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Khajuraho is a village in
the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, located in
Chhatarpur District, about 385 miles (620 kilometres)
southeast of Delhi, the capital city of India.
One of the most popular tourist destinations in
India, Khajuraho has the largest group of medieval
Hindu temples, famous for their erotic sculpture.
The name Khajuraho is derived from the Hindi word
khajur meaning date palm. The Khajuraho temples were built over a span of a hundred years, from 950
to 1050. The Chandela capital was moved to Maho ba
after this time, but Khajuraho coninued to flourish
for some time.
Khajuraho temples, constructed with spiral
superstructures, adhere to northern Indian shikhara
temple style and often to a Panchayatana plan or
layout. A few of the temples are dedicated to the
Jain pantheon and the rest to Hindu deities - to
God's Trio, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, and various
Devi forms, such as the Devi Jagadambi temple. A
Panchayatana temple had four subordinate shrines on
four corners and the main shrine in the center of
the podium, which comprises their base. The temples
are grouped into three geographical divisions :
western, eastern and southern.
Palace Of Interest
Devi Jagadambi temple
The
temples of Khajuraho were built by the rulers of the
Chandella dynasty between the 10th and the 12th
centuries. Devi Jagadambi temple, in a group to the
north, is one of most finely decorated temples at
Khajuraho, with numerous erotic carvings. Three
bands of carvings encircle the body of the temple.
In the sanctum is an enormous image of the goddess
Devi
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