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What an amazing feeling it must have been for him to find in a deserted forest, thick with undergrowth and web-like acacia, 85 temples of granite and stone, with erotic friezes on every second of them! The ultimate discovery of the Oriental.
We don’t know what the officer wrote in his bluebook or in the accounts that he sent to his conservative Victorian seniors, but we are glad that he made the journey. Khajuraho, an indescript village, sprung only to cater to the tourist inflow, between nowhere and nowhere, without a railroad but with an airport – is still a strange world. Perhaps because it was discovered only in 1838. The temples dominate and are seconded by hotels.
Khajuraho just celebrated its millennium of existence. A thousand years ago, because a king sired by moon beams, dreamt his dead mother exhort the temporal nature of human passion, a task was begun – which would be carried through for a hundred years with incredible, unusual creativity. The temples of Khajuraho were being chiselled. ^Top
THE LEGEND
There is a very interesting legend regarding the origin of the Khajuraho temples. It is said that the beautiful sixteen year old Hemvati stepped into the lake for a refreshing bath. She thought she was alone but she was mistaken. The moon God Chandrama, struck by her loveliness, descended to the earth and so charmed her that they spent the night in each other's arms. When Chandrama prepared to leave, Hemvati realised what had happened. But the Moon God comforted her by saying that their union would produce a son who would become an illustrious King. He told her that their son should be born on the banks of the river Karnavati and then taken to Khajjarpur, where he would perform a great yajna or sacrifice to absolve his mother of all her sins.
In due course of time Hemvati gave birth to a child as handsome as the Moon and called him Chandravarman. When Chandravarman grew up, he founded the Chandela dynasty which ruled over central India in the 10th century AD. At Khajuraho, he performed the Bhandya Yajna to redeem his mother's disgrace. Massive sacrificial altars were built and filled with ghee or clarified butter for this purpose and to accrue more merit as advised by the scriptures, he constructed 85 temples on these altars dedicated to various Gods. ^Top
Some say the Chandela kings created a representation of the Tantricism-the attainment of the infinite through erotic love. Others say the temples were meant to provide a lesson in eroticism to young students. And still others say the sensuous figures would ensure that the thunder god Indra did not strike lightening on them, so enraptured would he be by them. Or perhaps, in the age of Kamasutra, morality was not a hand-me-down brochure and the artists freely depicted and celebrated life as it was.
Having said that, one must mention that it is a bit of a discovery to find that the sculptures on the temples of Khajuraho depict many aspects of life – erotica is only one part of it (but where it is, it is of the extreme kind: orgies, horses…one would presume that anything and everything was permissible and possible in the old Hindu culture). Perhaps the central theme is Woman – she is seen writing letters, applying kohl to her eyes, dancing with joyous abandon or playing with her child. She is innocent, coquettish, infinitely seductive, infinitely beautiful. Most temples are no longer living places of worship although each is devoted to a specific god or goddess. The architecture follows a specific pattern, an interesting discovery in itself. ^Top
KHAJURAHO TODAY
Khajuraho today is a good example of the tourism industry coming to age. Except for the fact that getting here still continues to be rather troublesome, it offers a very satisfactory experience. The temples are extremely well-maintained, thanks to the likes of Orient Express and the Poddar family who may be solely credited for bringing the destination up. There is a range of accommodation – all the major Indian chain hotels are here and there are innumerable guest houses, eateries – even two treehouses a little way away. There is a strange mix of the historic Indian and western enchantment; there is a Swiss restaurant run by a Swiss woman (who also owns one of the treehouses next to Ken river) and an Italian restaurant run by an Italian woman – both have settled here for reasons known best to them.
