Khajuraho has the largest group of medieval Hindu and Jain temples are very ancient, ranging from one thousand and more years. Khajuraho is the second most visited place in India after Taj Mahal. This small town is located in Chhatarpur District, Madhya Pradesh, about 620 kilometres southeast of New Delhi, the capital city of India. The Khajuraho group of monuments has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The name Khajuraho, ancient “Kharjuravahaka”, is derived from the Sanskrit words kharjura (means date palm)and vahaka (means one who carries).
HISTORY:
The city of Khajuraho was the cultural capital of Chandel Rajputs. The Chandels ruled this part of north India for Two centuries between 10th and 12thcentury. Though Chandel rulers had their political capital in Kalinjar, they always took special interest in Khajuraho.
Construction of temples began in Khajuraho begun in 950 AD. Over the succeeding two centuries, hundreds of temples were built here having a unique architectural style that displayed medieval sexual life explicitly on the outer walls.
However today only 25 of these temples are well intact with many of the erstwhile temples getting ruined or dilapidated with the time.The temples were continuously destroy ed by Muslims because of the spicy sculptures.
In the 19th century, British engineer T.S. Burt arrived in the area, followed by General Alexander Cunningham. Cunningham put Khajuraho on the world map when he explored the site on behalf of the Archaeological Survey of India and described what he found in glowing terms.
ARCHITECTURE:
The carvings on the inner and outer walls of these temples depict the lessons in sex education. However these temples also contain the idols of Gods and Goddesses, too. The carvings are primarily sex-related which makes the Khajuraho temples so unique, sex meets God in one of the holier places in India.
How can people that long ago construct these big, beautiful temples each covered in small intricate carvings? We get impression that these artworks done before one thousand years try to educate us about the fundamentals of relationship between men and women.
Each temple stands on the high stonework platform having a distinct upward direction for their build, further enhanced by few vertical projections to provide an effect of overall lightness. The three main compartments are the entrance (ardhamandapa), assembly hall (mandapa), and the sanctum sanctorum (garbha griha). The temples grouped into three geographical divisions according to their location: western, eastern and southern.
The Khajuraho temples are made of sandstone. The builders didn’t use mortar: the stones were put together with mortise and tenon joints and they were held in place by gravity. This form of construction requires very precise joints. The columns and architraves were built with megaliths that weighed up to 20 tons.
Though there isn’t any fort in khajurah (as Chandels rulers never lived here), the kings built a wall to safeguard the city. The wall still stands tall using its 8 main gates, each between two golden palms.
These temples of Khajuraho have sculptures that look very realistic and are studied even today.
LIGHT SHOW:
The Khajuraho temple complex offers a professional light and sound show every evening. The first show is in English language and the second one in Hindi. The show is about an hour long and covers the history, philosophy and the art of sculpting of these temples. It is held in the open lawns in the temple complex.
FESTIVAL:
The Khajuraho Dance Festival, held every year in February/March, is an opportunity for visitors to experience various classical Indian dances set against the backdrop of the Chitragupta or Vishwanath Temples.
GETTING THERE:
Khajuraho is a well-connected by rail, road and air in India.
By Air:
Daily flights connect Khajuraho to Delhi, Mumbai and Varanasi.
By Rail:
The nearest rail heads near Khajuraho are Mahoba (63 km) and Harpalpur(94 km). The major railheads are Satna (117 km), found on the Mumbai- Allahabad railway route works for travelers from Mumbai, Kolkata and Varanasi and Jhansi (172 km) convenient for all those coming from North India.
By Road:
Khajuraho is 172 km from Jhansi, 117 km from Satna, 178 km from Orchha, 278 from Gwalior and about 400 km from Agra and Varanasi.
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