Khajuraho Group of Monuments*
UNESCO World Heritage Site
State Party	India
Type	Cultural
Criteria	i, iii
Reference	240
Region†	Asia-Pacific
Inscription History
Inscription	1986  (10th Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. † Region as classified by UNESCO.

Khajuraho (Hindi खजुराहो) 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. A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 401 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1200 × 1792 pixel, file size: 313 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Khajuraho Temple, India Templo de Khajuraho, India. ... As of 2006, there are a total of 830 World Heritage Sites located in 138 State Parties. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_India. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... This is a list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Asia, Australia and the Pacific (Australasia). ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... India is a federal republic comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. ... , Madhya Pradesh (abbreviated as MP)   (HindÄ«: मध्य प्रदेश, English: , IPA: ), often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. ... Chhatarpur District is a district of Madhya Pradesh state of central India. ... For other uses, see Delhi (disambiguation). ...

The Khajuraho group of monuments has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State...

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 is derived from the Hindi word khajur meaning date palm. India is one of the most attractive tourist destinations in Asia. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times. ... Bhavna says there are 300 million gods in Hinduism. ... JAIN is an activity within the Java Community Process, developing APIs for the creation of telephony (voice and data) services. ... Temple of Hephaestus, an Doric Greek temple in Athens with the original entrance facing east, 449 BC (western face depicted) For other uses, see Temple (disambiguation). ... Erotic art covers any artistic work including paintings, sculptures, photographs, music and writings that is intended to evoke erotic arousal or that depicts scences of love-making. ... Hindi ( , Devanagari: or , IAST: , IPA: ), an Indo-European language spoken all over India in varying degrees and extensively in northern and central India, is one of the 22 official languages of India and is also used for central government administrative purposes , along with English. ... Binomial name L. The Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera) is a palm in the genus Phoenix, extensively cultivated for its edible fruit. ...

History

The city was once the original capital of the Chandela Rajputs, a Hindu dynasty that ruled this part of India from the 10th to the 12th centuries. The Khajuraho temples were built over a span of a hundred years, from 950 to 1050. The Chandela capital was moved to Mahoba after this time, but Khajuraho continued to flourish for some time. Chandela or Chandel is a gotra found in Rajputs in India. ... Rajput is a Hindu Kshatriya caste which decendend from India . ... Events World Population: 250 Million. ... Leofric becomes Bishop of Exeter Hedeby is sacked by King Harald Hardraade of Norway during the course of a conflict with King Svein Estridsson of Denmark. ... , Mahoba (Hindi: महोबा, Urdu: مہوبا) is a town in Mahoba District of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, in the Bundelkhand region. ...

The whole area was enclosed by a wall with eight gates, each flanked by two golden palm trees. There were originally over 80 Hindu temples, of which only 22 now stand in a reasonable state of preservation, scattered over an area of about 8 square miles (21 km²).

Unlike other cultural centers of North India, the temples of Khajuraho never underwent massive destruction and a number of them have survived. They are fine examples of Indian architectural styles that have gained popularity due to their salacious depiction of the traditional way of life during medieval times. They were rediscovered during the late 19th century and the jungles had taken a toll on some of the monuments.

Geography

Khajuraho is located at 24.85° N 79.93° E^[1]. It has an average elevation of 283 metres (928 feet). This article is about the unit of length. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ...

Demographics

?Khajuraho Madhya Pradesh • India
Khajuraho
Coordinates: 24°51′N 79°56′E / 24.85, 79.93
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Area • Elevation	• 283 m (928 ft)
District(s)	Chhatarpur
Population	19,282 (2001)

Coordinates: 24°51′N 79°56′E / 24.85, 79.93As of 2001 India census^[2], Khajuraho had a population of 19,282. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Khajuraho has an average literacy rate of 53%, lower than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 62%, and female literacy is 43%. In Khajuraho, 19% of the population is under 6 years of age. , Madhya Pradesh (abbreviated as MP)   (HindÄ«: मध्य प्रदेश, English: , IPA: ), often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links Locator_Dot. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... Timezone and TimeZone redirect here. ... Location of Mirzapur and the 82. ... The geography of India is diverse, with landscape ranging from snow-capped mountain ranges to deserts, plains, rainforests, hills, and plateaus. ... Elevation histogram of the surface of the Earth – approximately 71% of the Earths surface is covered with water. ... The divisions of a district. ... Chhatarpur District is a district of Madhya Pradesh state of central India. ... 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and also: The International Year of the Volunteer The United Nations Year of Dialogue Among Civilizations Events January January 1 - A black monolith measuring approximately nine feet tall appears in Seattles Magnuson Park, placed by an anonymous... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and also: The International Year of the Volunteer The United Nations Year of Dialogue Among Civilizations Events January January 1 - A black monolith measuring approximately nine feet tall appears in Seattles Magnuson Park, placed by an anonymous... Image:1870 census Lindauer Weber 01. ...

