Khajuraho is about 620 kilometres southeast of New Delhi, and one of the most popular tourist destinations in India. is known for its world famous temples and their exquisite architecture and sculpture.
The temple town of Khajuraho is very different from any other temple city of India.
It is not about religion and worshipping and deities but is known for its world famous temples and their exquisite architecture and sculpture. The10th-11th century temples of Khajuraho are instead famous for the eroticism etched on its walls in the form of sculptures. It is said that in a fit of passion and lust, the Moon God seduced and ravaged a beautiful Brahmin girls known as Hemvati, resulting in the birth of Chandravarman (the founder of the Chandela dynasty). Later, Chandravarman had a dream where his mother requested him to make a temple, which would reveal all aspects of the treasure of passion and erotic fantasy to the world. The Khajuraho Group of Monuments has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is considered to be one of the "seven wonders" of India.
The city was the cultural capital of Chandela Rajputs, a Hindu dynasty that ruled this part of India from the 10-12th centuries. The political capital of the Chandelas was Kalinjar. The Khajuraho temples were built over a span of 200 years, from 950 to 1150. The Chandela capital was moved to Mahoba after this time, but Khajuraho continued to flourish for some time. Khajuraho has no forts because the Chandel Kings never lived in their cultural capital.
The whole area was enclosed by a wall with eight gates, each flanked by two golden palm trees. There were originally over 80 Hindu temples, of which only 25 now stand in a reasonable state of preservation, scattered over an area of about 20 square kilometres (8 sq mi). Today, the temples serve as fine examples of Indian architectural styles that have gained popularity due to their explicit depiction of sexual life during medieval times.
We start our visit with an argument about our small hand held tripod which is apparently a security risk. In the end we are allowed to enter but are followed all the way round by a security guard and approached several times to be told we are not allowed tripods in the heritage site.
We spend a fantastic afternoon (with our shadow!) just wandering and exploring the Western Temples. The walled site is beautifully kept, manicured lawns and perfect flower beds and relatively quiet. The weather is glorious and we all enjoy the peace and space away from the madness of the touts outside.
The temple town of Khajuraho is very different from any other temple city of India.
The city was the cultural capital of Chandela Rajputs, a Hindu dynasty that ruled this part of India from the 10-12th centuries. The political capital of the Chandelas was Kalinjar. The Khajuraho temples were built over a span of 200 years, from 950 to 1150. The Chandela capital was moved to Mahoba after this time, but Khajuraho continued to flourish for some time. Khajuraho has no forts because the Chandel Kings never lived in their cultural capital.
We start our visit with an argument about our small hand held tripod which is apparently a security risk. In the end we are allowed to enter but are followed all the way round by a security guard and approached several times to be told we are not allowed tripods in the heritage site.We spend a fantastic afternoon (with our shadow!) just wandering and exploring the Western Temples. The walled site is beautifully kept, manicured lawns and perfect flower beds and relatively quiet. The weather is glorious and we all enjoy the peace and space away from the madness of the touts outside.
We have obviously been around the Chinese too long and the bizarre "v sign in photo" phenomenon has rubbed off on us!
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