What is so charming about Khajuraho, (besides the temples), is that despite being a big tourist draw, there is none of the honking, dark vehicle smoke or rubbing shoulders with millions of others that one almost takes for granted in Agra or Jaipur. Simply because Khajuraho has always been a forgotten, dusty temple town, nothing more. Historians wonder why the Chandelas chose such an indescript place for their mammoth exercise and there are no satisfactory answers. One can only presume that creativity flowers best in isolation. A very endearing fact of Khajuraho is that bicycles are in charge. Except for the cars hired out by hotels, there are no four-wheelers and tourists appear to be only too happy to take to two-wheels-and-a-brake. ^Top
In the month of March every year, a week-long dance festival is held at Khajuraho. This is possibly the best time to visit the place and really soak in the otherworldly ambience of it all.
GETTING THERE:
By Air: Khajuraho is linked by air to Delhi, Agra and Varanasi by regular services.
By Rail: The nearest railhead is Mahoba, 61 km. Other convenient railheads are Jhansi, 176km, on the Delhi-Chennai route and Satna, 117 km, on the Mumbai-Allahabad-Howrah route. Harpalpur is about 100 km away. ^Top
THE TEMPLES
The most notable structures were raised during the reigns of Yashovarman-Vidyadhara, between AD 950-1150 during which the Chandelas reached the zenith of prosperity and power. The palaces and gardens, spread over a circumference of fifteen kilometres have all vanished. Only 25 temples have survived. And ten centuries later they are still the pride of Khajuraho. Round the year, unmindful of the vagaries of weather, hordes of visitors make the journey to this remote yet picturesque hamlet to view these spectacular temples. No matter from which direction visitors arrive, the temples dominate the horizon.
Their spires soar above the bus station and the cluster of hotels, restaurants, shops and stalls, silhouetted against the blue sky. Structures of grey granite, or fine grained pink, yellow and buff sandstone quarried from the neighbourhood, the temples are architectural miracles. It is hard to believe that mortal minds and hands have conceived and executed these fantasies in stone. ^Top
The construction of all the temples follows a set pattern. The three main compartments of the temples are the entrance or ardha mandapa, the assembly hall, or mandapa and an inner sanctum, garbha-griha. There are in some of the more developed temples, further additions to these three. The axis of the temples is from East to West, with the entrance on the East, approached by a flight of steps.
The temples of Khajuraho are divided into three geographical groups: Western, Eastern, and Southern.
WESTERN GROUP
Chausath Yogini Structure: The earliest surviving structure built in coarse granite, was the Chausath Yogini dedicated to Kali, attended by sixty-four female yoginis. A few simple mouldings are the only ornamentation on this temple.
Lalguan Mahadev temple: Only the ruins remain of the sanctum of Lalguan Mahadev temple, dedicated to Siva. Built partly in granite and partly in sandstone, a diamond carved on the doorsill is its only ornamentation.
Matangeshvara temple: The only shrine still used by worshippers is the Matangeshvara temple. Built entirely of sandstone, it houses a large gauripatta, over which stands the polished stone linga. The temple is almost devoid of ornamentation. A large fair is held here on Shivaratri. People bathe in the Shivsagar Lake, believed to contain the holy waters of all sacred rivers of India. ^Top
Varaha Temple: The Varaha temple stands opposite the Matangeshvara temple. It houses a monolithic image of the fourth incarnation of Vishnu as a boar. The image has a glossy lustrous finish and is exquisitely carved with about 764 divine figures. The serpent Sheshnaga is depicted in a devotional stance. The ceiling is adorned with exquisite lotus designs.
Lakshmana Temple: Dedicated to the four armed and three headed man-lion-boar statue of Vaikuntha, Lakshmana is the best preserved and the most evolved Vishnu temple, with all the subsidiary shrines intact. The two porticoes display superbly carved, cusped & corbelled cupolas. There are also sculptures depicting the churning of the Oceans, Krishna vanquishing the serpent Kalia, and niches holding Vaishnava images of Narasimha and Hayagriva. On the exterior, two parallel bands of sculpture display the entire gamut of Khajuraho sculpture. Ecstatic street singers and the architect of the temples, surrounded by his apprentices are among the noteworthy images on this temple. Yashovarman built this in AD 930-950. ^Top
Vishvanath Temple: The Vishvanath temple, dedicated to Shiva, was built by Dhanga in AD 1002. It once housed an emerald Shivalinga, but this and portions of the temple are gone and only a stone Shivalinga and two of the subsidiary shrines survive. Here, nymphs can be seen playing on their flutes, removing thorns from their feet, fondling children and looking into a mirror. Some of the most erotic depictions are seen as well.
