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A
UNESCO world heritage site in
central India, Khajuraho is a
famous tourist and archaeological
site known for its sculptured
temples dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu,
and Jain patriarchs.Temple town
of Khajuraho is much different
from any other temple city of
India. It is not about religion
and worshipping and deities. The
temples of Khajuraho are instead
famous for the eroticism etched
on its walls in the form of sculptures.
An amalgamation of science and
art of architecture, these 10th-11th
century temples have a very interesting
legend behind them that connects
them to the origin of Chandela
dynasty. 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. Thus he brought
an artistic revolution by building
the famous Khajuraho temples,
in the town, which was his capital.
Some people also believe these
erotic art forms to be the visual
depiction of Kamasutra, art of
sex or the relations between Shiva
and Parvati, the divine couple.
Khajuraho temples got lost into
obscurity and were only discovered
by chance but they quickly became
India's second most favored tourist
destination after Taj Mahal. This
temple complex is perhaps the
largest group of medieval temples.
Other than eroticism, these sculptures
also depict other refined courtly
accomplishments such as music
and dance. Only 22 temples have
survived out of the original 85
temples. It displays one of the
most unique stone-carving work
and was declared a World Heritage
Site in 1986.It took more than
200 years to complete elaborately
carved Khajuraho temples that
are planned in a similar pattern.
Built in the central Indian temple
architectural style, the uninhibited
and graceful erotic sculptures
of Khajuraho temples are known
for their paramount architectural
balance and exquisiteness. The
temple plans range from the simple
ones to the most inspired ones.
The lovely temples can be divided
into three broad groups, namely,
the Eastern group, the Southern
group and the Western group. However,
the Western group is not only
the largest one but also the one,
which is most easily accessible.
The
Eastern Group takes in five isolated
sub-group of temples situated
in and around the present town
of Khajuraho. Along with the three
Brahmanical temples more commonly
spoken of as temples of Brahma,
Vamana and Javari, the three Jain
temples of the deities Ghantai,
Adinath and Parsvanath fall under
this group.
The
Southern Group is situated at
the most distant location and
includes mainly the two temples
of Duladeo and Chaturbhuja, which
are situated near and across the
Khudarnala.
The
Western Group is the largest of
all the temple groups of Khajuraho.
It is not compact and located
in the center but also include
the most renowned and noteworthy
monuments built during the reign
of the Chandela rulers. They are
also known to have been maintained
well by the Archaeological Survey
of India and the lush green lawns
surrounding them with multihued
shrums and fragrant blossoms add
to their beauty. The most prominent
temples of the group are the Lakshmana
Temple, the Matangesvara Temple
and the Varaha Temple that are
a part of a single complex, the
Visvanatha and Nandi temples situated
near the above-mentioned complex
and the Chitragupta, Jagadambi
and the Kandariya Mahadeo temples
a little to the west of the complex.
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