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Built by the Chandela kings, the temples lie in an unusual and off-beat location
(modern day Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh) which witnesses climatic extremes. Thankfully, it is
this very difficult location that saved these temples from the ravages of Islamic rulers.
Discovered in the jungles by a British army engineer in 1838, the temples of Khajuraho are
a virtual treasure for those keen to study classical India. They speak of nayaks & nayikas, apsaras, surasundari, shailbhanjika and mithuna
- words associated with heavenly beauties. The elaborate and fine sculptures over the temples are thematic on celebration of life. Every aspect of life has been sculpted. More importantly it is
a celebration of woman’s beauty. Busty and extremely well proportioned
figures, pouting expressions, sensuous poses... they all suggest the importance given to the well being and love of life.
The zenith of sensuality and frozen ecstasy, Khajuraho's erotic art
clearly reflects the then society’s acceptance of sex as a source of gratification of earthly desires,
If the temples are a riot of expressions outside, they have an atmosphere of
serenity inside. In fact, they are among the most perfect forms of temple architecture
with series of mandapas (prayer halls - some temples have as many as five mandapas) connected by vestibules known as antralas. The garbha griha
(sanctum sanctorum) has a pradakshina (walkway) around it. The shikhar (tower) above the sanctum is the tallest while those above mandapas are pyramidal structures and
shorter, to indicate the supremacy of the main sanctuary. All the temples are on high plinths and have no encircling walls.
The temples of Khajuraho, it seems, were built as a result of a sudden burst of creativity in the society. And, remember, all this happened and was completed within a span of hundred years. Simply unimaginable, isn't it?!
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©
2010 Indian Moments. All
rights reserved.
an Indian Moments Studio
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hey were
constructed a millennium back from 950AD to 1050AD. Originally 80 temples were built of which only 22 survive. Just imagine a spectacle when all 80 were alive with
activity! Khajuraho's temples speak volumes about the mammoth conceptualization, artistic expressions to sublime heights and unhindered lifestyle in the period of construction.
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