Facing the Vishvanath temple is a Nandi temple housing a finely polished image of Nandi, Shiva's sacred bull. Only a bold elephant frieze is evident on the platform on which the temple rests.
Chitragupta Temple: The Chitragupta temple, built around AD 1000-25 is the only temple dedicated to Surya who is shown in an upright posture. He wears high boots and drives a chariot of seven horses.
The Kandariya Mahadev Temple: The Kandariya Mahadev temple is the largest, and architecturally the most perfect monument at Khajuraho, rising to a height of thirty metres. Built on symmetrical lines, it has three bands of superb ornamentation, including the entire gamut of Khajuraho sculpture. The four subsidiary shrines have vanished. It is the only temple to show two makara or crocodile torans at the entrance. Its recessed ceilings displaying cusped circles from which hang pendants, are remarkably beautiful. It houses a marble linga flanked by images of Brahma and Vishnu. It was built by Vidyadhar in AD 1025-50. ^Top
Jagdambi Temple: The Jagdambi temple standing close by houses a black image of the goddess Parvati worshiped as Kali. This temple has a large number of erotic images. The ruined Shiva temple is adjacent to the Jagdamba shrine. In its porch is a powerful Shardula or man lion.
EASTERN GROUP
The Eastern group of temples is situated in and around the village of Khajuraho. There is a colossal statue of Hanuman, the monkey god, enshrined in a modern structure. The oldest inscription on its pedestal dates it back to AD 922.
The Brahma Temple: The Brahma temple, built around AD 900 has a sandstone shikhara and stands on the banks of the historical Khajuraho Sagar or lake. Defining it as a Brahma temple is wrong, as it seems to have been originally dedicated to Vishnu. Only the sanctum remains, with depictions of the Hindu trinity and goddesses Ganga and Yamuna. ^Top
Vamana Temple: The Vamana temple, built in AD 1050-75, stands amidst green fields with the blue sky as the backdrop. The sanctum houses a depiction of the third incarnation of Vishnu as a dwarf, Narasimha. His other incarnations appear in the surrounding niches. The shikhara, bearing a fret work of chaitya arches, is its main attraction. Towards the South is the Javari temple dating back to AD 1075-1100 and dedicated to Vishnu. Its slender and soaring dome is really striking. ^Top
Walking onwards one arrives at the Ghantai temple. Only an entrance porch and a hall survive, resting on four tall pillars, on which can be seen the chain and bell motif from which it derives its name. This temple has an image of Yakshi Chakreshvari, and the dream of sixteen auspicious symbols of the Jain tirthankara that Mahavira's mother had when she conceived him.
A metal road leads to the south-east where a modern compound wall houses old and new Jain shrines built from the fragments of old temples.
The Shantinath temple enshrines an image of Adinath, dating back to AD 1027-28. Bits of old temples of Khajuraho are incorporated into this temple. ^Top
Parsvanath Temple: The biggest and the best of the Jain temples is the Parsvanath temple, built in AD 950-70 during Dhanga's reign. It has solid outer walls with perforated windows. A pair of apsaras hanging from the central pendant of the porch are striking. There are also some lovely vidyadharas, figures of Jinas and Yakshis, Hindu deities and nymphs applying kohl, painting their feet, putting on anklets.
SOUTHERN GROUP
Duladeo Temple: Of the Southern group, Duladeo, dedicated to Shiva, dates back to AD 1100-50. It is overburdened with ornamentation and lacks depth.
Chaturbhuj Temple:Three kilometres from the main town is the Chaturbhuj temple, dedicated to Vishnu, a plain temple amidst all the carved and decorated ones. ^Top
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