Khajuraho Group of Monuments
Once guarded by swaying date palm trees, which gave the city of Khajuraho its name, the city is a study in art and sculpture. Indeed, the Chandela Temples form the centre of Khajuraho with its myriad graceful forms that continue to evoke shock, surprise, awe and admiration among a thousand other feelings. The city traces its origin to the 10th century when it was the bastion of the Chandela dynasty.
Somebody put it quite aptly! The temples of Khajuraho, worked by the sensitive chisels of master craftsmen, immortalise the ecstasy of passion and fervent beauty of love. So, it is not surprising that the Khajuraho temples stand out among the numerous others embellished by similar erotic sculpture. Khajuraho boasts of erotic art and sexual imagery of a very explicit kind. These manifestations on temple walls, practically nude, are among the most sensuous and seductive known.
It is said that there were 85 temples in all, of which only about 20 survive today. The main group of Hindu temples, referred to as the western group, includes the `Lakshmana Temple' (950 A.D.) and the `Vishvanatha Temple' (dated 1002 A.D.), the `Chitragupta Temple' and the most splendid of them all, the `Kandariya Mahadeo Temple' (c. 1025-50) dedicated to Shiva.
But the temple that's most frequented by the local populace is the Mataneswara temple, also dedicated to Vishnu. The object of veneration here is the colossal 2.5-metre lingam installed in the sanctum. In front, is a small shrine of Varaha, a reincarnation of Vishnu. The eastern group of temples comprise the Hindu temples, Brahma Vamana and Javari, and three Jain temples. Situated five km away, the southern group of temples consists of two isolated temples.
There's so much of exquisite artistic excellence scattered everywhere in Khajuraho that the most passionate lovers of art could spend days studying them. |
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