Architecture

The Khajuraho temples, constructed with spiral superstructures, adhere to a 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. The Sikhara of the Raghunath Temple at Jammu, India is built in the Nagar style of temple architecture. ... Panchayatana puja (IAST ) is the system of worship in the Smarta sampradaya of Hinduism. ... JAIN is an activity within the Java Community Process, developing APIs for the creation of telephony (voice and data) services. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Vishnu (IAST , Devanagari ), (honorific: Sri Vishnu) also known as Narayana is the Supreme Being (i. ... For other uses, see Siva (disambiguation). ... It has been suggested that Shri Vidya be merged into this article or section. ... Devi Jagadambi temple or Jagadambi temple of a group of about 25 temples at Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh, India. ...

With a graded rise secondary shikharas (spires) cluster to create an appropriate base for the main shikhara over the sanctum. Kandariya Mahadeva, one of the most accomplished temples of the Western group, comprises eighty-four shikharas, the main being 116 feet from the ground level. The Kandariya Mahadeva temple is the largest and most ornate Hindu temple in the medieval temple group found at Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh, India. ...

Lakshmana temple at Khajuraho, a panchayatana temple. Two of the four secondary shrines can be seen. Another view

These shikharas -- subordinate and main -- attribute to the Khajuraho temples their unique splendor and special character. With a graded rise of these shikharas from over the ardhamandapa, porch, to mandapa, assembly hall, mahamandapa, principal assembly hall, antarala, vestibule, and garbhagriha, sanctum sanctorum, the Khajuraho temples attain the form and glory of gradually rising Himalayan peaks. These temples of Khajuraho have sculptures that look very realistic and are studied even today. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 768 pixel, file size: 294 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Khajuraho Metadata This file contains additional... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 768 pixel, file size: 294 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Khajuraho Metadata This file contains additional... Panchayatana puja (IAST ) is the system of worship in the Smarta sampradaya of Hinduism. ... [[LiItalic textLink title == Headline text == Media:Example. ... antarala is a small antichamber or foyer between the garbhagriha (shrine) and the mandapa, more typical of north Indian temples. ... garbhagriha (or garbagriham) is a Sanskrit word meaning the interior of the sanctum sanctorum, the inner most sanctum of a Hindu temple where resides an image of the primary deity. ... The sanctum sanctorum is the area inside a Hindu temple complex where the main deity is installed. ... Perspective view of the Himalaya and Mount Everest as seen from space looking south-south-east from over the Tibetan Plateau. ...

The Saraswathi temple on the campus of Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, India is modeled after the Khajuraho temple.


This article is about Saraswati, the Hindu goddess. ... Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani, Rajasthan, India (popularly known as BITS Pilani) is one of the oldest leading technology schools of India. ... Pilani is a town in the Jhunjhunu District in Rajasthan, India. ...

Chronology

The temples have been assigned the following historical sequence by Dr. Kanhaiyalal Agrawal ^[3].

During the Chandella rule, Khajuraho was home to a large and flourishing Jain community that apparently lived on the east side of town. ... The Kandariya Mahadeva temple is the largest and most ornate Hindu temple in the medieval temple group found at Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh, India. ...

Landscape

The Khajuraho temples are now set in a parkland landscape. When India gained independence from Britain in 1947 the landscape setting was semi-desert and scrub. The archaeological park now has something of the character of an English public park, with mown grass, rose beds and ornamental trees. This may be popular with visitors but has no relationship with the historic landscape at the time the temples were built.

