Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh, India

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Khajuraho

Erotic Art (Source: Flickr)

What is it? Group of monuments that has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, displaying erotic scupltures
Where is it? Madhya Pradesh
When do I go? September to March
For how long? Two days

Khajuraho is a village in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, located in Chhatarpur District, about 385 miles (620 kilometres) southeast of New Delhi. The Khajuraho group of monuments has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. One of the most popular tourist destinations in India, Khajuraho has the largest group of medieval Hindu and Jain temples, famous for their erotic sculpture. The name Khajuraho, ancient “Kharjuravahaka”, is derived from the Sanskrit word kharjur meaning date palm.

Khajuraho temple complex offers a well made 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.

The temples are a world heritage site and belong not just to India but to the world. The Archeological Survey of India’s dedicated efforts towards their conservation rank them against the best preserved monuments of this antiquity. Most of the temples are built of sandstone in varying shades of buff, pink or pale yellow. They each belong to a different sect, the Shiva, Vaishnava or Jaina Sects, but are often indistinguishable from one another to the untrained eye. The temples are lofty with ample walking space separating them. The interior rooms are inter connected and placed in an East/West line. Each contains an entrance, a hall, a vestibule and a sanctum. Windows were added to the larger temples to add a feeling of space and light.

The openings face East with lavishly carved archways. The interior ceilings are carved with geometrical and floral designs. The roofs are a series of graded peaks that resemble a mountain range and in all probability, represent the possibility of higher levels of spiritual attainment. Erotic scenes represent a relatively small part of the carvings but sensuous eroticism prevails throughout all of the sculptures. In general, lower indulgences appear lower on the temple while the deities appear near the top. Most of the statues are about a meter high. The goddesses and gods represent the many manifestations of the divine Shakti and Shiva, the female and male principles, the Yin and the Yang.

The divine sculptures in these temples, are a tribute to Life itself, embodying everything that is sublime and spontaneous about it.. Popularly known as the 10th century temples, they represent a time frame when Khajuraho art was at its zenith. Visit to Khajuraho is a unique experience and is exciting for conservationists, students, environmentalists, culture lovers or simply those in search of an exotic destination with multiple attractions.

Laurence Rogerson a tourist from UK says the statues and carvings cover every inch of every ceiling and wall. The erotic carvings on the temples at Khajuraho give the place it’s fame. Erotic or not the level of detail is quite magnificent as these pictures clearly do show. Another tourist from Australia says “these temples depict scenes from elephant fights, mythical lions, gods, and erotic couples. In a frieze that seemed to be an exception a sodomistic scene was depicted where onlookers hold their hands in front of their eyes in disgust. The erotic scenes are sort of a 3-D rendering of the Kama Sutra book, a graphical instruction manual.”

One of the Jain temples to the east of the village has a statue and pictures of a nude man. According to the locals some of the Jain Pilgrims celebrate there without even a leaf on them. Pieces of the statues from the temples can be seen embedded in the houses of the village. Statues were used as cheap building material for building the roads too.

Khajuraho Dance Festival
Held every year from 25th February to 2nd March, Khajuraho Dance Festival takes place at the open-air auditorium in front of the Chitragupta Temple dedicated to the Sun God and the Vishwanatha Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. They are situated in the Western Group of temples, which is the largest, well maintained and most easily accessible temple group of Khajuraho. Started regularly since 2002, this weeklong festival has already become legendary with its outlandish classical dance performances presented in a dreamlike setting of splendidly illuminated temples. Khajuraho temples present sculptures depicting various skills and arts of courtly love including dance and music in stone and what venue can be more befitting to hold the cultural festival highlighting the various classical dances of India!

Some of the best artists and performers that have marked themselves in their fields come from the various states of India to participate in the festival and the performances including some of the best known dance styles such as the intricate footwork of Kathak, highly stylized and sophisticated Bharathanatyam, soft lyrical temple dance of Odissi, the dance dramas of Kuchipudi, Manipuri, the dance of rare and ancient civilization and Kathakali stage fights with elaborate masks. Recently, modern Indian dances have also found their place in the Khajuraho Dance festival. Along with the dance performances one can also see a number of craftsmen trading off their indigenous arts and crafts to the visitors.

For more information on the following topics, please see our Khajuraho travel guide available below:
- Getting there
- Sights & Sounds
- Excursions
- Accommodation
- Activities

Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh Largest group of medieval Hindu and Jain temples, famous for their erotic sculpture, a complete guide to Khajuraho – one of the most visited tourist destinations in India. Price: $4.99 Price: $4.99