as 'khajur') that lined the gates of this city. It has been mentioned in the Mahoba-khand of Chandbardai's (the famous medieval court poet) 'Prithviraj Raso' that Hemraj, the royal priest of Kashi (the old name for Varanasi), had an exceptionally beautiful daughter named Hemvati, who was unfortunately a child widow. One summer night, while she was bathing in a lotus-filled pond, the Moon God was so dazed by her beauty that he descended to earth in human form full of lust and passion and ravished her. Later, he repented when the distressed Hemvati threatened to curse him for ruining her honor and dignity and blessed her with a valiant son who would later become a king and build the temples of Khajuraho. Hemvati left her home and gave birth to a brave and strong boy child in the tiny village of Khajjurpura. The child was named Chandravarman and it is said that by the time he was 16 years old, the glorious boy was strong and skilled enough to kill tigers or lions with his bare hands. With the blessings of the Moon God, his father he became a mighty king and built the fortress at Kalinjar. Then heeding to his mother's wishes he built 85 legendary temples surrounded by lakes and gardens at Khajuraho and also performed the bhandya yagya, to wash away the sins of his mother.

Yet another version of the above legend raises Hemvati as a dutiful daughter who sacrificed all her happiness and dignity for her father. Mani Ram, the royal priest of Kalinjar, miscalculated once and declared the dark night as the full moon night or Purnamasi in front of the king. Hemvati, his widowed daughter could not bear the possibility of any stigma on her father's reputation and prayed to the Moon God to uphold the word of the priest. However, she had to pay a heavy price for her wish being granted when the Moon God who was smitten by the lady's beauty ravished her in return for his favor. When Mani Ram came to know of this entire incident, he was so ashamed and grief-stricken that he cursed himself and turned into a stone. However, Hemvati got pregnant with the tryst and gave birth to a virtuous son by the name of sage Chandrateya who is believed to be the founder of the Chandela dynasty. Chandelas worshipped the Mani Ram-turned-stone as Maniya Dev.

Festival:
Held every year from 25th February to 2nd March, Khajuraho Dance Festival takes place at the open-air auditorium in front of the Chitragupta Temple dedicated to the Sun God and the Vishwanatha Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. They are situated in the Western Group of temples, which is the largest, well maintained and most easily accessible temple group of Khajuraho. Started regularly since 2002, this weeklong festival has already become legendary with its outlandish classical dance performances presented in a dreamlike setting of splendidly illuminated temples. Khajuraho temples present sculptures depicting various skills and arts of courtly love including dance and music in stone and what venue can be more befitting to hold the cultural festival highlighting the various classical dances of India!

Some of the best artists and performers that have marked themselves in their fields come from the various states of India to participate in the festival and the performances including some of the best known dance styles.

With a graded rise secondary shikharas (spires) cluster to create an appropriate base for the main shikhara over the sanctum. Kandariya Mahadeva, one of the most accomplished temples of the Western group, comprises eighty-four shikharas, the main being 116 feet from the ground level.

These shikharas -- subordinate and main -- attribute to the Khajuraho temples their unique splendor and special character.These temples of Khajuraho have sculptures that look very realistic and are studied even today.

The Saraswathi temple on the campus of Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, India is modeled after the Khajuraho temple.

How to Reach:
by Air: Regular services link Khajuraho with Delhi, Agra, and Varanasi.
by Rail: The nearest railheads are Harpalpur (94 Km) and Mahoba (61 Km). Mumbai-Allahabad line of the Central Railway for those coming from Mumbai, Kolkata and Varanasi.
by Road: Khajuraho is connected by regular buses. One can easily reach Khajuraho Temples by taking regular Buses or by hiring taxis from anywhere in Madhya Pradesh.

Visit www.eTirth.com for more information on Temples, Ashrams, Gurus, Festival and Daily Panchangam (Hindu ephemeris).

If you love to read visit www.KathaVarta.org for Religious stories.

Last but not least, if you want to visit above Holy Pilgrimage, please contact and visit our associate partner www.YatraKhoj.com and e-mail at yatrakhoj@yahoo.com.