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| Built
around 1000 A.D., the temples of Khajuraho (Kha-ju-ra-ho)
are India's immortal gift of sensual love to the world. Their
divine sculptures are a tribute to life itself, embodying
its colorful, joyous, and yet sublime essence.
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.
An outstanding example of Indo-Aryan architecture, the art
on the temple walls is an elegant combination of intricacy
and simplicity. The city traces its origin to the 10th century
when it was the bastion of the Chandela dynasty.
The Khajuraho of today is more familiar to today's monuments
to commercialization - hotels, restaurants and shops - signs
of ordinary civilization. The past with all its grandeur,
in the form of the temples gaze benignly at a city that continues
to thrive because of what its rulers gave it.
Of course, the city comes alive every year during the Dance
Festival in March, when the maestros of classical dance, Birju
Maharaj and Kelucharan Mohapatra and their disciples perform
against the dramatic temple backdrop. Beyond doubt, Khajuraho
is not an Indian destination you can afford to miss.
General Info
Population : About 7000
Area : 16.93 sq. km
Altitude : 257 m above sea level
Languages : Hindi and English
Climate : Khajuraho's climate
is quite extreme, with drastic shifts in day and night temperatures
along with minimal rainfall. Summers are a hot 45°C and winters
pleasant at 27°C.
Best times to visit : With summer too hot to be advised,
winter is a good time to visit. As also March, which is when
the annual Dance Festival takes place.
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Temples
Chandela architecture was obviously at its peak when the temples
were built. Depicting scenes of gods and goddesses, valiant
warriors, animals and people, the sculptures and carvings are
often shown engaged in acts of love. This portrayal of sensuality
and erotica, while awing some and shocking others, not once
is vulgar. The beauty of this art in fact enhances the purity
of temple art forms.
The temples are a series of towers each higher than the other,
culminating in a soaring shikhara. The inner sanctum sanctorum
is just as elaborately carved as the exterior. It is amazing
that these blocks have simply been fitted together since at
the time of being built, there was no mortar.
Western Group
The Western Group of Temples is the most elaborately carved
of the three. The temples here are mentioned here in brief.
The Lakshmi and Varaha Temple is dedicated to Lakshmi and the
Varaha (boar) avtaar of Vishnu. The Lakshmana Temple, intricate
in its workmanship, the Kandariya Mahadev, largest and architecturally
the most perfect, where the interior has 872 spectacularly carved
statues, the Mahadeva Temple is the smallest; the Devi Jagadamba
Temple was first dedicated to Vishnu, then Parvati and finally
to Kali.
The Chitragupta Temple is dedicated to the Sun God, Surya, while
the Vishwanath Temple is dedicated to Shiva and his faithful
vehicle, Nandi the bull. The Matangesvara Temple, the only temple
in this group, where worship continues, dedicated to Shiva and
the Chausath Yogini Temple, presently in ruins and believed
to be the oldest temple in Khajuraho.
Eastern Group
This group, other than housing the other temples also contains
the Jain Temples. Of the attractions, there is the Parasvanath
Temple, the largest and finest Jain temple in the city. Comparatively
the Adinath Temple is smaller in size with its sculptures forming
a tri-band formation, similar to Hindu temples. The Shantinath
Temple is again comparatively modern and was built a century
ago with raw materials from older temples. The Ghantai Temple
is now mostly in ruins with only the graceful carvings of the
bell and chain motifs remaining. The Javari Temple dates back
to AD 1075-1100 and is dedicated to Vishnu. The Vamana Temple
is slightly older than the Javari Temple, standing alone in
the middle of a field. And there is the Brahma and Hanuman Temple,
the name confusing since the temple is actually dedicated to
Vishnu.
Southern Group
The two temples here are the Duladeo Temple, 1 km away from
the Jain enclosure. Not very impressive, this temple does not
seem to have received the attention the others did. The other,
the Chaturbhuja Temple is south of the river and is quite dilapidated.
It houses an image of Vishnu.
Archaeological Museum
For those who find that they simply cannot get enough of the
temples and its grandiose display of temple art forms, here
is a good place to continue being impressed. Situated a short
distance from the Western Group, the museum showcases statues
and figurines, a lot of which have been recovered and restored
from the ruins of the temples.
Shilpagram
This is again a must visit and in here, you will feel like everything
you see is a must-buy. This 10-acre complex has traditional
handicrafts from various parts of India. A lot of it is for
sale, so get your shopping bags ready. If you are lucky, the
time you visit will coincide with some cultural festival or
the other being held at the amphitheater, located within the
Shipagram complex. |
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Dhubela
Museum
57 km. Located on the bank of a lake, the museum houses a wide
variety of Shakti Cult sculptures. There are different sections
on garments, weapons and paintings.
Ranguan Lake
25 km. Ideal angling and picnic spot.
