The Khajuraho temples celebrate a woman in her myriad expressions and aspects. An exclusive gift of love to world, the temples were carved between 950 AD and 1050 AD during the reign of the Chandela empire. It was this amazingly short duration of 100 years that gave rise to such huge a heritage site that's been applauded all across the world over and again. These temples are an averment to the splendid architectural growth in the Medieval period. Out of an initial total of 85, only 22 exist today and these have been segregated into three geographical groups - the western, the eastern and the southern. These celebrated groups of temples not only are proof of the superb workmanship but also represent the imaginativeness of the Chandela rulers.


The Chandelas claimed their descent from the moon. Legend has it that the Moon god seduced Hemavati, the graceful daughter of a Brahmin priest, while she was taking a bath. And this strange union between a mortal and a god resulted in the birth of a son called Chandravarman. To escape the harassment by the society, the unwed mother took shelter in a dense forest in Central India. She was both a mother and a guru to her son. The boy grew up to found the great Chandela empire. After being established as a ruler, he began to experience visions of his mother who entreated him to erect temples that could convey the human emotions. And that's how the Khajuraho group of temples came into being. Though Chandravarman initiated the constructions, successive rules made subsequent additions to the temple complex.



The temples of Khajuraho have but one motif - woman. There are sculptures and images that depict a women grooming, dancing, playing with her child, applying kohl to her eyes etc. The infinite beauty of a woman has been wonderfully etched in stone. The sculptures delineate the joy of worldly wealth and sensual pleasure while at the same time observing one's dharma. It also believed that the temples were built keeping in mind a specific purpose. As was customary in the olden days, the boys had to live in hermitages until the time they got matured and attained manhood. They found it a bit difficult to fit in with the role of a householder. Therefore, they studied these sculptures and understood human passions.

The Western Group of temples is the most celebrated of all the three and bear the largest and the most prominent ones. The Kandariya Mahadev Temple stands in dedication of Lord Shiva. The temple measures 31 m in height and has a total of around 900 statues. The Chaunsath Yogini Temple is the oldest of the lot. The Chitragupta Temple has an impressive image of the Sun god. The Vishwanath Temple, the Lakshmana Temple and the Matangeshwara Temple are the other famed temples of this group.

The Eastern Group has three Jain temple and three Hindu temples. The Parsavanatha Temple is has the distinction of being the largest in the group. The Ghantai Temple displays a frieze portraying the 16 dreams of Mahavira's mother. The Adinatha Temple is dedicated to Jain saint Adinatha. The three Hindu temples of the group include the Brahma Temple, the Vamana Temple and the Javari Temple.

The Southern Group consists of two temples - the Duladeo Temple and the Chaturbhuj Temple. The temples stand at a distance of 5 km from the Khajuraho village.