The development of landscape archaeology as an academic discipline raises questions concerning the earlier landscape of Khajuraho and the original relationship between the temple complex and the surrounding area. There are no records of what the original landscape might have been, but it is known that a large community of priests used the temple complex and that Indian gardens in the tenth century were predominantly tree gardens. They did not have lawns or herbaceous flowering plants. Landscape archaeology refers to a body of method and theory for the study of past people and their material culture within the context of their interactions in the wider social and natural environment they inhabited. ...

The statues and carvings of Khajuraho

Kandariya Mahadeva temple

The Khajuraho temples do not contain sexual or erotic art inside the temple or near the deities; however, some external carvings bear erotic art. Also, some of the temples that have two layers of walls have small erotic carvings on the outside of the inner wall. There are many interpretations of the erotic carvings. According to some current Hindu interpretations, they portray that, for seeing the deity, one must leave his or her sexual desires outside the temple. They also show that divinity, such as the deities of the temples, is pure like the atman, which is not affected by sexual desires and other characteristics of the physical body. It has been suggested that these suggest tantric sexual practices. Meanwhile, the external curvature and carvings of the temples depict humans, human bodies, and the changes that occur in human bodies, as well as facts of life. Some 10% of the carvings contain sexual themes; those reportedly do not show deities, they show sexual activities between people. The rest depict the everyday life of the common Indian of the time when the carvings were made, and of various activities of other beings. For example, those depictions show women putting on makeup, musicians, potters, farmers, and other folks. Those mundane scenes are all at some distance from the temple deities. A common misconception is that, since the old structures with carvings in Khajuraho are temples, the carvings depict sex between deities.^[4] Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1884x2820, 6544 KB) I took this picture of the shikhara in December 1999. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1884x2820, 6544 KB) I took this picture of the shikhara in December 1999. ... Fragonards The Swing is rather tame for modern standards, but in the 18th century depicting a lady with a man able to look up her skirts was considered highly erotic. ... The Atman or Atma (IAST: Ātmā, sanskrit: आत्म‍ ) is a philosophical term used within Hinduism and Vedanta to identify the soul. ... Tantric sex, in brief, is based on the male partner using his stomach muscles to delay orgasm. ...

Between 950 and 1050, the Chandela monarchs built these temples when the Tantric tradition may have been accepted . Adherents of Tantrism teach that gratification of earthly desires is a step towards accomplishing Nirvana. In olden days, before the Mughal conquests, when boys lived in hermitages, following brahmacharitva until they became men, they could learn about the world and prepare themselves to become householders through examining these sculptures and the worldly desires they depicted.^[5] Events World Population: 250 Million. ... Leofric becomes Bishop of Exeter Hedeby is sacked by King Harald Hardraade of Norway during the course of a conflict with King Svein Estridsson of Denmark. ... This article is an overview of Tantra and an in-depth look at the Tantra of Hinduism. ... This article is about the Buddhist concept. ... The Mughal Empire (alternative spelling Mogul, which is the origin of the word Mogul) of India was founded by Babur in 1526, when he defeated Ibrahim Lodi, the last of the Delhi Sultans at the First Battle of Panipat. ... Brahmacharya (pronounced /brʌmatʃərɪə/, Devanagari: ब्रह्मचर्य) is a practice whereby a persons life is dedicated to the quest for a personal realization of Brahman. ...

References

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Further reading

• Phani Kant Mishra, Khajuraho: With Latest Discoveries, Sundeep Prakashan (2001) ISBN 8175741015

See also

• Kandariya Mahadeva
• Hemvati
• Kalinjar
• Beejamandal
• Jain temples of Khajuraho

The Kandariya Mahadeva temple is the largest and most ornate Hindu temple in the medieval temple group found at Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh, India. ... According to Indian legends, Hemvati was a beautiful young Brahmin woman for whom the famous temples of Khajuraho have been built. ... Kalinjar is a fortress-city in the Bundelkhand region of central India. ... Beejamandal is a ruined temple in Khajuraho, that has not yet been fully excaved and explored [1]. Beejamandal is also the name for a ruined temple in Vidisha [2]. Beejamandal at Khajuraho not very far from the main temple-complex. ... During the Chandella rule, Khajuraho was home to a large and flourishing Jain community that apparently lived on the east side of town. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Khajuraho