Panna National Park
Complementing the man made perfection of the Khajuraho temples,
is the dramatic scenic splendour of Panna National Park, 32
km away. A mere 30-minute drive away from Khajuraho and extending
over 543 km, spread along the banks of the River Ken, the park's
topography is a magnificent one of deep gorges, tranquil valley
and dense teak forests. During the monsoons, the park is a lush
green haven with cascading waterfalls. The park's area includes
the former shooting reserves of the erstwhile royal state of
Panna and Chhattarpur and the jungles today harbour many species
of wildlife. The tiger can be glimpsed here, along with other
rare species such as the Leopard, Wolf and Gharial. Most likely,
it will be here if the Caracal, a vanishing cousin of the extinct
Cheetah, is ever sighted. Herds of Blue Bulls, Chinkaras and
Sambars are a common sight. The Wild Boar, the Sloth Bear, the
Cheetal, the Chowsingha, the Indian Fox, the Porcupine, and
a host of lesser fauna are also seen. A separate sanctuary for
Gharial has been set up. The park can probably boast of the
highest density of the Paradise Fly-Catchers. This rich avian
and faunal life combined with its picturesque scenery make a
visit to the Park a memorable one.
Panna
44 km from Khajuraho. Historic town and capital of Chhatrasal,
a national warrior and founder of the Bundela kingdom. Panna
is also known for its temples.
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Akshay-Teej
This festival takes place in April but the preparations for
it begin early in the summer. People break old earthen pots
and buy new ones to cool water in to help beat the summer heat.
There are prayers offered at the Banyan tree on the banks of
Premsagar. This festival coincides with the 'doll weddings'
at the base of the tree, which is another interesting experience
if you are around.
Durga Puja
Durga, the goddess of power and the earth is in focus these
nine days. Decorative tents are put up with her idol in all
sizes. People vie with each other for the grandest tent and
on the 10th day, her idol, along with pots of jawara, are immersed
in village lakes and ponds. The event coincides with Dussehra,
another important festival. But unlike the rest of North India,
no effigies of the demon Ravana are burnt here. Instead, the
day is spent putting an end to old enmities, as foes offer paan
(betel leaf) to each other in friendship. Ramalilas (dramatic
interpretations of Rama's life) are enacted for a fortnight.
Janmashtami
Celebrated in August as the birthday of Lord Krishna, there
are decorated scenes of his birth called jhankis on display.
Since mythology has it that Krishna was born in prison, the
best and most elaborate jhankis (tableaux) are displayed at
local police stations, which use the opportunity to enjoy a
week-long cultural festival.
Kajalia
Also held in August, Kajalia is celebrated the day after Rakhi,
a festival that celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters.
Wheatgrain soaked for nine days in earthen pots sprout into
long grass called kajalia. Mid-morning, these are taken, in
a merry procession, with much song and dance and immersed. This
is followed by a shooting competition in which targets are placed
at the farthest end of the lake.
Khajuraho Dance Festival
While the other festivals are localized, the Khajuraho Dance
Festival attracts visitors from around the world. The first
and longest running dance festival of its kind in the country,
this Dance Festival celebrated its 25th anniversary this year.
Held between the 14th and the 20th of February every year, the
backdrop of the Chitragupta Temple is the perfect setting. For
seven days, the country's most accomplished classical dancers,
as well as upcoming talent exhibit their talents and hold an
international audience spellbound.
Khajuraho Music Festival
This is a rather recent festival that was started by Teamwork
Films in October last year. Hoping for this to become an annual
event, last year for two days, the town resounded to the Maihar
folk band near the Chhatri, the army band in the plaza, and
classical music on the banks of the Shivsagar Lake. A three-day
festival is planned in early November 2000. The wonderful intention
of this event is to provide a platform to new and upcoming talent.
Ramanavmi
Held from March to April, this heralds the birthday of Lord
Rama. Preparations begin nine days earlier when jawara (barley)
seeds are sown in earthenware pots. Around 5 in the evening,
men, women and children, dressed in their finery, take their
jawara sprouts to the Devi temple at Premsagar and then go on
to Shivsagar to float it.
Shivratri
The symbolic wedding of Shiva and Parvati is celebrated with
much fervour as villagers walk long distances to worship at
the Matangeshwar Temple. There are processions of the holy couple
taken out to do the rounds in the village. There is a lot of
fanfare and the city wears a festive air for a whole fortnight.
There are bhajans and a lot of singing on the night of the festival,
as people entertain themselves and each other and stay awake
the entire night. |
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By Road
: Khajuraho is connected by regular bus services with Mahoba,
Harpalpur, Satna, Jhansi, Gwalior, Agra, Jabalpur & Bhopal.
By Air :A daily Boeing 737 service links Khajuraho with
Delhi, Agra, Varanasi and Kathmandu.
By Rail : The nearest railheads are Mahoba (64 km) and
Harpalpur (94 km). Jhansi (175 km) and Satna (117 km) are convenient
railheads for visitors from Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta, Chennai,
Agra & Varanasi. |
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