• UNESCO World Heritage Site Listing
• Love, The Living Spirit of Khajuraho by Prof. P. C. Jain and Dr. Daljeet.
• Khajuraho travel guide from Wikitravel

v • d • e World Heritage Sites in India

Agra Fort · Ajanta Caves · Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi · Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park · Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus · Churches and convents of Goa · Elephanta Caves · Ellora Caves · Fatehpur Sikri · Great Living Chola Temples · Group of Monuments at Hampi · Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram · Group of Monuments at Pattadakal · Humayun's Tomb · Kaziranga National Park · Keoladeo National Park · Khajuraho Group of Monuments · Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya · Manas Wildlife Sanctuary · Mountain railways of India · Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks · Qutub Minar and its Monuments · The Red Fort complex · Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka · Sun Temple at Konark · Sundarbans National Park · Taj Mahal Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Wikitravel is a project to create an open content, complete, up-to-date, and reliable world-wide travel guide. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... This article includes a list of works cited but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... This article cites its sources but does not provide page references. ... , Sanchi is a small village in India, located 46 km north east of Bhopal, and 10 km from Besnagar and Vidisha in the central part of the state of Madhya Pradesh. ... Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site which is located in India. ... Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus) (better referred to by its acronym CST) - is a historic railway station on Mumbai suburban railway. ... Founded in the 15th century, the city of Goa in south-western India was under Portuguese rule from 1510 until its incorporation in the Republic of India in 1961. ... The Trimurti-Sadasiva Statue The Elephanta Caves are the focal point of the Elephanta Island, located in the Mumbai harbour off the coast of Mumbai (Bombay), India. ... Jain cave in Ellora Ellora is an ancient village 30 km (18. ... View across Fatehpur Sikri Fatehpur Sikri (Hindi: ) was the political capital of Indias Mughal Empire under Akbars reign, from 1571 until 1585, when it was abandoned, ostensibly due to lack of water. ... The Great Living Chola Temples are temples built during the Chola rule in the south of India. ... Hampi (Kannada: ಹಂಪೆ, Hampe in Kannada) is a village in northern Karnataka, on the banks of the Tungabhadra River in India. ... Shore Temple, rescued from the sea Mahabalipuram (Tamil:மகாபலிபுரம்) (also known as Mamallapuram) is a town in Kancheepuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. ... Pattadakal (Kannada- ಪಟ್ಟದಕಲ್) is a town in the Indian state of Karnataka famous for its group of monuments that are the culmination of earliest experiments in vesara style of Hindu temple architecture. ... Humayuns tomb is a complex of buildings of Mughal architecture located in Nizamuddin east, New Delhi. ... Kaziranga National Park (Assamese: কাজিৰাঙ্গা জাতীয় উদ্যান , Assamese IAST: kājirāṅgā jātiya udyāna, Assamese IPA: kÉ‘/ÉŸi/rÉ‘Å‹/gÉ‘, Indian English IPA: kÉ‘/zi/rÉ‘Å‹/gÉ‘) is an Indian national park located on the south bank of the Brahmaputra river in the state of Assam, India. ... The Keoladeo National Park in Rajasthan, India is a famous avifauna sanctuary that sees thousands of rare and highly endangered birds such as the Siberian Crane come here during the winter season. ... The Mahabodhi Temple is a Buddhist temple in Bodh Gaya, the location where Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, attained enlightenment. ... Manas National Park is a National Park, UNESCO Natural World Heritage site, a Project Tiger Reserve, an Elephant Reserve and a Biosphere Reserve in Assam, India. ... The mountain railways of India are scattered from the North East of the country and the South of the Country. ... The Nanda Devi National Park is a national park situated around the peak of Nanda Devi (7,800m) in Jammu and Kashmir in India. ... A flower found in the park. ... A map of the Qutb complex. ... There used to be a redirect from the Red Fort in Delhi to Agra Fort in Agra. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article or section cites very few or no references or sources. ... The Sundarbans National Park (Bengali: সুন্দরবন জাতীয় উদ্দ্যান) is a National Park, Tiger Reserve, UNESCO World Heritage Site and a Biosphere Reserve located in the Sundarbans delta in Indian state of West Bengal. ... Taj Mahal Location of the Taj Mahal within India The Taj Mahal (Devanagari: ताज महल, Nastaliq: تاج محل) is a mausoleum located in Agra, India. ...